Get Holiday Prepared: Our steps to have the best holidays yet.
The holidays are the biggest time of the year for retailers, especially small business owners. Many of us rely on increased sales in November and December to tide us over through a slower January and February. To ensure you’re ready for the increased website traffic and sales, follow our tips below:
Reassess your website. You’ll want to take some time to thoroughly comb through your website for errors, defunct products or descriptions, and errors. Clean things up so the increased traffic has an easy time using your site. You’ll also want to make sure your policies (shipping, privacy, returns, etc.) is relevant and realistic for you. If you know you’ll have an increase in made-to-order sales, you’ll most likely want to increase the time it takes to ship those orders out.
Additionally, more and more eyes now means more and more opportunity to sell throughout the year. Figure out the best way to capture emails on your website so you can continue to communicate with interested customers throughout the year.
Really hone in on what your UNIQUE SELLER PROPOSITION is. Customers are looking for unique, easily gifted products right now and they’ve got a lot to choose from! Decide what makes you truly unique in a sea of similar products and use that to drive home your marketing efforts, add-on efforts, and everything in between.
Pull together a market kit that will get you through each holiday market with ease. Prep a bin filled with your card reader, bags, tissue paper, business cards, petty cash, in addition to personal things you like to have on-hand at markets, like hand warmers, chapstick, and Advil. You won’t regret putting this together, but you will regret not having it!
Take the time now to plan out your social media for the next few months. Your time will be limited and valuable, so hammer out your social media efforts now. Plan when you’ll have sales, include the events your participating in, and make sure you show your face once in a while!
Plan out your shipping efforts and section off an area in your home or office just for shipping. This is one of those afterthoughts we wish we spent more time on. Give yourself space to do this part right. It can get tough when you’re pulling supplies out of different boxes, drawers, and cabinets, and you’ll never truly know if you have everything you need. Take the time to do it now so you’re not scrambling for tape three days before Christmas.
Pick a few partners, collaborators, or top customers to send a small gift to. This is the time we focus so much on making money that we can forget to celebrate those who’ve helped us get to where we are. Send a few gifts out now to let those who are important to you know that they’re in your thoughts!
As you’re bulking up on your inventory, you’ll find yourself wishing you had more capital to support your efforts. Research and apply for a credit card that can help you get through the holidays right.
Understand shipping deadlines for the carriers you use. Research the last date you can send something out to have it delivered by Christmas and make sure your customers know too! Share that cutoff on social media, in emails, and on the front page of your website so there’s no confusion.
