3 Tips to Get Your Retail Business Holiday Ready

With the holidays right around the corner, does your business have everything in place to have a successful holiday sale season? As the scope of retail changes frequently, it's imperative that you are you doing these 3 holiday activities to stay afloat.

1.Have a Retail/Service Inventory Management Plan

Make sure you’re fully prepared for shoppers and potential clients seeking your services. If you’re out of stock on a product, you just lost a sale, try doing daily to weekly inventory checks. As for service based industries, keep in mind if it’s just you this season. Are you a baker? Hair stylist? Masseuse? Or offer non-tangibles? Then get clear on what you offer best, especially if you don’t have a team just yet. Offer 3-5 good services so you can put your best effort into it, your customers will thank you.

2. Solidify Your Marketing

It’s September and you needed a marketing plan as of yesterday. Don’t worry, take this month to plan in-store events, sales, specials, product launches, etc. Is the marketing budget low? Get your social media campaigns set and start drafting emails to send to your customers, especially if you plan on sending coupons. Do you have a physical store? Plan shopping parties and in-store events, big retailers can’t really do this, so TAKE ADVANTAGE of the opportunity. Your customers will appreciate the personal touch.

3.Set staff schedules and hire seasonal help

If you can afford to, please hire some extra hands, this can impact your sales depending on the shopper’s experience. If you’re understaffed, you can’t tend to your customers as much. Also hire for specific roles that are important for your store’s performance. Get someone who doesn’t mind lifting and placing your inventory, if it’s still in boxes it won’t sell. Seek friendly sales associates that have 6 months-1 year of customer service experience.

Although there are many other aspects of getting holiday ready, retailers and service providers need to focus on these 3. If you have a team, be sure to communicate your business’s holiday sales plans, include these talking points and anticipate an increase in profit! 

Did you find this article helpful? Well be nice and share it with your other business friends! Need help with navigating these activities? Leave a comment below. Thanks for reading!