5 Winter Event Ideas to Heat Up Business After the Holidays

Jul 24, 2024

When the holiday season is over, many small businesses expect to see a drop in sales. True, January may still feel like the holidays – retail sales increased by 3.8% in January in 2022 – but in February, retail sales only rose by 0.3%, marking a much slower month for businesses.¹ ²

Whenever you see a drop in sales after the holiday season, you can run promos around winter events to heat business back up. Celebrating an event can be a great way to welcome customers into your shop during the post-holiday season.

According to a recent survey, 95% of marketers believe that in-person events can help businesses achieve their primary goals.³

It doesn’t matter if you don’t have any “original” ideas for an event. Instead, you can take advantage of key dates already on the calendar by running themed promotions and customer activities.

Read on for some winter event ideas to get you started.

1. Chinese New Year – January 22, 2023

If you have a retail presence in U.S. cities with a Chinese Americans population or that sees Chinese tourists, consider:

Having treats available in the establishment during the Chinese New Year, such as ginger candies, moon cakes, almond cookies or lychee.
Handing out red envelopes that your customers can use to give family members “lucky money.”
Promoting bundles that have a theme for the year’s Zodiac sign (2023 is the year of the Rabbit).

2. Groundhog Day – February 2, 2023

Draw customers in with a “Groundhog Gathering”: Restaurants can provide upcoming seasonal drinks and snacks for customers to sample, while they gather to watch Punxsutawney Phil predict the weather.⁴

Retailers could take advantage of the fact that they may need to shift excess inventory and create “Groundhog Day” packages with leftover holiday inventory and coupons to be used in the spring. (If you can screen Bill Murray’s “Groundhog Day” movie in the background, even better.)

3. Super Bowl Sunday – February 12, 2023

In 2022, the average consumer spend on the Super Bowl was $78.92. Food and beverage purchases were the most common, so restaurants and cafes can run promotions and find much success on this day. ⁵

For other small businesses, football-themed decorations and a sale based on the number of points that the winning team scores could be all you need to ramp up your sales around the Super Bowl.

4. Valentine’s Day – February 14, 2023

This year, the NRF predicted that Valentine’s Day spending would hit $23.9 billion, the second-highest on record after 2020’s $27.4 billion.⁶ This is not a date for your small business to miss out on.

Small retailers can get shoppers in the mood on Valentine’s Day by handing out chocolates or roses to passing customers, along with a card that offers a Valentine’s promotion.

Meanwhile, service-based businesses could give customers the chance to get hands-on. While restaurants could host a romantic cooking class, spas could help customers create custom oil blends to take home.

5. Mardi Gras – February 21, 2023

Mardi Gras is a great excuse to invest in some live music, perhaps with a local band. Uplifting tunes should get your footfall up, so all you need are some bonus efforts to entice customers once they’re inside.

Perhaps you could get into the carnival spirit with plenty of bright colors and a mask party. Consider a giveaway, where the person who wears the “best mask” receives a prize or voucher for your business.

You could promote the giveaway (and share your party pictures) on social media to get more people talking about your business. Fifty-eight percent of marketers use social media to spread the word about events before, during and after the event.⁷

You can encourage customers to post on social media about your event, too, by offering a freebie, discount code or another incentive for doing so.

Profit from Your Small Business Winter Events

Some small-business owners may be unsure whether they’ll generate enough returns to warrant the cost of hosting an event. Mitigate this concern with these marketing tips, which can help you promote your offerings during your event celebrations:

Set up an in-store and/or online countdown to the event. When you encourage customers to count down to the event with you, you can create a buzz around your celebrations.
Repackage leftover gift baskets from the holidays around a new theme for the next holiday event.
Run time-limited deals that customers can only claim while they’re at your event.
Offer discounted products or services at your event for customers who leave a review. Provide customers with clear instructions on where and how to write their reviews. You could include your social media platforms, Google Business Profile and relevant review sites.
Create VIP packages and/or special event content for customers who pay a small fee to access extras at your event.
Send thank-you discounts or deals to people via email after the event.

Seventy-four percent of attendees feel more positive about a company, brand or product after seeing it promoted at an event.⁸ So, promoting your offerings during your winter events can be one way to generate more revenue.

And, if you need help promoting winter deals to help heat up your business after the holidays, learn how to advertise on Groupon.

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