The mad rush of the holiday season is right around the corner, so get your shop prepared ahead of time for an increase in business. For any decorated apparel business, the holiday shopping season can mean big profits if you’re prepared to handle the demand. Here’s some insight on what you can do during the holiday rush to take advantage of this busy time.
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Start Planning Now
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Get Organized
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Hire Seasonal Help
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Attract More Customers
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Evaluate Your Equipment
Start Planning Now
Take a serious look at last year’s holiday season. See what went well, what didn’t go well, and how you can improve, so that you can create a successful holiday plan for this year. Next, prepare what you can ahead of time. Go through your inventory and make a list of what needs to be replenished. Order supplies early, such as special colors of thread, rhinestones, fabrics, or extra ink. Don’t forget that you will be using more packaging materials, office supplies, and business collateral (business cards, labels, etc). You don’t want let insufficient supplies or delayed shipments stop you from bringing in a profit.
Get Organized
Before the holiday shoppers start coming, take some time to get everything in order. Make sure you have a system in place for staying organized when the rush hits. Anything from record keeping apps, scheduling programs, and communication tools will help make things simpler in all of the holiday chaos. Don’t let lack of organization slow you down.
Hire Seasonal Help
With the holiday crowd, you can expect to see an increase in activity and could benefit from an extra helping hand or two. Seasonal workers are a great way to get you through the winter. If you’re considering hiring seasonal help, don’t wait too long, because you’ll need ample time to train and get new hires up to speed with how your business works. If hiring an extra employee isn’t in your budget, you can ask close family and friends to help out when you’ll most need it.
Attract More Customers
Once you’ve prepared your business for more customers, ensure they’ll show up by planning out some holiday sales and announcing them to your current customers. You should get the word out with some advertising efforts such as posters, flyers, emails, and targeted online advertising. Setting up regional Google Ads within a certain radius of your business could get customers calling or visiting your website immediately. This will also generate some buzz around your business and attract new customers.
Given the increasing popularity of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, your current and prospective customers will expect a deal on these days. You could miss out on the opportunity to increase sales if you don’t provide a deal on these days.
Evaluate Your Equipment
Before you can ramp up sales, you should evaluate how well your decorated apparel equipment is working and whether it can handle an expected increase in workload. Double check if any repairs are needed or any parts need to be replaced. Ensure you won’t run into any malfunctions or breakdowns when you need them the most. Consider upgrading your essential equipment or adding another machine. Flexible financing options from industry experts can help acquiring new equipment fit into your budget with surprising ease. Consider a specialized equipment financing company (such as Beacon Funding) who helps you easily afford all the equipment you need to conquer the holiday rush.
Knock 'Em Dead
Now that you have insight on these five preparation strategies you can take advantage of this busy time. Whenever this season comes around, you’ll be ready and headache-free. Good luck during the holiday rush, and remember to enjoy yourself along the way!