Is It Too Early to Start Prepping Your Business for the Holidays?

“Black Friday” got its name for a reason. This is the time of year when many businesses get out from under “clearance sales” during the New Year and summer slumps; this is the time of year when businesses move out of the red and into the black.

Still, while you're in the midst of managing your summer schedule, the last thing you might be thinking about is Thanksgiving and the New Year. But should you have the holiday season in the back of your mind? In short, yes!

Here are a few things you can do to make the busiest (and potentially most profitable) time of year a little easier by planning ahead:

1. Plan your inventory ahead of time.

Inventory is a balancing act. If you have too much, you lose money; if you don't have enough, you lose sales.

Plan your inventory needs ahead of time. This includes inventory beyond products, such as office supplies. You'll need to be sure you have enough bags, gift wrap (if that's an option at your store), receipt tape and more. If you run out of these things during the holiday rush, you'll put yourself in a bad position. Plan ahead and stock up now.

2. Start making a big push to collect customer information now.

The sooner you can collect customer information, the sooner you can start promoting your business to these new, interested consumers. Train your team to start collecting customer information now. Hold a contest among employees to see how many new customers they can sign up to your mailing list. Or you can put a sheet out at your front desk or front register to encourage customers to sign up while checking out.

The goal is to have more customer information on hand so you can make this your best holiday season yet.

3. Consider your staffing situation now.

Busy season means more traffic and the need to hire temporary employees to cover the extra business. Although you might not be able to start hiring temporary employees, you can start planning for how many people you'll need to bring on board, as well as when and how you'll hire them.

Another consideration: your staffing schedule. Scheduling during this time of year is especially tricky. Some people want to have time off to be with family while others appreciate the extra hours. Have a plan in place to balance these requests quickly. For example, you might want to consider using a scheduling process that allows your team members to work together to switch shifts. This way, you're less likely to be left in a bind without enough team members to cover the influx of new business.

4. Encourage social media check-ins.

When a customer checks into your business, her friends see it too. Suddenly, your business name is being shown in front of other like-minded consumers. This can plant a seed and encourage people to consider your business as the buying season begins.

It can also show the customer's friends and family that she enjoys buying from you, making them more likely to head to your stores to check her present off their holiday shopping list.

Get Ready

The holidays will be here before you know it. Get ready by stocking up now, planning your staff scheduling, and growing your customers. With all of this finished ahead of time, you'll be in a better position to have your most profitable holiday season yet.

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