In recent blogs we’ve talked about the importance of the fall season, as many diverse gifting celebrations typically occur in these few months. Millions of people are celebrating all sorts of life-stage events, including major milestones like weddings and new babies, along with birthdays, anniversaries, year-end retirements, and even last-minute graduation celebrations, which means registry opportunity heats up as temperatures cool down.

But…

There’s something else that drives more gift giving than all those events combined: the year-end holidays. And this year will be no exception. The numbers are too big to ignore, and they generate registry possibilities for every business out there:

• Industry studies (from such sources as the National Retail Federation and Deloitte) project holiday spending this year will be up slightly over last year—meaning more than $1.1 trillion will be spent, with more than a third of that being spent on gifts.
  • While some consumers are more cautious these days due to the impact of COVID, they see gift exchange as important because they’re unsure about the ability to have large family gatherings and celebrations. They express a desire to spend at levels comparable to last year.
  • With more than 300 million people in the U.S., the customer base for holiday gifting is huge.
  • With people of all ages and so many diverse lifestyle interests involved, the breadth of gifting is enormous.
• Products, more than experiences, are likely to top gift lists this year, and they’ll come in all shapes, sizes, and price points.
• Top trending categories reflect the times and offer opportunities for every one of our partners. For example:
  • Home decor and home furnishings gifts address the desire to enhance our living spaces as we all spend more time at home, and this includes DIY products that can keep us busy and productive as well. It also extends to products that make our outdoor spaces more comfortable and attractive. Bottom line, customers want to make it easier to work or study from home, or to create a fresh look for the spaces we see so much more of these days.
  • Health and wellness products give us all a chance to take care of ourselves, whether they make it easier to exercise and stay active (indoors and out), or to take other steps to stay healthy. This applies to all ages.
  • Cooking and kitchen products and storage items support the increase in at-home dining. This necessity has spurred more people to take an active interest in food and food preparation, and they still want to set a nice table, so serveware matters too.
  • Tech products make it easier to work, stay connected, and just take advantage of streaming services, games, and more to stay entertained at home.

Act Now…

As you read this, you should know that holiday plans are already underway. Traditionally, the industry tracks the start of the holiday season as November 1. But not this year. More customers will start holiday shopping this month because: (1) they want to avoid any business shutdowns should the pandemic worsen; (2) they worry that delivery delays could mean a gift arrives late if they wait to order; and (3) many are aware that businesses want to control costs and so are managing inventory carefully, which may mean late shoppers find wished-for items out of stock.

While there will always be last-minute shoppers, we urge you to start talking up how you can make this a safe, easy, hassle-free holiday season. It’s likely to be a competitive season as well, so the more ways you can demonstrate how you deliver great value and great service, the stronger you’ll be.

Top 5 Holiday Tips: How to Create Holiday Wish List Energy

Here are our five tips to showcase how your gift registry can make this holiday season a success—and set you up to kick off a new year that registers even more sales in 2021!

1. Make noise about your Wish List: Include Holiday Wish List mentions in your marketing, advertising, and merchandising programs—starting now. Add gift list taglines with increasing frequency as the season progresses. Build a holiday gifting campaign that showcases popular products, and broadcast it across all your marketing channels.

• The message is simple: A Wish List can make it quick and easy to get the gifts you most want and need these days.

2. Show that your registry is a holiday hero: While the holidays bring joy, they’re also notorious for creating stress. This year, uncertainty surrounding the pandemic will add to that stress, so do everything you can to show customers you can help them gift shop with ease. Talk up any and all services you offer to facilitate a safe, convenient, and reliable shopping experience.

• Spotlight your registry, as it’s a feature that can accomplish this and ensure every gift is well received.
• Remind customers of any special offers you have (such as free shipping and gift wrap) that add more value and reason to register with you this holiday season.

3. Be warm, cheery, and festive: As the season advances, add appropriate imagery to your marketing materials. Project a sense of warmth and connection that feels reassuring at a time when physical gatherings may be limited.

• Refresh the look of your registry, whether it’s your registry home page or any in-store materials, to convey a sense of the seasonal gifting activity going on.

4. Celebrate registry users: Your customers have many choices of where they can shop, so make sure to keep them engaged and show your gratitude when they choose you to help them make the season merry and bright.

• Encourage registrants with past event dates to keep relying on you for a great gift experience; urge them to repurpose their gift lists—remind them that it’s a perfect way to receive items still desired but not yet purchased, or suggest they replenish their list with new items to complement what they already have.
• Remind registrants to share their registry, so every gift unwrapped is a gift appreciated
• Include a holiday “treat” in every registry purchase—something as small as a candy cane will bring a smile.
  • For a gift purchaser, make it available in store or at curbside for pickup; if they shop online and send the gift, offer a follow-up thank you by email. And while you’re at it, invite them to get in on the gifting by creating and sharing their own Wish List.
  • For a registrant, include a little extra something in a gift package coming their way.
  • Consider giving all of them a special offer to encourage them to kick off the new year by shopping in January.

5. Connect in creative ways: Customers are looking for ways to connect with others, so tap into that by finding ways to interact with them directly.

• For those of you with physical stores, offer personal “elf” shopping assistance to help with registry creation or gift purchasing. You can support remote or online registry activity by offering this personal touch via live chat or Zoom.
• Host contests or giveaways that encourage customers to add gifts or refer friends to create holiday lists.
• Invite customers to share a gift list or favorite gift on social media, and include a contest in which they’re eligible to win something from their Holiday Wish List.

And don’t forget to take advantage of the tools we have that help you manage your gift registry or provide platforms to give your products/brand more exposure.

• Use the admin services and data in your Partner Dashboard to finesse your marketing plans so they’ll add more jingle to your register.
• Be sure to contact us so we can update our  Wish List Inspiration Boards with fresh holiday products or share a social post for you.

We Love Connecting with You
It’s wonderful to connect with many of you each week to talk about the specific needs of your business and how MyRegistry can support you. Feel free to contact us at marketingguru@myregistry.com to discuss marketing ideas for your unique registry business.

You can read all our partner and marketing blogs here.