The holiday season can be tough for military families, especially if they are “PCSing” or if the active-duty spouse is on deployment. Add higher prices to the mix, and you have a recipe for disaster.
Though the military is recession-proof, it is not immune to inflation.
The higher cost of housing, gas, and food is eating away at their paychecks and depleting their savings.
Military families move every three to four years. This involves selling their house and purchasing a new one or finding a place to rent. Higher housing costs make it tougher to sell, buy, or rent.
Bases have housing, but the waitlist can leave families waiting up to 12 months for military accommodations. When military families are lucky to find a house within their means, it is often far from the base. Therefore, whatever was saved by moving farther away is used up to pay higher gas prices.
Military families are settling for cheaper purchases, driving less, and canceling trips. As the holiday season approaches, the headache is real.
How To Support Military Families and Benefits You Can Earn
Inflation forces military families to pay closer attention to businesses that support them. 97% of military members notice such businesses. 95% are more likely to buy from them. This holiday season, honor military families and gain loyal customers.
How to:
- Go to places where you can find a military audience receptive to your message.
- Mybaseguide.com provides useful information to active-duty troops and their families (for more information on how to connect with military families, click here).
- Veteranlife.com focuses on Veterans’ lifestyle and benefits.
- Offer holiday discounts exclusive to the military (expand those discounts to spouses, dependents, Veterans, etc.)
- Emphasize their patriotism, courage, and sacrifices. In short, honor them!
- Offer a referral reward program (76% of consumers who utilize these learn of military discounts through word of mouth).
What you get:
- Satisfaction to support our troops and their families during this holiday season.
- Loyal customers who will stick around with your business (84% shop at retailers year-round, even when discounts only apply to special events).
For more information on how to support the military community and develop a loyal customer base, click here.