As the end of the year draws closer, there’s only one thing on many retailers’ minds – Christmas! If you haven’t already, now is the time to start preparing for the most wonderful time of the year. Here are some ways in which you can get ready for the Christmas rush and reap the rewards of a successful seasonal sales period.
Why It Is So Important to Prepare?
Retailers of all sizes rely on a positive festive sales period to boost their second-half profit, with big names like John Lewis, Tesco and Next all being rated by their Christmas sales performance, as reported by The Guardian, annually. Many forecasts for the UK retail sector have been relatively gloomy this year, due to Brexit uncertainty and other contributing factors, so good Christmas trade is likely to mean even more to many retailers across the country.
While the big retailers are the ones being judged by performance on a national scale, many consumers are choosing to shop locally, thanks in part to campaigns like Small Business Saturday. Supporting local economies is high in consumer consciousness this year, so it’s important that small businesses are prepared and ready to satisfy the needs of these customers now, in order to secure them as long-term, returning business.
How You Can Prepare for Successful Christmas Trading
The key to a brilliant Christmas trading period is in the preparation – you don’t want to be prematurely running out of stock or having problems keeping up with increased demand and footfall when the peak season arrives. Here’s how you can keep one step ahead.
1. Research stock levels
If this isn’t your first Christmas trading period, look back at your annual reports to see what sold well – and what didn’t. Adjust your ordering or manufacturing accordingly to minimise wastage. If it’s your first Christmas, visit local competitors and check out their stock levels to give you an idea of how much you might need. Check with your suppliers about stock replenishment lead-times to make sure you won’t be left with empty shelves, and don’t be afraid of over-ordering. Often smaller items like greetings cards and Christmas decorations are classic designs, so whatever isn’t sold this year can be bought out again next year.
2. Employ temporary staff
Small businesses that are run singlehandedly or have small teams throughout the year might need some support over the Christmas period. Whilst initially it may seem a risk, having an extra pair of hands can be invaluable at making sure all of your customers are converted into sales, often making temporary staff a wise investment.
3. Get your back of house in order
Keeping a tidy ship is so important at this time of year, when seasonal stock lines will be added to your usual offerings. Making sure stockrooms are tidy and organised will help massively when those bigger deliveries start rolling in. Allocating specific areas front and back of house for seasonal stock will help with efficiency when helping customers on a busy day.
4. Consider your labelling needs
Spending some time thinking about your labelling and ticketing needs for the Christmas period is especially important. Increased stock lines means an increased need for shelve edge labelling and product barcode labels – often tiny ones to discreetly fit onto singular baubles or decorations. Designing custom labels for seasonal products is a great way to define your seasonal area on the shelves, and also in your stockroom.
Tanto Labels provides high quality printed and plain labels all year round. With our responsive online ordering service and next day delivery, you can be safe in the knowledge that your labels will be primed and ready for your Christmas trading period. Contact the friendly team at Tanto today to make your Christmas label order.
