As a business owner, seasonal moments like Halloween, Thanksgiving, or New Year’s Eve offer you an opportunity to tailor your product and service offerings to align with those special times throughout the year. You can offer something wholly new or customize an existing offering for the season. For instance, as a cafe owner you may offer coffee beverages throughout the year but offer a pumpkin spice latte during the fall months.
With so many upcoming winter holidays to choose from, we asked Square sellers which seasonal items and services they were most excited about offering to their customers. Here’s what they said:
“A second very popular gift purchase during the holidays is a store gift card, because about 40% of couples get engaged between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day. Mom and grandmom often purchase the bride a gift card to put toward her wedding dress purchase,” said Co-owner Franco Salerno. One of the most popular gifts Pennsylvania-based bridal shop Darianna Bridal & Tuxedo offers in the colder months is its Wedding Gown Preservation Service. Brides can have their wedding dresses organically dry cleaned, pressed, and placed in a display box with a handy carrying case.
It’s not just retailers and restaurateurs getting in on the fun. Beauty salons also think about how to warm up customers as the temperatures fall. “We’re super excited to offer our Warming Jelly Pedicure for the month of October, just in time for the Halloween season! The pedicure is perfect for the cooler weather, providing a cozy, luxurious experience,” said Digits and Spikes Nail Studio Owner Stacelyn Jones, adding that the salon also decorated for Halloween and served specialty cockaitls like a “Witch’s Brew” and a “Candyman Margarita.”
A Troll’s Kitchen sells seasonings of all kinds says Owner Josh Schaeffer. This fall they’re offering up seasonal mixes like “Apple Pie,” which includes cinnamon and cardamon, and “Pumpkin Pie,” which includes cloves, ginger, and nutmeg. “I know it sounds cheesy, but I’m excited to offer a smile,” said Schaeffer. “We pride ourselves on our saying, ‘Free smells and smiles.’ Especially around the holidays, it can sometimes be a happy time and [also] a sad time for others.”
Bracken, Texas-based shop Firelight Finds offers an array of plants, gifts, and vintage decor. “I’m going on year two, and last holiday season customers loved the candle lines we sell, like Santa’s Naturals and Fraser Fir. We had to place two extra orders,” said Owner Candes Shewmaker, adding that the Woodfire Candle Company line is yet another customer favorite.
If you’re a Square seller, consider leveraging your Square Dashboard data to see consumer behavior and trends associated with the time of the year. Not only can you attract new customers during this time, but you can also engage your existing, returning customers who are looking for seasonal offerings from a business they already know and love.
