4 Ways Small Businesses Can Get Ready for the Busy Holiday Season

The end of November, right up until the end of January, are some of the busiest and most profitable months for small businesses. But the influx of customers and orders can sometimes feel overwhelming. If you are a small business looking to make the most of this holiday season, here are four ways to get started! 

1. Manage your inventory well

If your business has been around for a couple of years, you have been through this process before. Leveraging sales data from previous years is the best way to predict what volume of advance orders you need to do in order to be able to handle the surge. With this data and a little planning, you will be able to manage inventory levels perfectly — not too high or too low. An excellent tip for planning ahead is to learn the market demand. Spend some time on social media to check current demand trends, so you’re always prepared. 

2. Stock up on labels

The best way to tackle a busy season head-on is to ensure you have all the labels you will need in advance. Some important labels to stock up on this busy festive season are packaging and mailing labels, address labels, price gun labels, product labels and stamps. Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas or New Years’ sale, we have everything you need to help you prepare for the busy holiday season. We also provide customised labelling solutions. Learn more here or get in touch with our Print Services team to find out what we can do for you today!

3. Pay attention to your website

With Black Friday and Cyber Monday fast approaching, you do not want to lose potential customers because your website is slow or you have problems processing online payments. Apart from upgrading security software to avoid bugs and malfunctions during the busy season, there are a couple of other checks you will need to do: 

• Check if your products are live 
• Check if your sale or clearance section is up to date
• Add festive banners to your website
• Check if your landing pages are working 
• Update your business hours
• Double-check the information on your Google page, especially if you have a brick-and-mortar shop

4. Work on your social media presence

87% of shoppers online say that social media helps them make a shopping decision, and with over 50% of the world’s population on social media, social commerce is the next big step in the world of online shopping. Before the busy season comes around, ensure that your social media pages are up to date with your seasonal sales, promo codes, new products and so on. Even if you don’t have a huge following, being active on social media can help you convert followers into customers. 

Now that you’re all set to tackle the busy season at your store, it’s time to talk about budgeting. Here are some tips to help you manage your budget effectively this season!