More than 1 in 4 people start planning for Christmas in September

New research conducted by virtual assistant provider ava has revealed exactly when the British public start planning for Christmas, and the results may persuade you to ramp up your customer service offering earlier than you’d planned.

More than one in four consumers (28%) admit that they start thinking about Christmas in September/October.

There was a definite gender divide in the results, with women stating that they preferred to start their preparations earlier in the year. 35% selected September to October, compared to just 20% of men.

The results also revealed a generational gap, where older age groups showed themselves to be better prepared compared to younger people; 38% of 18 to 24-year-olds selected November to December, whereas a huge average of 40% of people aged 24 to 54 chose September to October.

The survey highlighted the point that businesses really can’t afford to leave it too late to prepare for the busy festive season.

Graham L Morgan, Business Consultant from Business Doctors, gives his tips for maintaining consistently high levels of customer service: “Understand trends from the past few years. Look at the spikes and troughs and ensure that team members are prepared to correctly handle busy periods. Even a single day when customers experience poor service can have lasting consequences, especially given the impact social media has in steering perceptions.

“Anticipate problems and have contingency plans to go above and beyond for customers. Snow is an obvious one but heat and, of course, floods can also impact on customer service. You will stand out if you don’t treat extreme circumstances as a reason to break your continuity of service.”

Lucie Greenwood, Sales Manager at ava, commented on the importance of ensuring your business is as accessible in June as it is in December:

“While our research has shown that the majority of people will prepare for the festive season close to the time, businesses really can’t afford to be slack in other months. It’s all about building up that customer loyalty; if people are treated well by your business, then they are more likely to remember you when the time for buying Christmas presents arrives.”

www.iamava.co.uk