with winter weather still engulfing many parts of the country—and the holidays behind us— your customers can use a bright spot to break up the end-of winter blues. these promotion ideas are sure to do the trick!

 

hold an oscars contest

the dresses, the behind the scenes drama, the tearful speeches: for some viewers, the oscars inspires superbowl-level excitement. gather bets from your customers on the big-ticket categories (like best picture, best director, or best actor and actress) and offer a prize to the winners; the best way would be to collect the information of all entrants and follow up with their preferred mode of contact (fivestars can make this pretty easy). maybe you want to go the extra mile and throw an oscar viewing party!

try:

the oscars are this sunday—who do you think will win? stop by this week and place your bets, and we’ll follow up with a special prize if you won!

follow up: looks like your crystal ball was working, you won our oscar contest! come by all week and enjoy 25% off a single item—and congrats!

the oscars are on sunday, march 4th on abc, 6:30 eastern/3:30 pacific.

 

go green on saint patrick’s day

for bars and some restaurants, saint patrick’s day is an obvious fit. but what if you’re a retailer or another kind of small business? why not make the “green” connection? commit to donating a portion of your st. patty proceeds to your favorite environmental organization, like the sierra club, or the national parks foundation.

try:

this saint patrick’s day, we’re showing our green! we’re donating a portion of your saturday purchases to the sierra club. stop by and show your support!

 

celebrate pi day

looking for a delightfully nerdy alternative to a raucous st. patrick’s day celebration? pi day, that is, the day that marks the first few digits of the infinite ratio of pi, happens every year on march 14 (3.14) and offers an off-beat alternative option for an engaging promotion.

try:

come toast our most magical number this pi day (wednesday, march 14). drinks ordered at the stroke of 1:59 pm are 2-for-1!

try:

we’re serving pi(e) in the store this pi day this wednesday, and you’ll get $3.14 off for every $25 you spend. you don’t have to be a mathematician to enjoy this magical number!

 

welcome spring

the last day of winter is technically march 20, but no one will mind if you want to jump the gun. crank up the heat, pick up a few snacks and drinks, and, if budget allows, spring for a few scent-heavy bouquets and throw a party to celebrate the arrival of spring. it’s the great way to end a particularly cold winter (even—or especially if—it’s still chilly outside)!

try:

sick of winter? it’s spring in our store! stop by on saturday for our celebrate spring event—we’ll have drinks and nibbles and the thermostat turned way up—plus great deals on our winter items for the very last frosty days.

though the holidays are over for next year, there’s plenty of ways to keep sales moving year round!