As a small business owner, the holidays are likely your time to turn your books from red to black. It is when many small businesses make the bulk of their money. For that reason, you want to have systems in place to make your business stand out and be the most efficient and effective at what you do. Instead of simply hoping for a holiday rush, you and your workers are preparing for it. Continue reading if you are a small business owner looking for tips on prepping for the holiday rush.
For many businesses, the holiday rush is between Thanksgiving and the New Year. That is the time when more people are shopping for Christmas gifts or looking for deals on items for themselves. That means that getting ready for your holiday rush should begin long before people begin to shop.
Small businesses must project and plan to get ready for the holiday rush. Five tips to prep for the rush are:
1. Look Back at Your Books From Last Year
Looking back at your books from the previous year will give you are a good idea of what you did and want to do this year. You want to look at sale totals and tallies for popular items from the previous year.
If you don’t have a way to go back and look at specific items, you must develop a way to do that beginning this year. One way is to keep a daily debriefing journal. In it, you can write what became challenging to deal with as the season got closer, what customers complained about, what was easy, and what you want to repeat.
You also want a list of more accessible merchandise to sell than others and make a note of problems as they arise. That debriefing journal should be reviewed as early as September and will be essential for getting ready for the next season.
2. Hire Employees for the Holiday Season
If your regular staff is already stretched thin and feeling overwhelmed, small businesses need to hire additional staff to cover the rush of the holiday season.
If your systems are complex and challenging to learn, hire employees and give them weeks to get comfortable with the system before it gets too busy. You can hire employees part-time and save money by offering incentives like company-paid lunches on Saturdays.
3. Order Merchandise and Supplies Early
As a small business owner, you are doing what every other small business owner is doing. You are all looking to have a successful holiday season even though it will be rushed. Instead of adding to the stress for your business, the one thing that you can do is order your supplies early. That means working with vendors early to get the best prices possible on the supplies that your business will need for success. Ordering and having all your supplies in place early will help you avoid chain supply issues that could snarl or stop production for your business.
4. Research Delivery Methods
As a small business owner, you should realize how important delivery is to customers. If they purchase your products or shop for your merchandise, they want it delivered as promised. Even those who wait to order at the last minute want their products when you have promised to deliver them.
Instead of settling for whatever shipping mechanisms are available, researching the best method for your business and merchandise is essential. That includes the United States post offices and other specialty delivery services. In some situations, last-mile delivery solutions platforms may answer efficient delivery to customers. In addition to saving your business money, you may save the customers the stress of wondering if and when their packages will arrive.
5. Reach Out to Loyal Customers
Reaching out to your loyal customers before the rush comes is essential for keeping them coming back. This marketing tactic is easy using your mass email function to send a note reminding them how you appreciate their business and will have offerings again this holiday season. Loyal customers will be reminded of your products and thankful for your contact. Reaching out to loyal customers early is a great way to prepare for the holiday rush.
Conclusion
As you have read, there are several ways that businesses can prep for the holiday season rush. Although there are numerous ways to get ready, five of them are listed above and a great place for new businesses to start.
