In this article we are going to teach you 5 ways to prepare your business for the 2022 Holiday Season. The holiday season will be here before you know it! 40% of consumers start shopping before Halloween. Keep your business running smoothly throughout the holiday season by planning ahead. The end of the year is a busy time for businesses, as many tend to use this time to take a break from their jobs and focus on family instead. With that being said, it’s important that you don’t let the busyness of the end of the year hinder your ability to run your company effectively. Unfortunate circumstances such as a snowy day or an ill-timed generator failure can ruin everything in just a matter of minutes, so staying prepared is key. The holidays are also notoriously challenging for businesses because they are home to many shopping events that customers enjoy participating in each year. However, these events can make it difficult for businesses to operate without interruption due to overcrowding and traffic congestion. You will need to plan ahead if you hope to keep your business running smoothly throughout the holiday season.
Here are 5 Ways to Prepare Your Business for the 2022 Holiday Season:
1. Make Payments Easy for Customers
One thing all consumers are looking for is ease of use when it comes to making a purchase online. Do not frustrate your customers with inconvenient ways to pay for their products and/or services.
One great option that many buyers are looking for is a Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) option. BNPL is the modern-day layaway. It allows customers to purchase something and be able to make monthly payments. Check out services like Klarna for BNPL.
It's also important to offer a range of payment options for your customers. Allowing them to choose between credit card, PayPal, Stripe, etc. Allowing multiple options for payment allows the consumer to choose which payment option works best for them.
2. Create bundle packages
A great way to increase your average cart ticket during the holidays is to bundle your products. This works for service-based businesses too!
A fun way to bundle is to offer holiday-themed bundle packages. Take a look at what's selling well and what isn't in your inventory. Maybe there's been a product that hasn't been selling well and you need to liquidate. An easy way to unload a product that's not selling as well is to put it into a bundle. Bundles allow customers to receive a deal while you still make your margins.
For service-based businesses, you can also create bundles! Put a pack of your lead magnets together as an entry point price. You can also bundle courses together at a discounted price.
Bundle packages and discounts can be advertised in the form of emails, text messages, posts on social media, and more. This will help your company stay relevant during this time of year. Also, consider offering coupons for specific holidays. On average, 50 percent of consumers use coupons as one strategy to save money on items they buy all year long. Giving these customers a coupon for Christmas or Hannakuh can be an easy way to generate huge sales in the holiday season!
3. Increase prices to allow for free shipping
One way to prepare for the holiday season is by raising prices. If you don’t raise your prices, you risk losing customers or at least making less money during this busy time of the year. By raising prices, you can allow for free shipping if you have a product that easily fits into a standard shipping box. The benefit to having a fixed price is that when customers are shopping during the holidays, they know exactly what their total cost will be and it will be clear to them whether or not they should make any impulse buys. This allows for more productive shopping and makes it easier for customers to resist buying extra merchandise without thinking about their budget.
4. Provide Consumers purchase deadlines for on-time delivery
If you’re a business that offers on-time delivery, this is a great way to provide consumers with deadlines for receiving their items during the holiday season. For example, if you offer free shipping during the holidays, give your customers a specific date by which they must purchase if they want their order to arrive in time for Christmas. This will not only help your company stay afloat during the busiest shopping days of the year, but it will also create a sense of urgency for customers who are trying to meet an important deadline. If you’re not offering free shipping, set a deadline for your customer's product to be delivered in time for the holidays. If you have an established reputation as an on-time business and don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t stick with it this year, then you should make sure that your products are shipped to consumers within an allotted amount of time after purchase. This will help ensure that everyone receives their gifts in time without having to worry about potential delays or customer service issues.
5. Offer a discount to early buyersThis is the heading
Offering a discount to early shoppers will encourage them to purchase your products or services earlier, which will ensure that your business is stocked and ready for the season. A common way businesses offer discounts is through an early bird special or limited time specials. For example, if you’re a bakery, you could offer a discount on all items in-store to those who start shopping now instead of waiting until the end of the year. If you want to incentivize customers to purchase your products now, 100 percent satisfaction guarantees are a good method of doing so. If customers purchase by the specified cutoff date, they get their order for free! This can be helpful for small businesses as it allows them to address an issue with their product quickly and easily without worrying about losing sales from potential dissatisfaction from customers.