Have you started your preparations and planning for the holiday season? If you have not, THIS is when you need to pause, make a checklist, and plan accordingly.

Here are some tips to prepare your business for holiday season

1. Assess your current inventory and determine your top sellers. Make your inventory software do the heavy lifting. Generate/customize your reports to identify popular items, restocking needs, and turn-over rates. Use your software’s forecasting capabilities to plan your inventory needs. Include a variety of price points to suit your customer base

2. Audit your website. Do you need to refresh the homepage? Update product photos or descriptions? Is your website mobile friendly? Is your check-out process seamless? An outdated website will not show your brand in the best light possible.

3. Create your marketing strategy and plan your social media calendars. Ensure your digital and in-store marketing themes and promotions are synced and cohesive. Use tech to streamline tasks using email marketing software, social media tools such as AI writing apps, and post-scheduling software.

4. Collaborate with other local businesses, holiday events, or associations. Now is the time to reach out to your community.

5. Visual merchandising is a must! If your displays are not organised, then your customers will have a hard time focusing on the product. Take the time to assess your store’s visual appearance.

6. Your team is your most important asset. Assess your staffing and training needs. Do you need to hire additional seasonal staff? Make sure your team knows the products, designers, and collections you are selling. Now is the
time to provide additional training, not on Black Friday.

7. Customer engagement needs to be continuously nurtured. Host special in-store event. Use your customer relationship management software (CRM) to send targeted emails, SMS, or invites to your special events.

8. Review your security procedures. Is your team following the standard operating procedures (SOP)?

9. Review your shipping and return SOPs. Is the process smooth and efficient? Use tech tools to make this a quick procedure. Do you have your deadlines set for holiday shipping? How are you communicating that to your customers? It needs to be clearly stated online and in-store.

10. What happens after the sale? Are you following up with your VIP customers? Are you reaching out for feedback and customer reviews? Do you provide sizing, alternations, or other options to ensure your customers will return again and again