Everyone knows St. Patrick’s Day is the green holiday. However, with the National Retail Federation reporting skyrocketing St. Patrick’s Day spending, it may be becoming the green holiday due to the money it generates, rather than traditional cultural color associations.
Consumers are clearly willing to spend money, especially on alcohol, when it comes to celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. When setting up marketing displays and merchandizing initiatives, keep these tips in mind to build a successful campaign.
Maintaining Cultural Awareness
Because St. Patrick’s Day is a cultural holiday, care needs to be taken not to misrepresent or demean the Irish culture. Using aspects of Irish culture can be great ways to create a unique customer experience, but it can be a slippery slope between showcasing Irish culture and disrespecting it.
Asking customers to perform an Irish jig, speak in an Irish accent, or recite a limerick to receive a deal or discount might seem to be great ways to incorporate the holiday into your business. However, these challenges also require your staff to know what those things are. If your employees can’t tell the difference between an Irish jig and the Macarena or distinguish an Irish accent from a Jamaican accent, then the incentive doesn’t have anything to do with St. Patrick’s Day. It’s just requiring your customers to do something unorthodox with no clear connection to St. Patrick’s Day.
In this scenario, it would make more sense to include something typically associated with St. Patrick’s Day, rather than specific aspects stereotypically associated with the Irish Culture. This could be something like wearing green or presenting a lucky item, such as a four-leaf clover, rabbits foot, or horse shoe.
St. Patrick’s Day Retail Display Ideas
There are many different ways to respectfully incorporate St. Patrick’s Day into your marketing. Window displays are a wonderful way to reach customers and the public alike, especially if your business experiences heavy street traffic. Having a window display allows your business to appear more festive to customers and clients alike, enticing them to step inside and check out the special you’re running.
Don’t leave your festive spirit in the window, however. Make sure to bring the seasonal designs into your store as well. Having St. Patrick’s Day retail displays are a great way to carry the festive spirit into your store, as well as a wonderful way to highlight specific products or brands.
Gift baskets can be a wonderful way to incorporate the holiday into your business, and they can also help you highlight new or unique products. Build St. Patrick’s Day themed gift baskets around a bottle of Irish whiskey or the like, and place them strategically to utilize secondary placement wisely.
A memorable, effective display starts with a solid base, like Creative Barrel’s premium, custom-built barrels. Contact Creative Barrel to begin building your St. Patrick’s Day retail display today!