As you make your list (and check it twice) of things you need to do to prepare for the holiday sales rush this year; you know you need to staff up and stock up on inventory. Maybe you have not yet thought about how you are going to get your team into the holiday mood or get your digital storefront season-ready. To help you prepare, we've gathered some tips.
Go Over How Well You Did Last Year
Now's the time to meet with your team and go over how well you handled holiday sales last year. Ask yourselves:
- Did you have enough inventory?
- Was it a zoo in the warehouse?
- Were your customers happy?
Then ask the most important question: what could you do better this time around?
Address the critical issues that arise from your review as quickly as possible. You will be busy enough come the holidays without the need to tackle system inefficiencies, supply breakdowns and other difficulties.
Get Into the Holiday Mood
Starting immediately after Thanksgiving you will want to start giving your business and your ecommerce space a holiday feel. Have fun with office decorations, the smells and the music. Also, get going on holiday party planning. The wearing of accessories around the office that heighten the holiday cheer, especially as gift day approaches, is highly encouraged.
Online you will want to give your website and ecommerce store a touch of the holiday cheer. Even a sprig of holly on the pages can make a big difference, or maybe just a change in the color scheme.
Get Your Online Retailing Holiday-Ready
Now's the time to spruce up your product listings with an eye toward holiday-time SEO. Freshen up the photos with holiday cheer and colors. Decide on what specials you intend to offer for the holiday buyer. Free shipping is a popular choice, as are bundles of more than one item. Once-a-year discounts and buy-one-get-one deals also work well this time of year.
Staff Up for the Holidays
You should have a pretty good idea of the number of hands on deck you need to make the holiday sales season work this year based on how things went last year. Sit down with your team and work out how you are going to arrange the exceptional talent you deserve. Get those job notices up quickly so you will have the best staff pickings.
Prepare for the Holiday Sales Rush
The biggest thing on everybody's mind when preparing for the holiday season is stocking up on inventory. That is important, but so is making sure you can process your sales easily and efficiently. Walk through the process to see what might need re-arranging in your warehouse space and what might need updating or fixing.
If you need extra funding to get ready for the holidays, now might be a good time to consider a merchant cash advance. With all the sales you expect over coming weeks and months your payback time should be quick (and the financial burden relatively light).
You'll also want to make sure your point of sale (pos) is ready to quickly handle all your holiday payment processing needs. The faster your lines move, the more sales you'll have this holiday season.
