The holiday shopping season, starting with Black Friday, marks a crucial period for retailers worldwide.

During this time, online and offline shops experience increasing demand as consumers seek deals, seasonal offers, and Christmas gifts. By preparing in advance, retailers can set themselves up for success and build lasting customer loyalty.
ㅤ

An important aspect of achieving success in holiday sales is the checkout experience. Studies show that a smooth checkout can boost sales significantly, while long wait times can lead to abandoned purchases.

According to the Harvard Business Review, reducing wait times by just one minute can increase sales by up to 3%.

Here are seven practical tips to help you increase your offline store sales during Black Friday and the holiday season:

7 Tips to increase holiday sales in retail this season

1. Analyze last year’s data to create attractive deals

Use last year's holiday performance insights to identify popular products, optimal price points, and bundling opportunities. By bundling products and offering discounts on older inventory, you can encourage customers to spend more per visit, ultimately increasing your average order value. Consider also placing small, full-priced items near checkout areas to drive impulse purchases and maximize sales per customer.

2. Use discount coupons to drive repeat visits and increase LTV

Black Friday attracts many first-time and occasional shoppers, making it a perfect opportunity to build long-term value. Offering small incentives at checkout — such as “10% off your next purchase” or “€5 off if you return within 30 days” — can significantly boost the likelihood of customers coming back.

This simple tactic helps extend the impact of holiday foot traffic beyond the peak weekend, smooth out quieter trading periods, and increase overall customer lifetime value (LTV).

3. Embrace omnichannel marketing

To maximize your reach, ensure your holiday deals are well-publicized across all channels—social media, email, in-store displays, and even SMS campaigns. Today's consumer often engages with multiple touchpoints before purchasing, so an omnichannel approach is essential. Google reports that omnichannel strategies can increase customer retention rates by up to 89%, making it worth the effort to engage your audience across platforms and drive them to your store. Discover how Softpay supported a major retail chain in enhancing its omnichannel sales strategy.

4. Be prepared for increased demand

The holiday season brings heightened demand, requiring both inventory and personnel preparation. Ensure your sales team is well-trained to communicate the value of each product and manage any last-minute stock or shipping issues. According to Talk Retail, inventory shortages are common during this period, and nearly 70% of consumers abandon purchases if faced with stock issues or wait times exceeding 10 minutes. By planning in advance, you can help prevent lost sales and maintain customer trust.

5. Use mobile payments

An enjoyable in-store experience is crucial, and a SoftPOS (Software Point of Sale) solution can significantly enhance checkout efficiency. Softpay is an independent SoftPOS solution that transforms Android and iOS devices into a mobile payment terminal, allowing retailers to scale their checkout capacity quickly without investing in expensive hardware.
ㅤ

Softpay ensures secure transactions by meeting all industry standards, including PCI DSS and PCI MPoC. Its integration with multiple acquirers, seamless onboarding, and intuitive interface make Softpay the leading SoftPOS solution in Europe.
ㅤ

With mobile checkouts, staff can process contactless payments on the sales floor, which helps reduce waiting times. Check out the success story of how Matas implemented on-floor payment acceptance with Softpay.

6. Create in-store exclusives to drive traffic

Offer special deals, limited-time promotions, or exclusive in-store products that customers can only access by visiting your physical store. In-store exclusives draw in customers and allow for higher engagement and potentially larger basket sizes as customers take advantage of one-time offers. To boost this effect, use clear signage or digital displays highlighting these time-sensitive promotions, encouraging impulse purchases, and enhancing the in-store experience.

7. Offer self-service to improve checkout flow

While queues and peak-hour rushes remain major challenges for offline stores, retailers are increasingly turning to hybrid checkout strategies, especially self-checkout solutions, to handle surges more efficiently.

Self-service has become one of the fastest-growing in-store trends, helping retailers:

• Serve more customers with fewer staff
• Reduce queue pressure during peak hours
• Improve customer satisfaction by giving shoppers control
• Increase conversion rates through faster checkout completion

Softpay softPOS solution is helping retailers implement self-checkout experiences without investing in special kiosk hardware. With Softpay, any NFC-enabled Android device or tablet can become a secure self-service payment terminal, making it easy to add seasonal checkout capacity quickly — even in smaller stores or temporary holiday pop-ups.

A great example is our deployment with Lobyco and the Coop retail chain, where Softpay terminals power self-service checkout stands in stores, allowing customers to scan items and pay independently. The result: fewer lines, faster customer throughput, and happier holiday shoppers.

For Black Friday and the entire holiday season, mobile softPOS + self-service is proving to be one of the most flexible ways for retailers to keep foot traffic flowing without overloading staff, and without having to buy or install dedicated checkout hardware.

Maximize your in-store sales potential

The 2025 holiday season is all about speed, convenience, and customer experience. By analyzing past data, preparing your team, offering self-service and mobile payments, and incentivizing repeat purchases, retailers can maximize sales and satisfaction.

These strategies don’t just boost Black Friday performance — they help build long-term loyalty and increase overall store profitability. Start planning now to ensure your store is ready for the holiday rush.

ㅤ

The Softpay tap-to-pay app allows retail merchants to handle high transaction volumes without additional payment hardware. Simply turn any NFC-enabled devices into a payment terminal to get:
ㅤ

✅ Faster checkouts with the market’s fastest transaction processing, cutting down wait times.

✅ Enhanced mobility so staff can accept payments anywhere in-store.

✅ Scalability to add extra points of sale during peak shopping hours.

✅ Cost savings by removing the need for traditional payment terminals.
ㅤ
Contact us today by filling out the form or emailing us at hello@softpay.io to start accepting contactless payments with Softpay.