Bring out your trestle tables, bunting and beer! It’s exciting times ahead with less than a week to go until we celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. We love to celebrate as a nation and with celebrations comes spending! The August bank holiday in 2021 saw spending increase by over 20%, and this bank holiday is twice as long, so how can your business benefit from the Jubilee celebrations?  

 

When is the Queen's Jubilee Bank Holiday?

 

The 4-day public holiday begins with bank holiday weekdays of Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd June making the Queen's 70th year on the throne a busy time for hospitality and store owners. The four day bank holiday will boost the economy as people come together in towns and cities to celebrate the extra long weekend. The excitement of the much needed boost to public spending has even prompted campaigns to include this Bank Holiday every year. A yearly Thank Holiday? Yes please!

 

What is ‘Thank Holiday’ and why it could benefit your business 

 

The call to make this bank holiday happen every year will be to mark the monarch's long service and to thank people and communities for supporting each other, particularly during the pandemic. Not only will this boost the economy it tightens communities and brings the country together. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI), UK Hospitality, and several well-known businesses and business leaders have written an open letter asking the UK and Scottish Governments for a ‘thank holiday’ to become a permanent feature. If it is approved this could take place from 2023.

 

How is the Jubilee boosting sales online?

 

According to Barclays SME Barometer, bars, pubs, and restaurants are expecting a £76m boost in sales over the Jubilee Bank Holiday.

On average small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) are expecting a rise of 10.4% in the months April to June when compared to the same period in 2021. This is great news and very welcomed, so make sure you do all you can to take advantage of the celebrations and think about ways to boost your brand.

 

How to promote your business over the Jubilee holiday

 

National Celebrations are a great way to bring people together and give everyone an excuse to let their hair down for a while. With feelings positive and people on a high over the long Bank Holiday, there is much opportunity for your business to make more sales. People are off work and wanting to have a good time. Children are off school and families are celebrating together. There is much national pride and the Royal family are cherished by many in the community, so it is a great opportunity to entice customers by tapping into their emotions over this time and thinking of new ways to increase your sales. 

 

Be visible and promote your brand

 

Whether you are a hospitality business or retailer you need to be thinking about how you can offer consumers a fabulous service over the Bank Holiday. Can you offer special deals on certain items or offer products with a Royal theme? Share the joy and increase customer awareness by decorating your store with bunting, flags and royal regalia. This is a great way to get people talking and encourages sharing online and by word of mouth.

 

Boost your online presence

 

Don’t forget to promote your royal themed images on social media and boost posts to increase engagement. Increase your brand awareness even more by holding competitions on your Instagram or Facebook pages. An example would be to post a glorious promotional photo, abundant with union jacks and corgis with a caption asking your followers to like, share and tag 3 or their friends, in order to be in the chance of winning a super prize. This will get people talking about your brand and sharing the knowledge with others. 

 

Review your website

 

Make sure your website is up to date and has products available and in stock. Check to see if everything is running smoothly through the transaction process and even make a purchase yourself to see if everything is working as you expect it to.

Create a jubilee themed landing page to promote an offer or perhaps a time limited promotion to boost your sales over the four days.

 

What are retailers and hospitality businesses doing to boost sales this Jubilee celebration?

 

After the lull of covid lockdowns and now the looming cost of living crisis as well as rising inflation, the hospitality industry in particular will be happy to welcome the Queen’s Jubilee Bank Holiday Celebrations. People will be taking the opportunity to gather together, with plentiful food and drink and will travel to meet family and friends over the four days. Pub opening times have been extended until 1am and 16000 street parties are planned to take place which means big business for SMEs.

Greene King pubs have taken the opportunity to celebrate by offering a FREE pint of their Greene King IPA in selected pubs for one day only! A great way to increase awareness of their brand and make more sales…once you’ve had one pint the likelihood is that you’ll want more. Everyone is happy!

Aldi supermarkets are running a competition to enable entrants to win funding for their street parties. 10 winners will be given vouchers to spend in their stores on food, drinks and decorations in their Jubilee range.

Jollyes is centering their attention on the nation's dog lovers by offering pamper and groom sessions to lucky Corgis.

Great and inventive ideas to get their brands known and increase transactions.

 

What events are happening over the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend?

 

Here are Sellr we are really excited about coming together and celebrating the Queen’s 70 years as sovereign. We don't want you to miss out on this very British affair so here is a low down on the events that we are all invited to:

 

Thursday 2nd June

 

10am - The Queen’s Birthday Parade. Trooping the Colour. Watch if only to see if all the horses behave themselves.

 

10.30am - Members of the royal family leave Buckingham Palace for the parade ground. Hopefully the Queen will make a balcony appearance to watch a special flypast with her grandchildren.

 

9.25pm - Members of the royal family arrive at the Palace to watch the lighting of the principal beacon (a 21m tall Tree of Trees sculpture). There will be more than 3,000 beacons lit across the UK and Commonwealth.

 

Friday 3rd June

 

11am - The royal family begin arriving at St Paul’s Cathedral for the Service of Thanksgiving

 

12.25pm - Members of the royal family move on to a reception at the Guildhall hosted by the Lord Mayor

 

Saturday 4th June

 

5.30pm - The Epsom Derby horse race. The Queen loves her horses and I would bet that she will not miss Derby Day with her family. She is due to be greeted by a guard of honour made of up to 40 of her past and present jockeys.

 

7.40pm - BBC’s Party at the Palace Concert with members of the royal family in attendance. 

8pm-10.30pm - Live on BBC One will be an open-air concert in front of the palace featuring mega stars such as Elton John, Queen + Adam Lambert, Duran Duran, Diana Ross. Alicia Keys, Rod Stewart, Craig Davis and my personal favourite, the UK Eurovision 2nd place winner Sam Ryder. Don’t miss it!

 

Sunday 5th June

 

Street party time! All across the country people will come together over triangular sandwiches, pimms and sponge cake to celebrate the Queen’s 70 years.

 

2.30pm - 5pm - The Jubilee Pageant. In central London a 3km carnival procession featuring thousands of people including celebrities, Uk and Commonwealth armed forces, astounding puppets of enormous size, creatives doing amazing acrobatic feats, knights on horses and a massive wedding cake. Something for all the family to mark the Queen's 70 year reign.

To top it all off nicely Ed Sheeran will perform the National anthem in front of the Queen's official residence.

 

Wishing you all very happy Jubilee Sellrbrations!