How To Enhance, Package And Promote Gift Experiences For Christmas
Gift experiences are set to be a popular choice for Christmas and that’s good news for attractions. Although many attractions will be seeking to increase footfall over the holiday period with Christmas events and holiday-themed experiences, they may also now enter the gifting retail market. A market that has traditionally belonged to product-based businesses.
A study by Eventbrite has revealed that 78% of millennials prefer experiences over material goods and it’s not just generational. Mintel’s 2021 Winter Holiday Shopping Report found that nearly half of respondents believed experiential gifts to be superior to gift items. Studies suggest that since the 2020 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, the public places a higher value on experiences, especially those that allow them to spend time with family and friends.
Therefore, attractions may find a new and valuable way to repackage, present and promote gift experiences for the holiday season.
How Attractions Can Enhance Gift Experiences
There are many gift experiences that attractions can offer whether they be zoos, heritage sites, museums, ecological centres, national parks, national trust sites and other tourist attractions.
Gift cards that cover entry costs are a good gift but there are perhaps add-ons and additional experiences that attractions may be able to package together to make a gift experience more enticing and unique. For example, a zoo may offer a ‘zookeeper for the day’ experience that might be an ideal gift for a child who loves animals more than they would value yet another toy. Afternoon tea at a palace or castle provides a highlight for those who might visit the attraction for free or at a low admission cost. Private tours of stadiums or behind the scenes tours of heritage sites or gardens can also offer a more VIP experience.
Gift experiences must provide something different from a regular visit to feel more special and appear more gift-worthy. Part of the appeal of experiences over material gifts is also the social aspect so generally gift experiences for attractions will include entry/access for two or more people.
How Attractions Can Package Gift Experiences
Simplicity and clear messaging are key in packaging gift experiences. Whereas attraction events and experiences visitors book themselves may benefit from some sense of mystery, when booking a gift experience for someone else customers generally need to be able to quickly research, compare and ultimately be sure of what the recipient, will get to experience.
Using clear, concise language and listing the inclusions in the experience is essential. You’ll generally want to open with the reasons why your experience is valuable and then move onto detail, perhaps sectioning off;
- What is included in the experience
- What happens on the day
- What to bring, how to dress, etc
- Any other restrictions and/or need-to-knows
Virgin Experiences are particularly skilled at presenting their gift experience packages in a way that is both enticing and transparent. Secret Escapes, who offer discounted hotel retreats and luxury holidays, also begins with a highly appealing and aspirational introduction to each option but then backs this up with easy-to-scan lists of what is (and is not) included in each package. This allows a shopper to swiftly ascertain the benefits and value of your gift experience. If you make people work too hard for this, they are likely to move on to another attraction or gift experience service that can provide this clarity for them.
Another asset of these sites, and many other gift experience marketing, is quality imagery. A picture speaks a thousand words, it is said, and this is especially true in online marketing. The images used to promote gift experiences should not be undervalued. They should be carefully selected and aim to showcase the most appealing parts of your experience package.
You will also need to be mindful of your target audiences and ensure your campaign imagery reflects the range of visitors your offer may appeal to, which may include couples, families, young people and/or older groups. Having said this, although your imagery should be inviting, it must also be a fair representation of what customers/visitors can expect – Zoos with pictures of elephants on their website but no elephants on site are going to upset a lot of children (not to mention many adult elephant enthusiasts).
When Should Attractions Start Promoting Christmas Experiences?
It seems to me the consensus amongst the general public is always, and has been for some time, that Christmas promotions always start far too early. And yet, although retailers are aware of this, still they begin hanging decorations and launching advertising campaigns in October and sometimes even September. Why? Because it’s a race. Being amongst the first to get in front of consumers may risk damaging the brand but it also results in sales – it must do or no one would be doing it. The good news for gift experience providers is that, by nature, their product does not bear the tag of consumerism in the same way that product gifts do. They are generally seen as the more eco-friendly, more thoughtful and potentially more meaningful alternative.
Since gift experiences offer consumers an alternative Christmas gift, they will need to present this before most shoppers are making buying decisions. Most attractions will be focused on Halloween promotions and themed experiences in October and it can appear overzealous to be showcasing two holidays on one website. So, it may be wiser to wait until after Halloween to begin Christmas holiday promotions. However, attractions need to be ready to launch these holiday season promotions and will likely find themselves having to put together their packages far earlier so that campaigns are properly planned and executed in a way that reduces waste advertising spend and is both efficient and effective.
Ensuring Software Partners Can Support Gift Experience Ticketing
Critical to the success of these experiences is being able to sell them online and on- site. Visitors will also need to be able to redeem and execute them effectively.
This is partly where your ticketing system comes into play.
When thinking about your software systems, whether that be ticketing, retail or both, you must plan early. It’s all very well and good creating bespoke packages, but you need to know how you’re going to set them up on the system in order to sell them. Therefore, you should:
- Speak to your software partner if you’re not sure how to set up new packages on the system and do this well in advance, not just before you want to go live.
- Discuss how bespoke packages could be set up to work effectively for both the attraction and the user.
- Ask for guidance on how to utilise ticketing personalisation and make the most of remarketing opportunities.
- Ensure you’re following best practices.
Your systems must be able to support you on your journey, so ensuring your technology partners are aware of your plans well in advance and are involved in the planning stages is key.
How Attractions Can Promote Gift Experiences
You will need to make decisions regarding how you promote gift experiences. Especially in the Christmas holiday season when competition is fierce.
How attractions package gift experiences is essential. However, how you then market these and break through the noise of various companies attempting to get their Christmas gift ideas in front of consumers first, is just as important. Here are some of the best ways for attractions to promote gift experiences:
Email Marketing – In these times, email addresses of former, current and potential customers are considered our most valuable asset, from a marketing perspective. Many attractions will reach out to their subscribers to make them aware of new events, exhibitions, and developments and to encourage them to return. Returning visitors are valuable, but providing gift experiences means you may harness your communication with former visitors to bring new visitors in.
An email marketing campaign may be sent to previous visitors/customers and inform them of this opportunity to share their experiences with family and friends through choosing a gift experience this Christmas. Therefore, having a CRM or ticketing solution that allows you to effectively segment your database, possibly using tags or filters to create target audience groups, will be key.
In regards to how you package your gift experience, making it necessary for the gift receiver to book means you may then communicate directly with them regarding the visit but also so that you may share with them future events, experiences and opportunitites.
Social Media – In a 2020 survey by Deloitte, 31% of consumers claimed that social media could trigger a gift purchase during the holiday season. The power of social media cannot be underestimated and it’s an ideal way for attractions offering an alternative to traditional gifting to get themselves in front of an audience since gift experiences generally won’t be found in physical stores or on online shopping sites.
Attractions will need to think carefully about who their gift experiences will appeal to but be aware that they won’t be targeting them, they’ll be approaching the potential gifter. Therefore, the campaign will need to be targeted to and be able to attract and hold their attention.
PR – Publicising your experiences in online and print publications still holds weight and carries authority. Local publications especially are usually supportive of and willing to give space to attractions that help to bring visitors into the community.
On-Site Promotions – Many attractions over Christmas will experience a higher footfall due to themed events. You may use this to promote gift experiences. Visitors who have just had a positive experience at the attraction are far more likely to be persuaded to gift that experience to a loved one. So, ensure there is a point in the visitor journey where they will be introduced to and have the chance to purchase your gift experience packages.
Post Visit – Follow up with attraction visitors post-visit to thank them and to let them know their experience (or a similar experience) is available also to gift.
Creating The Perfect Gift Experiences This Christmas
Given the rising popularity of gift experiences at Christmas, many companies will be seeking to throw together gift experience packages this year. Those who succeed in packaging, promoting and selling unforgettable gift experiences will have done the following:
- Plan early and involve both teams on the ground and ‘behind-the-scenes’ teams to ensure experiences are deliverable from an operational perspective
- Use remarketing as a strategy and reach out to former satisfied customers to bring in new visitors
- Differentiate gift experiences from standard visitor experiences
- Use strong imagery to attract attention, especially on social media
- Present gift experiences in a clear way, being transparent about what is included as well as other terms and conditions
- Work closely with your system providers to ensure your gift experience option is set up properly and customers will have a positive booking experience
Above all, attractions should plan early and be ready to launch those Christmas gift experiences as soon as the Halloween season is over.
