During the holiday season, the atmosphere inside your business can be just as important as what’s on the shelves. When shopping in December and November, customers expect their shopping experiences to be filled with seasonal magic. Although decking the halls can bring holiday cheer, you don’t have to transform your business into a winter wonderland to create a holiday atmosphere.

Local business owners often find that intentional changes or additions to their space during the holiday season are one of the quickest and easiest ways to enhance the holiday shopping experience and create a warm, welcoming, and festive environment. With the help of some local holiday shopping experts, we have gathered some of the best tips, insights, and advice to help enhance the holiday atmosphere in your business and set you apart as a destination for seasonal shopping.

Why Customer Experience Matters During the Holiday Season

During the holiday season, having an easy and joyful atmosphere can turn a busy holiday shopper into a repeat customer. Finding the perfect gift or preparing for the holidays can be overwhelming for some, but by fostering an environment that feels relaxed, festive, and welcoming, you can create an experience for your customers that sparks the holiday spirit. Our local holiday experts have shared some of the top reasons why customer experience is especially important to their businesses during the holidays:

“The holiday season is a time of gathering for families, friends, and colleagues,” said Mary Heather Parch, chief marketing officer at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. “It can also be a time of stress for people due to a number of reasons. We want everyone who comes here to feel personally welcomed. Their visit here should be a time to put the stress aside and lean into the happiness of gathering with others.”

“The customer experience is important every month of the year,” added Annhorner Truitt, chef and founder of Plentiful Foods. “During the holidays, we’re aware that many more feel the rush, the fullness, and the excitement of the season. We’re also mindful that the holidays can be a difficult season for some. We seek to be discerning, kind, and helpful for folks, whatever their needs.”

Lisa Hutchinson, founder of Top Stitch Mending, echoed these sentiments, “We’re one of the few places where people can truly pause and escape the holiday grind, and we take that seriously,” she said. “This is also when many new customers discover us, as an experience-based gift and sustainable choice.” 

How Local Businesses Are Creating a Festive Atmosphere

Many local businesses report that the holiday season is their busiest time of the year. Between the surge of customers, promotions, and celebrations, it can be challenging to strike a balance between maintaining a festive atmosphere and managing day-to-day operations. From keeping organized to going the extra mile to surprise customers, our members have shared some of their favorite ways to prioritize the customer experience during the holiday season.

“We staff an extra person on the weekends, and I (as the owner) am there, too,” said Lisa McSherry, owner of Lex’s of Carytown and Mamie’s Apothecary.. “It works to have people circulating the floor, answering questions, and making suggestions for gift ideas.”

“We want our space to feel warm, welcoming, and magical,” explained Noelle Parent, owner of Blue Sage Bridal. “We achieve this through whimsical holiday decor and with special offers that we provide to our clients during the holidays. This year, we will have sparkling cider, hot chocolate, and holiday cookies that our clients can add to their appointment. All of these special touches do require quite a bit of planning. In order to keep things running smoothly, we start planning the holidays in July.”

“We have water, sodas, cookies available all day, as well as beer and wine after noon on weekends,” said Jennifer Kirby, owner of Crossroads Art Center. Her goal is to be “festive and fun, without overdoing it.”

The Secrets to Their Success (Hint: It’s Being Local)

When it comes to holiday shopping, customers are drawn to the charm of shopping local. The personal touches, warm atmosphere, and simplicity of shopping small are all reasons customers choose to buy their holiday necessities at locally owned businesses. Our local business owners have decades of experience navigating the holiday season, and here’s how they stand out to customers and make the holidays easier.

“People do seem to value speed, especially when they’re pressed for time,” said Truitt. “Our entire team is empowered to provide kind, personalized, and efficient delivery of our products and services. A reasonable expectation of buying local is to connect with human beings who really care.”

“What we try to do is exceed their expectations by making the whole process from buying tickets to leaving after their visit as simple as possible,” added Parch. “When questions arise, they are met with compassionate and personalized attention. I think the compassionate and personalized attention is something that is always appreciated, even if not always expected in our increasingly automated world.”

Kirby has found that extra staff during the holidays helps to “speed up the process of checking out and helping customers shop.” That and Crossroad’s custom gift wrapping and homemade bows creates a festive environment.

What The Experts Recommend You Try This Holiday Season

Small improvements can help your business create a seamless and inviting holiday atmosphere. To make your business shine brighter this holiday season, our local experts have shared a few simple yet effective strategies you can try to craft a festive and memorable experience for every customer.

“My one piece of advice would be to really dedicate some time in training your employees to feel comfortable in approaching the customer,” recommended McSherry.

“Introducing gift certificates for our services has had the biggest impact,” added Hutchinson. “My advice to other small businesses is to look at what you already offer and find creative ways to reframe it for the season.”

“I highly recommend finding a local charity that you can donate to and tie that into your seasonal marketing,” said Parent. “People love to support businesses that support the causes that they believe in, and it feels good to give back.”

“Don’t get too busy to look each person in their eyes, to warmly greet them, to offer to help, and to thank them for choosing to do business with you,” emphasized Truitt.

InUnison’s Tips for Enhancing the Holiday Customer Experience

During the winter months, the goal isn’t just to make sales, it’s to build an environment that feels memorable and turns every visit to your store into a holiday experience. By having an exceptional atmosphere during the holidays, customers will remember how your business made them feel long after the holidays are over.

Some fast and straightforward ways to enhance the customer experience during the holidays include:

• Updating your Find Local and Google listings with updated holiday hours, information, and special events. This will make it easier for customers to learn about your business before stepping through your door.
• Creating bundles or displays of quick gifts and gift cards helps customers find and select the perfect gifts all in one place. Using signage to direct customers to your best sellers or gifts under a certain price range helps to remove some of the stress around holiday shopping.
• Prioritizing your customers’ time shows that you truly care about making their holiday season easier. By offering convenient services such as curbside pickup, streamlined shopping, and quick checkout, you create a festive atmosphere that is both efficient and enjoyable for your customers.
• Make every moment memorable by adding a simple decoration, greeting clients, offering festive treats, or including complimentary gift wrapping. Small changes to your business atmosphere can set your business up for success during the holiday season.