The King’s coronation is expected to give the UK economy a much-needed boost, presenting an exciting opportunity for small businesses to leverage the event for extra sales.
Royal events and occasions have historically put consumers in the spending mood. The coronation is ideally placed on the first weekend of the month too, meaning that most of the public will have more cash to spend from their recent payday.
With the King’s coronation quickly approaching, now is the time to tap into this consumer excitement and think of ways to leverage this occasion. In this article, we’ll explore some of the different options you should consider.
For instance, Cosy Club has introduced a series of celebratory events revolving around the King’s coronation, from a free cocktail for anyone with the surname King to martinis for two. Another example is M&S, who introduced ‘Corgi & Queen Connie’ caterpillar cakes for the Queen’s Jubilee last year.
By offering something for a limited time only, you’re giving current customers a sense of urgency to get involved so they don’t miss out. It’s also a chance to draw in new customers outside of your usual target market.
Other ideas for themed events include a coronation ‘viewing party’ or a royalty-themed quiz night.
If you don’t have the right decorations, customers won’t know about your new offering (unless they go into your store). Create eye-catching window displays and put up other decorations – anything particularly impressive has a chance of making it onto social media and drawing in even more customers.
You could also partner with another business to host a special event – for instance, a cocktail bar and a cafe could collaborate to create an exclusive royalty-themed afternoon tea.
By leveraging social media, you can also encourage customers to share content or post using certain hashtags, which will help grow your brand awareness. For example, Tesco introduced a limited edition ‘Jubilee Card’ which awarded people nominated by their community for being ‘royally good’ and gave them £700 to spend.
Think strategically about what your business does and what could be appropriate for you to share. As an example, have a look at what Celebrations tweeted ahead of the King’s coronation.
One simple way to let your audience know about what you’re doing is by utilising email marketing and social media. Tap into your existing customer base by sending a themed email about your coronation activity or boost a high-performing social post to reach an even wider audience.
For more tips on how to increase awareness of your business, check out our article on seven ways to promote your small business for free.
If you pledge to give a certain amount of proceeds to a charity, customers will feel more goodwill about supporting your brand. Better yet, if you support a local cause, your community will feel even better about shopping with you.
Do you have any other creative ideas on how to leverage the coronation for more sales? Join the UKBF community and share your thoughts.
Royal events and occasions have historically put consumers in the spending mood. The coronation is ideally placed on the first weekend of the month too, meaning that most of the public will have more cash to spend from their recent payday.
With the King’s coronation quickly approaching, now is the time to tap into this consumer excitement and think of ways to leverage this occasion. In this article, we’ll explore some of the different options you should consider.
What businesses will benefit most from the coronation?
One key thing to note is that some sectors will benefit more from the coronation than others. If your business falls under one of these categories, you should definitely consider making the most of the opportunity.- Pubs and restaurants will undoubtedly benefit from the coronation. In fact, British pubs and restaurants are projected to receive an extra £350 million in revenue just over the bank holiday weekend.
- Wider hospitality businesses, whether it’s hotels accommodating tourists or cafes selling coronation-themed baked goods, will also likely see a jump in sales over the weekend.
- Retail companies can experience shoppers spending a large sum on clothes, party items and themed decorations.
- Tourism is also (clearly) one of the industries that will see a spike in sales.
- Bespoke goods, namely coronation or royalty themed items, will soar ahead of the weekend.
- DIY and gardening stores could see an influx of shoppers wanting to fix up their home and garden ahead of the coronation weekend.
- Transport will be incredibly busy throughout the duration of the weekend as people travel to various destinations for the occasion.
1. Introduce a special promotion, event or product
Consider introducing a new product, event or service for a limited time over the coronation weekend. This will vary according to what your business does or sells, so you should consider what you can offer in your local area that others will not.For instance, Cosy Club has introduced a series of celebratory events revolving around the King’s coronation, from a free cocktail for anyone with the surname King to martinis for two. Another example is M&S, who introduced ‘Corgi & Queen Connie’ caterpillar cakes for the Queen’s Jubilee last year.
By offering something for a limited time only, you’re giving current customers a sense of urgency to get involved so they don’t miss out. It’s also a chance to draw in new customers outside of your usual target market.
Other ideas for themed events include a coronation ‘viewing party’ or a royalty-themed quiz night.
2. Get decorating
If you’re selling coronation-themed goods, make sure you decorate your premises accordingly to capitalise on tourist traffic or bring in people that aren’t familiar with your business.If you don’t have the right decorations, customers won’t know about your new offering (unless they go into your store). Create eye-catching window displays and put up other decorations – anything particularly impressive has a chance of making it onto social media and drawing in even more customers.
3. Partner with other local businesses
Collaborate with another local business to create a unique and exclusive product based around the coronation. For instance, a restaurant could team up with a local bakery to serve the signature coronation quiche for one weekend only.You could also partner with another business to host a special event – for instance, a cocktail bar and a cafe could collaborate to create an exclusive royalty-themed afternoon tea.
4. Launch a themed competition
To give back to your customers, why not launch a coronation-themed competition? Offering an exciting prize is an excuse to re-engage customers that haven’t bought from you in a while and incentivise them to get involved with your business.By leveraging social media, you can also encourage customers to share content or post using certain hashtags, which will help grow your brand awareness. For example, Tesco introduced a limited edition ‘Jubilee Card’ which awarded people nominated by their community for being ‘royally good’ and gave them £700 to spend.
5. Create entertaining content
At the very minimum, creating engaging content around the coronation will help drive more awareness and traffic to your business. If done successfully, a great piece of timely content could help your business go viral.Think strategically about what your business does and what could be appropriate for you to share. As an example, have a look at what Celebrations tweeted ahead of the King’s coronation.
6. Increase awareness with email campaigns and social media
If you’re going through the effort of launching a themed promotional campaign, you’ll need to make sure that people know about it – otherwise, all that effort will go to waste.One simple way to let your audience know about what you’re doing is by utilising email marketing and social media. Tap into your existing customer base by sending a themed email about your coronation activity or boost a high-performing social post to reach an even wider audience.
For more tips on how to increase awareness of your business, check out our article on seven ways to promote your small business for free.
7. Support a charity
One way to ensure that more people will get involved with your themed promotion is by tying it to a charitable cause.If you pledge to give a certain amount of proceeds to a charity, customers will feel more goodwill about supporting your brand. Better yet, if you support a local cause, your community will feel even better about shopping with you.
Do you have any other creative ideas on how to leverage the coronation for more sales? Join the UKBF community and share your thoughts.
