5 Holiday Planning Tips for Small Businesses

Today is the first official day of fall which means the holiday season is coming soon! This has been a tough year for many retailers due to COVID but there's still time to make the most of the holiday shopping season ahead. Simple preparations now can have a huge payoff later.

Here are 5 things businesses can do now to prepare:

Get product assortments dialed in and identify key items in the merchandise mix.

What products will you highlight this fall? Are there new arrivals landing soon? Will gift sets be available this season? These will be the things you want to focus on promoting so that you can efficiently work your way through products and avoid sitting on excess inventory. Once you identify your assortment, plan into it with product landing pages and digital assets.

Prepare digital assets now. (Schedule photoshoots, do flat lay photography, shoot images for campaigns, etc.)

In late August we worked with a client to produce a holiday photoshoot so that imagery for her website and social media pages would be ready for the season ahead. Due to COVID, we already know that the majority of holiday shopping will be done online this year, so it’s important to have those digital assets ready as soon as possible.

Secure brand collaborations and community partnerships to introduce new audiences to your brand.

Collaboration will be key this season and it’s important to find community partners who can help cross-promote your brand. Partner on holiday gift sets, product giveaways, social media campaigns, and even virtual events.

Iron out logistics to make shopping as easy and efficient as possible. 

Here is the bottom line for holiday: consumers will shop from companies that make it convenient. If shipping is expensive or takes excessive amounts of time, they will go somewhere else. Offer multiple ways for customers to get product and if local pick-up is an option, offer that too. In addition, add ways for shoppers to make the online gift-giving experience personal. Think about gift wrap, handwritten notes, or even a small gift with purchase.

Keep in touch with your community by finding ways to stay engaged.

It’s hard to believe we’ve been dealing with COVID for over six months now. In Seattle, where Gossip & Glamour is based, we went into quarantine back in March. Social media has been a huge asset for us in order to keep in touch with our community. As a business, it’s critical to keep in touch with customers. Do an IG Live, host a giveaway, post a product Q&A, publish a blog post, and keep up with email marketing. Consistent communication is key.

There are many different factors that will impact the holiday selling season. Prepare now, make contingency plans, and be ready to pivot quickly to successfully manage the holiday season ahead.