Top 10 Reasons to Start Planning Your Holiday Display Now
You think you have plenty of time. After all, Christmas is six months away. You continue with your business plans; you refine your product—
–and the next thing you know, it’s Thanksgiving, and it may be too late to get your display into stores. Maybe you missed the timeline of getting a product in Lowe’s / Home Depot in time for holiday sales.
Add to the fact that the “holiday creep” means stores are showing holiday displays earlier and earlier, and you can see why it’s important to start planning your December holiday display now.
But planning early for ANY holiday is a good practice. It lowers stress and helps ensure you have the best possible display to help you remain competitive.
So where do you get started? How can you ensure your product is front and center when shoppers are ready for holiday purchases?
Don’t worry. At McIntyre Manufacturing, we’ve helped hundreds of clients make their holiday deadlines and we will work closely with you through every step of the process. Below, we’ll review the top 10 reasons to start planning your holiday display now.
10 Reasons to Start Creating Your Holiday Display Now
1. The “Holiday Creep”
You’ve likely noticed that the winter holiday displays start appearing—in some cases—around Halloween. This phenomenon is referred to as the “Holiday Creep,” and it’s why retailers start earlier and earlier with Christmas sales and specials. Don’t get left behind because your display is not ready!
Remember that business displays gearing up for Black Friday/ Cyber Monday generally have their plans and displays mapped out by early August. It’s also equally important to consider that stores do not want anything coming into the store during the Thanksgiving or Christmas push; this interferes with the heavy holiday shipping season.
2. To Be Ready for Special Promotions
By starting early, you’ll be fully prepared for any early promotions your marketing department is pushing forward. These may include specials, discounts, or other incentives.
By being onboard with this strategy at the earliest point in the game, you set yourself, your sales—and your POP display—for success.
3. To Ensure a Smooth Process
The earlier you plan your schedule and focus, the smoother the entire process will be. From brainstorming to final product, you should account for 16 weeks of preparation, particularly during peak business times.
At McIntyre Manufacturing, we’ll help you nail down a solid concept and plan for your display, whether you have a full idea in your mind, or you have some notes scribbled on the back of a napkin. Regardless, we can work closely with you to make your vision a reality.
4. To Account for Shipping Delays
Thankfully, this is not an issue if you work with McIntyre Manufacturing. All of our products are proudly manufactured in the USA, so you won’t have to worry about a shipping container with your display being stuck at harbor.
5. To Be Able to Pivot as The Marketplace Changes
If you start early enough, you’ll have “wiggle room” that you need in case there’s a dramatic change in your marketplace. Often, we can make these adjustments by just switching out a few items on your display to make it more timely and more relevant.
6. To Have Time to Tweak the Design If Needed
At McIntyre Manufacturing, we always strive for 100 percent customer satisfaction—and our long list of loyal customers serves as proof that we deliver on that promise.
We also realize that unexpected circumstances may create a need for the design to be tweaked slightly. If this is the case, you’ll be glad that you started earlier on your display, especially if you’re trying to meet the timeline of getting a product in Lowes / Home Depot in time for holiday sales.
7. To Reduce Manufacturing Costs
It often costs more to finish a “rush job” than it would for a project that carefully followed a timeline. At McIntyre Manufacturing, we’ll carefully work with you to help keep costs down without cutting corners. We believe that the power of a well-crafted display will provide a great return on investment.
8. To Plan for Weather-related Delays
At McIntyre Manufacturing, we can control the creation of your product from start to finish.
But we can’t control the weather.
If inclement weather strikes—such as a hurricane or blizzards—it could delay ground transportation. If you’ve planned ahead, you should have enough flexibility that this will have minimal effect on your marketing.
9. To Allow More Time for Brainstorming
We fully believe in the old adage “measure twice, cut once.” When you start a project on the right foot, that extra time spent in the beginning of the project makes the rest of it run more efficiently.
That’s why we want to be sure we’re coming out strong right from the starting gate. This also gives you a chance to reflect on some of the creative and useful ideas from our talented designers and engineers.
10. To Be Sure There’s a Distribution Plan in Place
You want to be sure you’ve adequately planned for your warehousing and distribution. At McIntyre Manufacturing, you don’t have to worry; we’ll be sure there’s a system in place. We can ship your items fully assembled or in a kit with plain, easy-to-follow instructions. If you need to warehouse them and ship them in stages, we can accommodate that too. Just let us know what you need, and we’ll be happy to make it happen!
McIntyre Manufacturing: The Reliability You Need When It Matters Most
There’s a reason they call it Black Friday—it represents huge gains for retailers—and you don’t want to be left behind.
That’s why you need a company that has a proven track record of success and a long list of loyal customers.
See what makes McIntyre Manufacturing different from the competition. Simply contact us today by completing this form to get started.
