Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/407833
w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m N o v e m b e r 2 0 14 • I NSIGH T | 29 I N S I G H T O N T R E N D S I N R E TA I L B y M a r y B e t h M a t z e k C aitlin Brotz, the owner of Olivu 426 in Sheboygan, gets a little queasy just thinking about the Christmas holidays. "I just know how much work it's going to be, but this is why we're in retail since the holidays are when you are able to generate more profits and grow your business," says Brotz, who started her boutique that creates and sells natural personal care products in 2006. She says online and in-store sales pick up on Black Friday. "We actually start preparing for the holidays in late September and it slowly gets busy into November and then Black Friday comes and it's like someone turned on a light switch and boom – the orders come in," she says. Olivu 426 isn't alone when it comes to the holiday season. Big and small retailers rely on the period from anksgiving through the end of the year for the majority of their sales. In its annual consumer spending forecast for the holiday season, Deloitte predicts people will spend 4 to 4.5 percent more than the 2013 average of $704. e economic benefit from the holidays extends beyond retailers. Pam Seidl, executive director of the Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau, says the Appleton area benefits from the one-two punch of Packers season and the holidays as travelers come to the area, spending money not just in stores, but also at restaurants, hotels and gas stations. estimates its annual volume at about $250 million, but if neighboring retail developments such as Barnes & Noble and Best Buy are also factored in, the total is likely closer to $500 million. While shoppers make the mall a destination trip to visit big box retailers they might not find in their hometown, Seidl says the region's downtowns and smaller specialty stores provide travelers with unexpected shopping options. "e downtowns in Ready, set, shop Retailers get ready for a busy season ahead C O U R T E S Y O F W R E AT H FA C T O R Y & O T T E R C R E E K L A N D S C A P I N G "We don't see a fourth quarter drop in the number of visitors like many parts of Wisconsin do," she says. "People are attracted to the area because of the Fox River Mall as well as the unique shopping experiences they can get in our downtowns." e mall attracts shoppers from the Michigan's Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin who begin coming in droves starting in late October through December. e mall Holiday displays created for the season by Wreath Factory & Otter Creek Landscaping attract tourists and shoppers to the company's locations in Plymouth and Menasha. [continued] »