The holiday season is a crucial time for companies, presenting a golden opportunity to showcase their offerings to a wide audience of gift-givers and enthusiasts. At Allied Global Marketing, we specialize in helping our clients thrive in the competitive holiday landscape by developing effective gift guide strategies. According to the National Retail Federation, average holiday sales in November and December account for about 19% of total annual retail sales, making it essential to have a strong strategy.

Here are some key factors we consider as part of our strategy:

1. Timing: We pitch to holiday gift guide writers as early as September to stay ahead of the competition. A survey by Capital One Shopping found that 49% of holiday shoppers make purchases during holiday sales before Thanksgiving.

2. Exclusive Incentives: We recommend that our clients create pre-order offerings or limited-time promotions to drive sales and excitement. For example, when our client Wizarding World Digital launched their Wizarding World Gold subscription, we developed a pre-order package that included an exclusive, personalized journal and cover featuring the customer's name and Hogwarts House.

3. Key Shopping Dates: We leverage Black Friday and Cyber Monday during our outreach to highlight even more special deals our clients are offering. Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday collectively attract around 290 million shoppers, making these dates critical revenue drivers. With Black Friday extending into longer promotional periods, our client, View Boston, utilizes this to incentivize future visits, offering their guests the opportunity to purchase tickets now and use them in the future, leading to a boost in ticket sales during the holiday season. 

4. Tailor Your Pitch: When it comes to pitching our clients, we customize our approach to the specific outlet and audience, highlighting unique features and benefits. We consistently demonstrate a deep understanding of the publication and its readers to increase the chances of securing a valuable gift guide placement for our clients. One example would be our restaurant client, Il Mulino strategically releasing their new sauce line to coincide with holiday gift guides, spotlighting its sauces as the perfect holiday gift and seeding the sauces to key F&B media in advance.

5. Collaborate and Cross-Promote: We help our clients partner with complementary brands or influencers to create unique, cross-promotional holiday offerings. Wizarding World Digital partnered with Wonderbly, the global leader in personalized children's books, and MinaLima, the designers behind the graphic style of the Harry Potter films, to demonstrate the effectiveness of innovative collaborations.  

In summary, by staying ahead of the curve, offering compelling products, and leveraging key moments, our clients can navigate the competitive holiday landscape and achieve their goals, one enchanting gift guide at a time. Want to learn more about our approach? Get in touch.