Christmas is a wonderful time of year. It’s also a hectic period for the majority of us. My goal and prayer are that we don’t get caught up in the stresses of the season to the point where we focus on the wrong things and miss out on the simple delights of recognizing the birth of the Holy One of Bethlehem.
Holidays can be difficult for small and medium-sized businesses, and none are more difficult than Christmas and the end of the year. With bargain hunters on the prowl, suppliers closing up shop, and employees taking time off, how can small businesses stay afloat? Employees frequently request several days off during the holidays. But what if you need (at least a few) people to show up for the business to function?
Dealing with an employee who is irritated because he or she is unable to take time off is unpleasant. If you find yourself in this situation. The best thing you can do is remind them of the policies they agreed to in the employee handbook.
Fortunately, there are ways to face difficult times head-on and emerge not just afloat, but ahead. We’ve compiled a list of top tips to ensure that you not only survive but thrive during the holiday season.
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Be The Champion Of The Market
The worst thing you can do for your schedule and the morale of your employees is to shuffle vacation leave. Either you run out of cover, or someone gets trained when they’re not supposed to be. Regardless of the method, you use to organize, make sure you are clear and coherent in your approach and communication so that everyone is on the same page.
On the other hand, you could have customers from all over the world. In such cases, the best appointment scheduling software such as Picktime can assist you in easily managing your work. Picktime also helps you to organize your staff work schedule and helps you follow up on all daily appointments. Our software is designed in a way to improve the user experience and to access any device with Internet access. Picktime enables your clients to self-book appointments 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and make payments online using credit cards or payment processors like PayPal, and Stripe. Send automated e-mails and reminder messages to your clients and team.
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Conduct competitor analysis.
Examine your competition to see if they’re offering any bargains and if there’s any chance you can move ahead by finding a better balance between promotions and traffic. Use your social media accounts and other marketing tools you have on hand to spread the news about exceptional deals and intriguing products. Encourage visitors to visit your website or visit your store.
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Understand what they need.
Make a list of your contestants’ messages and think about how to reverse the script. Instead of duplicating offers, establish highly focused promotions for your unique buyer. Who is your ideal client? What are they looking for, what have they looked for previously, and how do they interact with the things you’re offering now?
Determine their level of interest and send emails or social advertising that such products or addresses a specific pain point to your customer.
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Analyze the data
Examine the books from the previous year. Did you run out of anything? How much money did you lose due to overstock? If you keep detailed records, you can use them to assist you to have a stronger retail season this year. Planning your inventory based on the previous year’s results can put you in a great position to succeed. And if you compare your earnings from this year’s October and November to last year’s, you should get a very good notion of the pattern, which can help you decide how much inventory to keep and whether you need more personnel.
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Be prepared to engage & administrate commoners.
If you notify your customers of delays and keep them updated, you’ll be less likely to face backlash during the holidays, which no retailer wants to face.
An increasing number of physical shops offer their customers a variety of product delivery options. Online purchasing, in-store pickup (BOPIS), for example, is a popular mode of delivery. Customers will be more likely to come back for return purchases and help increase your sales if they have more options during this uncertain Christmas season.
The ultimate goal of having a profitable season this year is to provide these different pickup options. Use the emerging trend of curbside pickup to increase efficiency for your customers and business while keeping employees safe during the current public health crisis.
An omnichannel point-of-sale system, such as NCR Counterpoint, will also enable you to expand sales across a variety of platforms – physical, online, and mobile – to reach your customers based on their preferences, ensuring that you never miss a sale. Operating under a single, centralized system also enables you to effectively manage inventory across all of your locations, allowing you to transfer stock where it is most needed.
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Ability to mold
Small businesses must be adaptable and adaptable to changing market conditions and trends. For example, most businesses are currently working from home. As a result, you can request that your employees connect with you via Skype or Slack to receive timely progress updates. Rather than limiting yourself to one area of expertise, try to meet your clients’ various needs. Learn from every experience and then become a master in a specific field.
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Attractive Store Promotion
Christmas and the New year are up ahead a flurry of sales that kicks off the holiday season. This marketing concept encourages customers to purchase more. Holiday shoppers could buy four bottles of wine and receive a discount on each bottle. They could buy five pairs of socks and receive a discount on their total purchase. It is entirely up to you to determine the flavor of the sale.
The key to success here is to select gifts that customers are likely to buy in bulk. If most customers are likely to buy a maximum of two items, a BOGO sale may be more successful. Define discounts on the number of small items and stockings upholstery, as well as gifts that someone would like to receive multiples of, such as golf balls or alcohol.
Bulk discounts are rather timeless. They will help you move inventory throughout the Christmas season, so set it up early and keep it in service until the New Year.
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Prepare to be a step ahead
Always be prepared for the outcomes. Maintain a steady flow of stock supply and storage of the stock. Nothing is worse than running out of a popular product and then discovering that your supplier is closed until next year. This will be much easier if you have your stock organized before things get too hectic, so get started while you can!
Make sure you fill out the holiday favorites in advance so you have enough to last you through the busy shopping season. If you require a favor late in the day, send them a Christmas card or a more meaningful gift! Also, remember to thank your suppliers and clients. If you need a favor late in the day, send them Christmas gifts for boyfriend and a card or a more meaningful present!
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Hold your spirits up.
It’s natural to feel worn out for employees with all the busy hours and the rush of the holiday season. Keep them motivated and energetic. Set goals and celebrate successes liberally. Time-out and the cost of a few treats to reward hard work and a job well done will pay much more in improving productivity. Hire someone to execute the menial tasks that don’t demand your whole attention, such as opening the mail, processing invoices, making bank transactions, and filing papers. If you are not a trained bookkeeper or accountant, engage someone who is. If you still clean your own house, employ a housekeeper for at least a couple of hours every week.
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Take a pause.
More than before, Customers now expect businesses to provide them with the convenience of purchasing and browsing online-from wherever they are, whenever they want. The ease of virtually visiting a store, discovering the same product(s) at the same price, and then receiving it at home without the crowds and lines.
After all, you can plan and prepare all you want, but the most important thing is to have fun and enjoy the season as much as possible because it will be over before you know it! Merry Christmas!