As that unmistakable divine aroma of rum-soaked dry fruits begins to fill every neighborhood a slow sense of realization dawns upon us that soon it will be Christmas.

The festive period is a great time for families to decorate the house, kids to show off their new toys and of course to spend time with your loved ones. For retailers, however, the busiest shopping season of the year is very much around the corner. Christmas preparation for retailers usually begins by early November. It is integral that retailers are fully aware of the latest trends in the retail industry as well as amongst shoppers to ensure that they don’t miss out during this important time.

So let’s take a look at some of these trends which retailers simply can’t afford to ignore this Christmas

• Influencer Marketing

There has been a trend amongst social media users to base their purchases on the tastes and likes of a certain popular figure that they aspire to be. 

The impact of Influencer marketing is only going to grow and retailers who chose to ignore it stand to lose out in the long run.

So if you are new to influencer marketing,  Christmas may be the perfect time to try to give it a shot

• Self-checkout Stores

No lines. No checkout,” it says on a wall inside Amazon Go, a convenience store that has no cashiers. Instead, you have to scan your phone to enter, and a web of cameras on the ceiling uses computer vision and sensor technology to detect when you take, or return, items from a shelf and electronically charge them to your account minutes after you leave.

Self-checkout stores not only save time for the customers but also reduce theft.

It thus seems like the next logical step for the retail industry.

• Omni-channel Integration 

Retailers must work towards providing their clients with integrated customer experience. Regardless of whether the customer is shopping at a Brick & Mortar Store or Online, the transition should be seamless. Christmas season does not necessarily mean that people will flock to Brick & Mortar stores to make their purchases. A large percentage of purchases will be online and retailers must be able to provide a seamless customer experience.

• Subscription-Based Services

A new type of business model is taking the western retail market by storm. The model is based on people purchasing a subscription for the service of a product rather than making an outright purchase. For example, consumers are purchasing a monthly subscription of formal clothing to wear to work. The customers then get a new set of clothes every month. This could be one of the biggest retail trends going into the new year and retailers must be ready to embrace this change.