How To Prepare Tour Business For Boxing Day
Boxing Day is the day after Christmas. Despite what the name might make you think, it has nothing to do with sports. Even though it started out as a day to give gifts to the poor, the event is now known as a “shopping holiday.”
Some people spend their day off with leftovers, while others spend it with family and friends. Even though more people than ever are shopping during sales.
In the UK, where inflation is at its highest level in decades and the cost of living is high, a study by Barclaycard Payments found that people are likely to spend 4% less on Christmas Day than they did last year. Reports say that a person would have to spend at least 229 pounds this year, which is 18 pounds less than in 2021.
On the other hand, Australians are expected to spend a huge AU$ 23.5 billion (US$ 15.78 billion) on Christmas Day because it is the first time since 2020 that they won’t have to worry about COVID-19 restrictions.
It is also one of the most-looked-forward-to days for people who want to travel soon after Christmas. It gives everyone a chance to get together with family and friends or go to social events. Let’s say you run a tour company or have people working for you there. So, it’s important to think about how Boxing Day will affect your business and get ready for it.
Identify target audience is the most important things to Prepare Tour Business For Boxing Day
Boxing Day is the biggest shopping day of the year, and as a tour operator, you need to take care of your customers. You must get ready for this important event by figuring out who your target audience is, how old they are, and what their interests are.
Here are some tips on how to identify your target audience:
- Demographics: Find out what age group typically visits a boxing day sale. What are their interests? Do they like traveling? Do they like a long-day trip or short days? What types of food do they prefer? Do they like going out for experiences? These details will be helpful later when you plan your tour itineraries and tailor them to suit your customers’ needs.
- Interests: You also need to know what activities and events tourists enjoy during their holidays. For example, if most of your customers like going out at night, consider offering evening happy hours or dinner shows while in town.
You need to identify your target audience and tailor your marketing efforts accordingly. This can be done through a variety of methods, but the most common are:
- Content analysis – looking at what people search for on Google, social media platforms, or other search engines. You then create relevant content and answer people’s questions about your products or services.
- Segmentation involves dividing your target audience into different groups based on demographics, lifestyle, or other characteristics that make up who they are as individuals.
Develop a marketing strategy
Utilizing social media
The best way to bring people into your business on Boxing Day is through social media. You can use it to tell people about sales and deals and to get more people interested in your tours. For example, let’s say you have a tour that requires you to drive off-road. You could then write about it on Facebook or Instagram.
You could also do a “Boxing Day Giveaway” where you give away something special in exchange for a friend sharing their experience with you on Facebook or Twitter. Or, if you run a tour company for a big event, you could give free admission or tickets to someone who tells their friends about it on social media.
Creating special offers and discounts
You can give your customers free travel, free lodging, free meals, or any other special deal that will make them happy. Make sure you have enough stock to meet customer needs.
If you have a lot of regular customers, you can send an email on Boxing Day with a special deal to everyone who has already booked a vacation through you. You could also use social media to find out what people want to do and see during their vacations.
Partner with influencers
On Boxing Day, it’s easy to find social media influencers who will spread the word about your tours. Be sure to give them something in exchange for their help. For example, if they help you advertise your tour, you could give them a free place to stay for one night the next time they visit the city where you do business. This way, they will tell their friends and followers who value what your business has to offer about your tour.
Making the process of booking easy and effective.
Utilizing online booking platforms
There are many ways to make the booking process easy for your customers and quick for you. Using sites like Booking.com or Expedia to make reservations online. You can take payments through credit cards and PayPal on these sites. This means you can accept payments on your website without having to deal with Stripe or Authorize.net. You can also add special offers to your listings on these sites, which can help you make a lot more money.
Streamlining the payment and confirmation process
Make sure all payments are handled in the same place. You don’t want to have to switch between different systems or have customers call you to find out how to pay. This can be done by setting up an online payment system that lets customers use PayPal or Stripe to pay with their credit cards or bank accounts.
Ensuring easy booking and canceling options
Your customers’ lives will be much easier if your website has a simple booking form. Another way to make sure your customers have a good time is to make it simple and easy for them to cancel. You should have at least two ways to cancel a reservation: one for cancellations within a week and another within a month (with an option for those needing more notice). This will make sure that your customers can always cancel their trip without having to pay a fee, no matter what happens.
Prepare inventory
Plan ahead for group sizes
Make sure you have enough drivers and support staff to handle any number of travelers. If you have more than six people going with you on a Boxing Day trip, you might want to hire a second driver or even take two cars (or hiring an extra van).
If you are traveling with a group, make sure that everyone is wearing a seat belt. Also, letting them wear their shoes on the bus is helpful.
Have a backup plan for unexpected demand
If your customers are going to be busy on Boxing Day, it’s always a good idea to have a backup plan. If you run into unexpected demand or technical problems with your website, social media accounts, or email marketing software, have some customer service people ready to help customers who may need help calling you. It’s also a good idea to have a backup person they can call in case of an emergency or if they need to do something else.
Prepare for any additional needs, such as transportation
Make sure your vehicles has enough cars for everyone, from babies to adults and everyone in between. If you want to add extra seats to your van, call your insurance company first so they know what you’re doing and can give you permission.
Make sure everyone on the team, including the driver, is wearing their uniforms so they can feel the rush. If you have new employees, make sure they know their jobs well in advance so they know what needs to be done when.
Review customer service protocols
Train employees on handling high-volume customer interactions
The day before Boxing Day is a great time to go over your customer service policies and make sure everything is ready for when Boxing Day starts. During this busy time, your team should be ready to handle any problems that may come up with customers.
One way to do this is to have one or two employees answer calls during your busiest time on Boxing Day, which is between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. (and after, if necessary). This will make sure that any questions or concerns are answered quickly, which will make the holiday season and other times of the year better for customers.
Prepare for increased calls, emails, and social media inquiries
Don’t disappoint your customers by not answering their calls or emails. Keep the lines open and give them accurate information as soon as possible so they can make decisions about what to buy that are based on accurate information.
Make sure customers feel like they are being heard: When they contact you about your tour business, you want them to feel like you’re listening to them, whether it’s a question or complaint about a product or service or just a question about something unrelated, like pricing.
Analyze past performance
Lastly, it’s important to look at your business every now and then to see if there are any problems that could affect how well it does. This could mean looking at things like how happy customers are, how many leads they bring in, and how many sales they make. By knowing what is working well and what isn’t, you can target specific areas for improvement to boost sales and profits as quickly as possible.
Final Thoughts
Create a strong foundation for your company by offering a package that will make customers want to return. A special promotion is only sometimes what makes a business. Have a great product and an easy-to-use payment system, and keep your promotion simple. Be prepared when you get that first call or email from customers excited about how your company helped them enjoy their holiday. Create a professional and successful image for your business, and ensure consistency. This will give potential customers a sense of authority and trust, making them even more likely to use your services next year!
