St. Patrick’s Day: 9 Marketing Strategies You Can Do
The time is almost here for St. Patricks Day retail, and while it may seem like the holiday has nothing to do with businesses other than bars or event spaces, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
If you’re a retailer, this day is your chance to make it big. This year the National Retail Federation predicts that St.
This year, the average person will spend $6.16 billion on Patrick’s Day – that is more than any other survey in history.
56% of respondents say they plan to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, and the majority (59%) are in their 18-34 year old demographic.
In a recent survey, 73% of shoppers said they planned to celebrate the holidays with their loved ones.
St. Patrick’s Day is coming up, and helping you get the most out of it, here are nine unique St. Patricks Day marketing ideas that will work for your retail store.
Marketing Strategy #1: Display your St. Patrick’s Day enthusiasm through your store window and in-store displays
Show your St. Patrick’s Day spirit by wearing green or hosting a party!
Get your store in the spirit with decorations.
If you’re celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, make sure your window displays are in whole Irish spirit, with green and themed products prominently displayed!
Here are some fantastic retail ideas:
A souvenir store in Manhattan is taking advantage of St. Patrick’s Day by showcasing their themed inventory for a holiday. Click To Tweet
The store has a collection of green tote bags and accessories in the window display, which they are most known for.
One way to get your customers in the holiday spirit is by promoting merchandise that relates specifically to this time of year. So, if you’re selling green goods or have a seasonal collection on offer, make sure it stands out.
Marketing Strategy #2: Showcase attractive St. Patrick’s Day collections
St. Patrick’s Day is a holiday that can be celebrated with festive Irish-themed designs or collections.
Limited edition products are great because they can be relevant to the season and are not widely available all year. When you have an exclusive product, it makes your customers feel special.
If you’re looking for a store that sells Irish handcrafted jewelry, ShanOre is the place to go. This year’s St.
If you’re looking for the perfect accessory to make your St. Patrick’s Day outfit pop, look no further than ShanOre’s Shamrock Collection.
To get the most out of your new product, make sure to build up excitement before you release it. You can do this by talking about in-store and on social media.
One way to get your followers excited is by announcing the release of new shirts on Instagram. HCC does this for their themed t-shirts.
Marketing Strategy #3: Entice customers with a St. Patrick’s Day promotion
Consider running a St Patty’s Day promo to get more customers if you are in the right business.
Identify the products you need to sell and then find a way to make them more appealing.
Let’s celebrate this Friday with a special promotion!
You can, for example:
- St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on or around March 17, so if you want to stay relevant this year, tack a discount on select products!
- The next time you need to clear out some inventory, try this clever trick: attach a shamrock sticker and include a discount.
- If you wear green on St. Patrick’s Day, come into the store, and we’ll give you a discount!
- Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by wearing green and get the best deals on our Irish-themed merchandise! According to NRF, 79% of people plan to wear something green in honor of the holiday.
If you want to see a great example of how this tip can be implemented, look at Baylor’s Bow Tie Boutique. They’re running an excellent promotion for St.
Patrick’s Day bowties.
Marketing Strategy #4: Set up a particular spot in your store
If you want to get people interested in your new collections or promotions, it’s a good idea to have them all in one spot. This is especially important if you’re an online store and don’t provide customers with many ways of browsing through products.
If you want to take advantage of this deal, go to Patrick’s page and put a banner on your homepage.
A table or shelf in your store should be designated for St. Paddy’s merchandise. Click To Tweet
Here’s a great example of what you can do to encourage sales by incorporating social media.
Marketing Strategy #5: Make sure your employees are in on the fun
You can decorate your store with green props and merchandise, but if you don’t get employees on board, then all of that work will be for nothing.
To get the most out of your employees on and around St. Patrick’s Day, allow them some freedom with their outfits or hairstyles.
If you want your employees to wear green, try using props like pins or hats. They can be used to get people excited about the company’s values.
Another way to encourage people is by inviting them to join in on the festivities. Perhaps they can chat with customers about this Irish holiday.
Get creative. Talk to your staff and find ways to engage with customers on St.
Patrick’s Day.
Marketing Strategy #6: Strike sales conversations with the party people
St. Patrick’s Day is always full of parties and events. You need to make sure your party supplies, dinnerware, food, and beverages are right in front of guests.
You could even offer a T-shirt as an incentive. For example, RedBubble promoted their “St.” shirts on the eCommerce site because people would want to wear them during St. Patrick’s Day event.
The retailer is going all out for St. Patrick’s Day with a promotion that expires on March 17 called “PARTY ON.”
Marketing Strategy #7: Host a fun in-store event
A good party is the best way to get people talking about your brand. If you want them to have fun and talk it up on social media, why not throw an Irish-themed event? Serve some tasty treats and offer activities that will keep attendees entertained.
Hellbender Harley-Davidson is an excellent example of this.
We wanted to get in on the action and host our party with all the festivities going on! We’re hosting a St. Patrick’s Day event that includes live poker games (everyone wins!), food, and drinks, plus you can even take photos with one of Santa’s little helpers.
Marketing Strategy #8: Motivate people to come up with fabulous ideas to be implemented on St. Patrick’s Day (with your help)
St. Patrick’s Day is coming up, and consumers are searching for recipes, decorations, or even outfits to wear!
This gives you the perfect opportunity to share relevant content and in their interest — like products they can use.
Williams Sonoma, for example, published a blog post about how to host the perfect St. Patrick’s Day party in 2016.
Do you need some ideas for a St. Paddy’s Day outfit? Check out what Midsummer Originals is doing!
For the content, you publish, mention any related products available to make it easier for customers to buy them.
Marketing Strategy #9: Host giveaways to prospective customers
One of the most popular St. Patrick’s Day themes is luck, and it can be used to drive engagement (and possibly sales) around this time.
For a way to motivate your sales team, you can use giveaways.
Give your customers a chance to win with St. Paddy’s Day by running an online contest!
Here are a few ideas:
- Surprise your customers by hiding “treasures” in the store and giving prizes to those who find them.
- Why not create a contest and give away prizes to customers wearing green?
- People love to share their traditions, so ask them what they are doing for the holiday and give prizes to those who make you feel warm inside.
- Celebrate St. Paddy’s Day with a new product!
Need some inspiration? Take a look at Wild Flower Creations.
This year, you don’t need the luck to drive engagement and sales – just our fantastic selection of green-themed goods!
If you want to sell some green on St. Patrick’s Day, be sure to do it before March 17 and prep your store for the influx of customers that will show up.