Super Saturday Sale: Why Is A Great Opportunity For Online Retailers

After Black Friday, it’ll be time to focus on the last-minute rush for holiday gift sales—the increasingly prominent Super Saturday.

It’s a highly competitive time of year, and many retailers will no doubt be looking for an extra sales boost as buyers look for the best prices.

Nonetheless, foot traffic on December 18—dubbed the “Super Saturday sale” within the industry for falling on the final weekend before Christmas— was up 19% compared to the previous year, defying the pandemic-declining era’s holiday shopping trends for in-person shopping, according to Sensormatic Solutions data.

This comes after in-store purchasing on Black Friday 2021 increased 47.5 percent compared to 2020, albeit totals were still 28.3 percent lower than pre-Covid shopping in 2019.

Now let’s speak about the Super Saturday sale and what it entails for you as a retailer.

What is a Super Saturday sale?

The Saturday before Christmas is known as Super Saturday. It is also known as Panic Saturday. Both names emphasize the intensity of the day: tremendous bargains, panicked last-minute customers.

This is the final push for holiday sales. It takes place on December 19, the day after Christmas. Customers can still receive their orders before Christmas Day with quick online shipping.

Jacqueline Snyder, a product startup specialist, fashion designer, and co-founder of a well-known podcast and platform for small business coaching, says, “It’s a tremendously crucial day for retailers as it functions as the close to the holiday shopping season that begins on Black Friday.”

This day often sees a substantial surge in foot traffic at brick-and-mortar retailers because it is frequently too late to order gifts online and the best opportunity to sell seasonal products. Before post-Christmas markdowns, it’s the last major push for merchants, according to Jacqueline.

Super Saturday is a crucial day for companies that want to finish the year well, even though its proximity to Cyber Monday and Black Friday may deter shops from investing additional money in attracting customers. Super Saturday last year set new records for retail sales thanks to its enormous popularity. $43.4 billion. It outperformed 2018 by 7% and outperformed Black Friday by 10%.

According to independent research by retail consultancy organisation. Customer Growth Partners, retailers will make even more money on Super Saturday – a whopping $26 billion — than they did on Black Friday.

Don’t overlook these sales figures; they are important!

Online vs in-store Super Saturday sales

Hillary Senko Cullum, a retail advisor with 15 years of experience working with luxury labels including Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Dolce & Gabbana, and Gucci, says, “Super Saturday sales often produce high in-store traffic as buyers are racing to pick up last-minute gifts.”

She notes that brands and merchants must change their offers to keep customers happy.

Small businesses may also benefit from increased internet sales depending on when Super Saturday happens. It becomes increasingly unlikely that Christmas presents will arrive in time for the holiday the closer Christmas Eve gets.

If online consumers use expedited shipping options, they still have time for their items to arrive by Christmas Eve, even though it is the year’s final day. That means you need to be ready with an up-to-date online store and, if at all feasible, next-day shipping.

Five Proven Strategies To Increase Sales

This holiday season, clarity and transparency in communication are critical variables in sales growth. We recommend that clients comprehend the following:

• Operating hours

• In-store security

• Cleaning methods

• Order fulfilment options

• Timelines for delivery

It’s also crucial in the modern day to ensure your retail brand’s web presence accurately reflects the store’s offerings. The alternatives available are numerous. Customers will increasingly move between digital and physical channels this year, making the omnichannel experience crucial.

Provide curbside pickup as well as same-day local delivery

Retailers can provide other ways to shop on Super Saturday to address changing demands. Supply curbside pickup and same-day local delivery to meet those last-minute demands. Focus on satisfying the needs of local clients.

While Super Saturday 2022 is early enough in the day for some last-minute eCommerce orders to arrive on time, offering curbside pickup alleviates local buyers’ concerns about overcrowded post offices.

Segment your email marketing and send out exclusive invitation-only deals

to get the most out of your email list on Super Saturday; you should first analyze your clients’ purchasing patterns. By sending them a targeted email marketing campaign, ensure your customers don’t miss out on your holiday specials. Use a “we miss you” email campaign to reach out to customers who haven’t shopped with you in a while.

Similarly, stores will send out emails to consumers within a certain radius of the store, telling them about the benefits of curbside pickup and local delivery.

In addition to being a terrific day to make a final push on seasonal merchandise, Super Saturday is also a great time to clear out old stock before the year ends.

If you have stock hanging around for too long, consider sending out an email offering special bundles that you don’t normally provide. This is a great method for golf pro shops and other seasonal retailers to sell off their remaining golf gear before they close for the season.

Year-round courses can still benefit from this idea by offering packages that include pro shop discounts and gift certificates for a round of golf.

Make certain that your products are visible to local customers

For this reason, Super Saturday is also known as Panic Saturday. Even in years where there is adequate time for an online purchase to arrive at their door, such as 2022, buyers are likely to look closer to home rather than risk extended delivery waits.

So, when that last-minute Super Saturday shopper searches Google for the gifts they need nearby, you’ll want to ensure it’s your stuff they see.

Pointy, a Google tool can assist you. When you connect Pointy to your POS, your products will appear on Google, allowing customers to check if you have what they need (even if you don’t have an eCommerce site).

“Pointy provides us with a platform to exhibit every product we sell in the store while requiring very little work from us.” “We can see what things are trending on our Pointy dashboard, so we know where to spend our advertising expenditures,” explains Rae Regan of Country Paint and Hardware.

Excel at shipping times and costs

Online retailers shouldn’t write them off. There’s a week until Super Saturday 2022 and the holiday season. Many buyers prefer to do everything online and want their gifts to arrive before Christmas.

Retailers need clarity regarding their delivery alternatives to guarantee customer service. A customer experience platform like Xoopah, which brings all customer interaction data under one roof, is a great way to accomplish this.

Allow for free shipping. Some of the most common reasons customers leave online purchases are because of shipping and handling fees. Providing free shipping is practical. If you cannot offer free delivery on Super Saturday, think about how to word you’re offering it.

For instance, you can lower the price of your product to the point where it covers or even exceeds the delivery fee. Any shipping or other payments should be made clear to the buyer early in the buying process. Customers are far less likely to abandon their purchases if they know them beforehand.

Be super active on social media.

Another avenue to explore is getting your Super Saturday campaign noticed on social media. To reach a bigger audience, spend money on social media ads if you can afford to. It would be a waste not to take advantage of the growing demand for online services, as more and more people are spending time there.

Don’t stress if you can’t afford advertisements. Use social media and video to promote your business “if you don’t have the funds for commercials or if you want to make an organic push.” Go on air and show off your goods. Alternatively, you may broadcast a live show where you showcase a product, much like a home shopping network.

You might want to highlight your sales if you want to attract thrifty consumers this Christmas season. If you offer special deals in honor of Super Saturday, share them on Instagram and Facebook as a Story.

Offer gifts that still feel heartfelt

Last-minute Super Saturday shopping doesn’t have to mean settling for second-best gifts. Providing holiday shoppers with options for customizing their purchases will bring smiles to their faces despite their stress.

FitSmallBusiness retail and eCommerce researcher Meaghan Brophy says this is a good place for independent stores to compete. Gift goods that have been personalized with engravings, embroidery, painted accents, screen printing, or monograms have been shown to increase upsells and attract shoppers searching for a unique or thoughtful present, as stated by Meaghan.

Conclusion

A year of highs and lows means that this weekend’s  Super Saturday sale is more essential than ever.

However, this does not necessitate any sort of innovative thinking on your part. You may capitalize on the success of your Black Friday and Cyber Monday plan by repurposing many of the strategies and marketing you developed for those days.

This Super Saturday, you must put forth your best sales effort to convince new and returning customers to shop at your establishment. Have a prosperous day!