As a small business, the holiday season can be a bit overwhelming. Planning ahead is key to enjoying the holidays, not stressing over them! Here is our guide for small business planning holiday!
Know your sales patterns
Make sure you analyze last years sales patterns to plan for this year’s holiday season. Not only should you focus on how much inventory you sold last year during the holiday time, but you should also take into account the previous months. Calculate how much your customer base has grown, and take it into account when planning for the holidays. Make sure you order inventory well in advance to accommodate for last-minute shoppers.
Study holiday trends
There is classic Christmas and trendy Christmas. Make sure you analyze your audience to determine if you should gear more towards classic or trendy. Stay up-to-date on the latest trends by following social media accounts that YOUR followers follow. Follow?
Incorporate ecommerce into your strategy
If you’re not already selling products online, now is the time to do it. With online shopping, customers can plan ahead, scout prices, and still support small businesses all over the world. If you don’t have a website or need an ecommerce component to your site, let us know! We specialize in making websites for small businesses.
Make your holiday schedule clear
This goes for both your customers and your employees. If you are closing at any time for the holidays, or have different hours, let your customers know well in advance. There will be last minute shoppers who assume everyone is open on Christmas Eve! The same goes for your employees. They should know their holiday hours before Thanksgiving, so they can plan accordingly. Be sympathetic to those who have to travel during the holidays.
Take care of your employees
The holiday season is one of reflection. Thanksgiving and Christmas bring to light areas of gratitude and areas of improvement , and New Years provokes change in people more than any other time. Show your employees that you value them this holiday season by incorporating bonus, parties, etc. into the budget. Be understanding that their family and/or personal life is probably more important to them then a particular job. If you show respect and appreciation for your employees and customers, you will see it returned.
President and founder of DVI, Aaron Boerger realized early in life that he had a unique combination of x-ray vision and business acumen for seeing the weaknesses that held businesses back – and the ability to define the right tools, technology and strategy to make them stronger.
From founding a successful technology support business in his early teens, to serving as Chief Operating Officer for several companies in the financial, technology and marketing industries, Aaron has developed a reputation for reinventing technology implementation tactics – and the willingness to tell people not what they want to hear, but what they need to hear, in order to achieve success without overwhelm.
Aaron will always go the extra mile to provide the accountability and support his clients need to achieve their goals, yet isn’t afraid to tell them when they are doing something wrong.