Why Holiday Décor Matters

4 Minutes To Read

We all like a nicely decorated space.

You walk into a house and feel at home.

You walk into an office and feel motivated.

You walk into a mall at Christmastime and feel joy and an overwhelming desire to eat cookies. 

Decorating for Christmas is a great way to get your team and your guests in the holiday spirit. But did you know Christmas décor actually benefits your business, too? Commercial Christmas decorations play more of a role in your holiday revenue than you probably think. Whether you’re a pre-Thanksgiving decorator or get a little grinchy when it’s time to untangle the Christmas lights, holiday decorations bring more customers and more cash flow throughout the Christmas season. 

You’ve likely found yourself walking into a shopping center in late October only to be met not by Halloween, not by Thanksgiving, but by Christmas decorations. You exchange glances — maybe even groans — with the stranger who entered behind you, signaling your disgust with the store’s all-too-eager marketing team. 

“I’ll never decorate before Halloween –– No! Thanksgiving,” you swear to yourself.

But in 2021, 61% of consumers reported they start their holiday shopping in early November. And over half of these shoppers start researching and planning for these purchases in October. 

For some business owners this is a clear sign to haul out the holly. Others are left wondering:

Maybe so. But that doesn’t change the fact that holiday retail sales exceeded $1 trillion in 2020, roughly 80% of which was spent in physical storefronts. And with 30% of shoppers leaving their holiday gift purchases up to in-store inspiration, it’s difficult to blame store owners for getting their guests in the holiday spending spirit.

Psychological research suggests that the ambience of a store, including its music and smells, effects customers’ decision making and shopping behaviors. So hang up the mistletoe, light a holiday candle, and allow the smell of Christmas cookies to greet your customers at the door. Because evoking holiday memories will encourage your customers to stay longer and shop more.

After all, “we don’t buy things. We buy how things make us feel.”

Whether we realize it or not, humans have a lot of opinions about a place based on its Christmas decorations. From holiday-specific markets to shopping centers all the way down to our neighbors’ homes, when the most wonderful time of the year comes around, we seek out properties that look the part. 

Surprisingly, nearly half of the people you’ll find perusing lifestyle centers this holiday season are there simply to “experience the holiday atmosphere.” And when it comes down to which stores consumers walk into, 6.9% determine where to shop based on “shopping experience” including the store’s atmosphere and décor.

We know what you’re thinking: most of my customers would rather use my website than come to the store, and online shoppers don’t affect my in-store sales. Why should I spend the money on decorations?

Deloitte found that 66% of consumers research holiday gifts online before buying in store. Decorating your storefront and promoting it on your site will help you catch those online shoppers who plan to purchase in house. Plus, people tend to make more spur-of-the-moment purchases in person and the merrier your guests, the more they’re likely to buy. 

Keep in mind you can’t just decorate one year and keep the same décor up for decades. All it takes is one underwhelming holiday décor program for patrons to declare you a festive flop. 

It’s critical to understand your audience’s style and stay up to date on yuletide trends. One year guests may be ecstatic to take their Christmas pictures in front of your illuminated trees and the next prefer oversized ornaments. 

Planning your holiday events and attractions around your guests is another great way to increase foot traffic and interest throughout the season. Maybe more families visit during weekdays and early afternoons, so you should arrange pictures with Santa on a Tuesday at 2 p.m. rather than a Saturday at 8 p.m. Hosting romantic horse-drawn carriage rides? Or maybe Christmas cocktail hour? Make sure you target customer segments who partake in these experiences so you don’t scare away others.

If this sounds like a bunch of holiday hoobie whatty, you should consider hiring a Christmas decorations company. Christmas lighting suppliers and Christmas wholesalers will have all the giant trees and outdoor decorations you need, and many will even design your entire décor plan for you.

No matter how big or small your holiday celebrations, make sure your season is merry and bright. More than 25% of your annual revenue could be counting on it.