St. Patrick’s Day is a couple of weeks away, and while it can sometimes seem that this Irish holiday is much bigger for bars or events spaces, the fact is, virtually any type of business can get into the St. Patrick’s Day fun. Here are 5 marketing and promotion ideas to try in your retail store’s marketing strategy on St. Patrick’s Day to get the most out of it.
Show your St. Patrick’s Day spirit through your window and in-store displays
The best way to show people your St. Patrick’s Day spirit is to… well, show them. Decorate your store for the occasion. See to it that passers-by know that you’re celebrating the Irish holiday by decorating your window displays with the right props and merchandise. If you’re selling green or themed products, make sure they’re front and center. Check out what these retailers are doing:
A souvenir store in Manhattan filled its window display with tons of St. Patrick’s Day apparel and accessories to showcase their themed inventory.
Come up with St. Patrick’s Day collections
Another way to generate buzz is to come up with designs or collections specifically for St. Patrick’s Day. Limited edition designs or products work great because not only are they relevant to the season, but they’re not widely available all year which means you can promote a sense of exclusivity or urgency when selling them.
Check out ShanOre®, a store that sells Irish handcrafted jewelry. While Irish themes are common for the brand all year round, for St. On Patrick’s Day, ShanOre is promoting their Shamrock Collection, which consists of beautiful jewelry featuring (you guessed) it shamrocks. For best results, make an effort to drive up the excitement even before you release your collection. Build anticipation by talking it up in-store as well as on social media.
Run a St. Patrick’s Day promotion
If it makes sense for your business, consider running a deal or promotion for St. Patrick’s Day. Look at what you have in stock and identify products that you need to move. Then, come up with a St. Patrick’s Day themed promotion.
You can, for example…
- Tack a 17% discount on select products. St. Patrick’s is celebrated on or around March 17, so this is a good way to stay relevant.
- Attach a shamrock to the products you want to move, and include a discount.
- Offer a promotion to people who come into the store wearing something green.
- Put your green merchandise on sale. This is bound to be a popular one. According to NRF’s St. Patrick’s Day survey, 79% of respondents plan to celebrate by wearing green.
Set up a dedicated section in your store
Make it easy for people to find your collections or promotions by having them all in a dedicated place in your store. If you have an eCcommerce site, this means you should set up a “St. Patrick’s” category or page, and then promote it on your homepage with a special banner. As for your physical shop, have a table or shelf specifically for St. Paddy’s merchandise.
Get your employees in on the fun
You could deck your whole store with green props and merchandise, but if your employees aren’t in on the St. Patrick’s Day fun, then your efforts will fall short. So, let your employees show their St. Paddy’s day spirit on and around the day itself. Get them to wear green; use props like pins or hats to spice up their attire.
You can also encourage them to interact with shoppers celebrating the Irish holiday. Perhaps they can use it to start a conversation with customers. Get creative. Meet with your staff and together, cook up ways to connect with customers on St. Patrick’s Day.
Conclusion
“Luck” may be a common theme for St. Patrick’s Day, but don’t rely on it alone to drive engagement and sales. If you want to “get the green” on or around March 17th, you need to act early (read: now) and prepare your store and your staff. We hope this post helps you do that, and if you try these tips be sure to let us know!
