7 Strategies You Can Use to Prepare Your Business for the Holiday Rush

The coming of winter holidays can usually mean two things for active businesses. In a more favorable scenario, the companies are well-prepared and they used the holiday rush to increase the profit and gather the assets that will help them to get over the traditionally slower first quarter months. In the opposite case, the incoming frenzy and mismanagement can bring the complete organization to a grinding halt.

There should be very little doubt where your business should stand this year. Let us then take a look at some of the strategies that will help your company to leverage the increased customer interest and use the season of winter holidays to the fullest extent.

Invest in marketing

Winter holidays are the time of relentless marketing. If you don’t make sure your business is seen and heard, you are running a risk of ending up lost in the shuffle, even by your regular customers. So, do your best to devise the optimal marketing strategy and offer appropriate holiday discounts. While you are doing that, keep in mind the following:

• Money makes money, and paid searches drive revenue
• Consumers don’t like to pay for the shipping
• Referral programs, gifts, and gamification are especially efficient during holidays
• Decorate the storefronts – barren premises generate very little walk-ins
• Set clear, precise, season-appropriate and measurable goals
• Imbue the marketing campaigns with holiday spirit and personality

Reinforce the leadership

Any kind of sudden increase in workload volume produces an incalculable number of unpredictable situations, regardless of whether that increase was anticipated or not. In such circumstances, most of the minor problems can be ironed out by capable leadership. That is why you should prepare your managerial staff for the incoming pressure. A couple of training sessions, webinars, and brief market research covering anticipated market trends should prove to be more than sufficient.

Continue working without interruptions

Occasional days off, leaves and frequent interruptions the businesses experience during the holiday season can cause various problems ranging from efficiency drops to manufacturing hiccups. It is in your best interest to cut these issues at their roots and keep your business operational even during the brakes.

The solution to this problem can be found in manufacturing software platforms that allow you to oversee the important activities like material planning, shop floor reporting and other mentions from the screen of your phone. Some of these packages also integrate other important business areas like sales and inventory.

Work on the scheduling

Although we tend to look at the holiday season as one uninterrupted interval when companies record an increase in sales, the previous experience shows that this period actually consists of several spiking dates followed by a couple of slower days. Your goal is to properly exploit these couple of days by efficient scheduling. The dates you should keep in mind are:

• December 9 – Green Monday, one of the biggest sales days in the entire year
• December 14, and 20 – Two biggest critical sales days before December 25
• December 22 – The first day of Hanukah
• December 24 – Last minute Christmas shopping
• December 26 – Boxing Day (celebrated in former parts of British Empire)
• December 30 – Last minute shopping before New Year’s Eve

Check availability with suppliers

Some of the business owners take various supplies for granted, which is a big mistake. Suppliers are companies no different from your own, which makes them equally susceptible to holiday shortages. That is why you should check the availability of products and goods within your current supply network, book supplies that should cover the increased production and immediate after-holiday period, and, if necessary, look for available alternatives. The sooner you finish this audit, the better.

Provide the employees with holiday perks

If your marketing efforts eventually materialize, your company will experience a workload that will inevitably put a lot of pressure on your staff. That is why you should do everything in your power to make their position as bearable as possible. Some of the common methods you can use along the way are sensible scheduling, holiday bonuses, and workplace games and holiday activities. Also, you should strongly consider hiring additional seasonal help to relieve the pressure from your full-time employees.

Set realistic goals

Finally, the best way to achieve satisfying results is to set workable goals and put all of your company's resources into reaching these milestones. Keep in mind, though, that these milestones are based on hard facts and thorough market research rather than wishful thinking. Investing too heavily while pursuing unrealistic goals will produce temporary results but it can also strain your resources in the long run. Also, be sure to set up the infrastructure that will provide you with precise feedback regarding your actions. This is the only way you are going to be able to course-correct your current strategies.

These seven strategies should help you to use the coming holiday season to the fullest extent and allow your business smooth sailing in the first quarter of 2020. Winter holidays have always been marked by increased spending and high volumes of sales. The extent to which you are going to use these favorable circumstances, however, will largely depend on your ability to set your business for success.