National holidays are an occasion for people to display their patriotism, and they often do so using their wallets as well as their willingness to party.
The rise in the demand for local products means there is a real market to tap into for shopping centres, and national days are the perfect occasion to ride on that wave.
How, you may ask? Read on for our great tips on a national day marketing campaign for shopping centres!
The rise in consumption of local products
Whether for ecological or patriotic reasons, or because of a certain anxiety consumers feel about the origin or quality of products, we see a rise in the demand for local products in many countries around the globe.
For instance, a recent survey made by Ipsos revealed there is a real market for “Made in France” products. In 2020, more than 80% of French people regularly or occasionally consumed items that were produced or manufactured in France. In the same year, almost half the respondents wanted brands to focus more on Made-in-France products and French producers.
Local products can also help increase revenue for retailers, since nearly 40 percent of French consumers were ready to spend a five percent higher price for a product made in France in 2020.
This is a phenomenon that we see happening in many countries, propelled by Covid-19 and its effect on local businesses. This state-of-affairs makes it interesting for brands to design a marketing campaign that focuses on local products, and national days seem like the perfect occasion to do so.
Now, let’s see how to implement a great National Day campaign for your shopping centre.
Use your space
In your shopping centre, you're likely to find several of your retailers offering national or local products. To mark this special holiday, you could set up a special display in a high-traffic area of your shopping centre, bringing together the flagship products of various retailers fitting the bill.
Do you have empty spaces in your shopping centre? Why not give a local designer the opportunity to set up a pop-up shop in that space? It's an opportunity to support local businesses and national craftsmanship... And to run a great marketing campaign to get the word out about your centre and work on your brand image!
Break the ceiling
Statistics show that the biggest barrier to local consumption is the price factor. Offering special promotions on "Made in ..." (insert your country here!) products during the bank holidays is a good way of attracting new shoppers to your shopping centre and boosting your sales.
Another way to reach consumers that may not otherwise consider making a purchase in your shopping center is to push gift cards in your marketing efforts. How does it work? Let's break it down:
- Your regular clients see an ad for your gift card program.
It can be on your social media account, inside your store, or a billboard... you name it! Remember that it usually takes 3 nudges from different sources for a client to go from the consideration stage to purchase, so don't hold back! - It falls on their lap right when they're trying to figure out what to get their loved one for an upcoming celebration - a family reunion for a national holiday perhaps? And they buy it. That's already one sale you made. Hoorah!
- Their loved one goes through your doors to redeem the gift card, and hopefully, gets hooked and creates a habit of coming back... making them a regular client... and the loop goes on!
Finally, a great way to get new customers in is... to make it a special occasion.
It’s all about the experience
Studies show that increasingly, people are searching for a particular experience, an event that they can remember (and share on their social media). So you should use the wonderful space of your shopping centre to organise an event that will get people through your doors on the day.
Granted, you might not be able to do fireworks inside your shopping centre for the event. But there are some interesting propositions you can look into. For instance, a 3D projection, a concert, or maybe a reenactment of a battle scene that is commemorated on the national day for a bit of history-laden fun.
You can also push forward special deals or menus the restaurants of your centre set up for the event. And be sure to share the news to your community on social media!
If you need to polish your social media skills, our complete guide to social media strategy is a treasure-trove of information, so be sure to have a read.
Now, let's talk visual marketing
Of course, you can highlight products in the colours of the national flag, and use these colours in your marketing campaigns. But you can also be more subtle. For example, to evoke festivities and fireworks, you could opt for products with a shiny or metallic finish, or even glitter.
You already know from our other blog articles that gift cards are a great way to boost sales. And at Giftify, we’re the kings of custom gift cards. You can truly make your gift cards your own, so don’t hesitate to contact us for specialised marketing campaigns for national holidays!
Upcoming national days
Swiss National Day is coming up soon - on 1st August!
On 21st September is Independence Day in Malta
German Unity Day takes place on 3rd October
12th October is the National Day of Spain
On 23rd October, it is the National Day of Hungary
Austrian National Day is on 26th October
28th October is the National Day of the Czech Republic
In Poland, Remembrance Day takes place on 11th November
18th November is the National Day of Latvia
The National Day of Monaco is on 19th November
1st December is Union Day in Romania
And finally, the National Day of Finland takes place on 6th December
Book a call with us to discuss our custom multi-retailer gift cards!
