The holiday season can be quite profitable for businesses. As a lot of people buy products and services as gifts ahead of the festivities, there can hardly be a better time for businesses to stay connected with their clients than now.
We asked some Nigerian businesses to share tips on how they’re making the most of the holiday. So, here’s a quick tip from us: If you own a business, you definitely want to pay attention.
- Janore brand
The Janore brand is a fashion outlet that designs and produces women’s clothing. Already two years into the business, they make unique outfits that offer distinct styling options to women.
Holiday Plan: Janore has created a special collection that incorporates vibrant holiday colours to match the theme of whatever occasion their clients might have in mind.
Pro-tip: Provide your clients with options. Janore has been able to give its customers several styling options with a single outfit. They’ve carved a niche for themselves by solving the big problem of “What can I wear to give off different looks without breaking the bank?”
The Hack: Incorporate the festive feeling into your product and services. Show love and appreciation for your customers by giving discounts and souvenirs, as well as sending them meaningful messages.
2. Bernadines Bistro
On October 29th, 2017, Bernadines Bistro started out as Cafe Bena in Lagos. Since then, they’ve evolved from a cloud-kitchen selling freshly made food to a dine-in restaurant. They are certain that this new feature guarantees good business this festive season.
Holiday Plan: Give discounts. This holiday, Bernadines Bistro is giving discounts on meals and drinks from their dine-in restaurant.
Pro-tip: Content marketing works like magic. According to the brand owner, the business has benefited from organic sales growth, social media engagement rate, search traffic and more importantly, “the brand personality is well defined.”
The Hack: Invest more resources in taking inventory.
3. Morolayo Catering Concepts
For 13 years, Morolayo Catering Concepts, popularly known as Superflycook, has been in the business of catering events and making deliveries. In that time, they’ve grown to be more structured, particularly in getting quality supplies and learning to say no to certain jobs. “We’re particular about the jobs we take on in terms of distance, timing and pricing,” a rep told us. “We’ve learnt the hard way that you can’t say yes to all contracts.”
Holiday Plans: To cater for and host more people this festive season.
Pro-tip: Give your clients a sense of safety and assurance. The Morolayo brand prides itself in meeting the client’s expectations. As a result, they’ve built trusting relationships that have served the business.
The Hack: Learning to say no to last-minute or unplanned requests can be hard, but it probably should be done.
4. Crave Affair
Crave Affair, a year-old delivery business, delivers food trays, soup bowls and more to companies and individuals. They are making the most of the holiday.
Holiday Plans: This holiday, Crave Affair is making special Christmas packages that people can send to family, friends and loved ones. According to the company’s managing director, they have party specials for corporate bodies. “The goal is to help people make special memories this season,” she said.
Pro-tip: Crave Affair has found getting into the corporate space immensely rewarding. Supplying meal plans and lunch packs to offices has benefited the business.
The Hack: Get that referral. After delivering on every order, remind your customers to refer your business to people with similar needs. Reward referrals with discounts or gift vouchers.
5. Hingees
With six years of skin in the game, lifestyle brand Hingees has managed to stay true to its purpose: connecting people with minimalist products that improve their everyday life. These products include apparels, accessories, leather goods, stationery and prints.
Holiday Plans: Hingees is curating products that people can offer as gifts to their friends and loved ones. Gift shopping for family and friends is hard. Hingees is making it easier for their customers.
Pro-tip: Connect with customers on all levels. For Hingees, this entails showing the process of how their products are made as well as interacting with customers.
The Hack: Stock up as much as possible. Scarcity and price hikes are not uncommon during the holidays. By stocking up, you can avoid panicking about running out of goods. Be the brand with the backup.
