Many business owners who are concerned about brand image are prepared to relax their rules during the festive season.
The team at www.vouchercloud.com undertook the study as part of ongoing research into how British business owners perceive customer loyalty.
Some 2,000 British business owners, all of whom have been in business for a minimum of two years, were quizzed about how they maintain customer loyalty, in particular surrounding the Christmas holidays.
Initially, all respondents were asked ‘Do you run promotions throughout the year, regardless of the season?’ to which almost two thirds of respondents, 64 per cent, admitted that ‘yes’ they do. When all respondents were asked ‘Do you run promotions in the lead up to Christmas?’ almost four fifths of respondents, 79 per cent, stated ‘yes’.
All those who admitted to running promotions over the Christmas period but not throughout the rest of the year were asked why this was the case. The most common responses are ‘to encourage shoppers to purchase items that may not necessarily have been on their Christmas list’ (41 per cent) and ‘to bring more customers through the doors’ (35 per cent).
According to the poll, the most common promotions that business owners employ during the Christmas period are ‘purchase offers eg 2 for 1’ (44 per cent), ‘discount vouchers’ (37 per cent) and ‘giveaways’ (29 per cent).
Those respondents who stated they were happy to run discounts and promotions throughout the year, regardless of season, were asked why they were happy to do so. The most common responses are ‘It’s a great way to keep customers happy; old and new’ (46 per cent) and ‘it encourages a larger spend’ (42 per cent).
Chris Johnson, head of operations at vouchercloud.com says, ‘It’s great that so many companies embrace special promotions during Christmas; not only does it help out those doing their shopping, but it also helps retailers keep up with – and beat – their competition.
‘The high street and online battles are very fierce at this time of year, so it makes sense that retailers do all they can to get money in their tills over those of their rivals! All the better for the shoppers’ bank balances, too.’
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