1. Know the trends. What's hot in your industry? Consumers will be looking for the must-have items and you want to make sure your business is carrying them. A way to track down what's hot is to talk to your vendors and current customers.
2. Review your inventory. To appeal to more consumers, your business should have good representation at various price points to accommodate different shopping budgets.
3. Examine past years' performance. The benefits of doing this are twofold. First, your business can identify who your customers really are and how to plan a marketing strategy to reach them. Secondly, by assessing the previous years, you can see if you'll need extra help and how many seasonal workers to hire.
4. Start the hiring process for seasonal help. You want to hire people who are enthusiastic about your product and have good customer service skills. Not everyone who applies for the job will have these qualities, so it's critical to start the hiring process early enough to be able to find those people.
5. Update your social media presence. Take a look at your current social media accounts. Do they need a revamping? Does your business need to start using new platforms like Instagram and Pinterest?
6. Get customers excited by offering pre-holiday promotions. Your business will get a jump on the competition. One idea is to offer a wish list and then inviting spouses or significant others to shop on a special night over refreshments in a festive atmosphere.
7. Give customers a reason to visit. Determine what set you apart from the competition and look for ways to get that message out to the community.
8. Check those displays. Before your business needs them, go through the decorations and special store displays to see if anything needs replacing or repairing.
9. Get ready for the holiday rush. Make sure your store has enough packaging, boxes and gift wrapping. Plan for extended hours, both in supplies and workers needed to cover those times.
With some or all of these tips in place, all that's left is to open your doors to welcome the holiday shoppers!
