“Don’t tell them your name, Pike!”, “Don’t panic!” and other classic Dad’s Army quotes that are bound to be rerun this Christmas beautifully sum up how Christmas can turn from innocent tomfoolery to sheer, absolute panic in a matter of seconds. The eleventh - and penultimate - day of our #12SmartDaysofChristmas is just that – all about panic! If you missed our Four Types of UK Christmas shopper report, then you may not know that right now a particular type of Christmas shopper is just getting ready to think about dashing around the shops. That’s right, as we nearer closer to Christmas, it’s time for those Last-Minute Larrys to rise and shine!
Retailers, you might think your work this Christmas is done, but not so. Here’s how to talk to your last-minute shoppers – because they’re worth talking to.
What do Last-Minute Larrys look like?
“Can’t stop, I’m really against the clock on this one! I’m Larry and I leave all my shopping until the last minute – including my Mum’s! I tend to buy for my core family members, my girlfriend and a maybe my best mate – I don’t have time for anything else and the shops shut early on Christmas Eve! Otherwise, I’m all about next day delivery – a real life saver.”
How do you help these shoppers?
One thing to note about Last-Minute Larrys is that time is very much of the essence. While they’re focused on getting the right gifts for the right people, browsing time is rather sparse. They may have some idea what they want to buy but aren’t sure where to find it. Here’s three ways you can help out:
Larrys aren’t married to a particular method of shopping, so they might spend as much time in-store as online. But in case they are in-store, use as much in-store signage as possible.
Nothing helps out a Larry like quick delivery. If you offer next-day delivery, now’s the time to sing about it – over every channel. Send reminder emails and SMS.
If you know who your Last-Minute Larrys are (they’ve bought from you before) then you might want to consider a quick last-minute campaign with personalized gift ideas.
When will they finish shopping?
There’s a high chance that Last-Minute Larrys will be shopping until the last hours on Christmas Eve! And lots of Larrys won’t start shopping until Monday 22nd. With seven days to go until the big day, there’s still bags of time (in the world of Last-Minute Larrys) to make a big impression.
Only one more day to go!
If you’ve missed any of our Smart Days of Christmas and are keen to know more, head over to our 12 Smart Days of Christmas page.