Are your customers Grinches or Santas?
03 December 2018 / Published in Business‘Tis the season to be jolly, or so they say. The idea of Christmas can be quite polarising to consumers. Some people love Christmas, some tolerate it and there are a few who would rather avoid it all together. But as a retail business, why is this important to know how customers feel about Christmas and what are the implications?
Research by shopper marketing agency, Energi, into Kiwi Christmas shopping habits, has revealed that there are five main types of Christmas shoppers. These shopper types tend to approach Christmas shopping differently, in terms of what they are looking for, and what it takes to satisfy them. We’ve summarised this information so you can tailor your shopping experience and marketing to more effectively engage your customers this Christmas.
The Five Christmas Shopper Segments
Santas As the name implies, Santas are those members of the public that love everything about Christmas. They want it to last as long as possible, and want it to be bigger and better every year. Santas make up 25% of all Christmas shoppers. |
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How to identify a Santa:
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How to capture their attention:
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Budgeters Budgeters love Christmas but do so with a budget in mind. Budgeters make up 20% of the shopping public. |
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How to identify a Budgeter:
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How to capture their attention:
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Ambivalents Less interested in all of the Christmas cheer and fuss, they’re really just holding out for time off work. At 29% of all Christmas shoppers, Ambivalents make up a large proportion of Kiwi shoppers. |
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How to identify Ambivalents:
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How to capture their attention:
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Reluctants Like Ambivalents, Reluctants also don’t care much for Christmas celebrations and are looking forward to time off work. The key thing that sets this group apart is their delegation of responsibility for Christmas shopping. Reluctants make up 16% of Christmas shoppers. |
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How to identify a Reluctant:
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How to capture their attention:
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Grinches Much like their namesake, they consider the holiday to be a commercial scam. Grinches do as little as possible to acknowledge it, only looking for token gesture presents (if they give any at all). This shopper type, makes up 7% of shoppers. |
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How to identify a Grinch:
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How to capture their attention:
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How retail businesses use this information
So, now that you know each of these customer types, what’s next? To make the most of this information, it’s time to start looking through your data. What is your customer base? By knowing the age and demographic of your average customers, you can start planning for the shopper types that are most likely to frequent your store or website.
Are you helping Santas celebrate the Christmas spirit? Are you helping Budgeters get by within their budget? Are you providing easy solutions for Ambivalents and Reluctants?
Using the information above, you can make sure you’re ready for customers visiting in the weeks ahead.
For more articles featuring seasonal tips for retail businesses, see our Christmas blog series in partnership with Energi.
For more information on how ASB can help your business get one step ahead, visit asb.co.nz/small-business
1 Energi, Shopper Magazine Volume 2 (2016 Survey Data)