It’s Never Too Early to Start Planning for the Holidays - Part 1

The dog days of summer are over, which makes now the perfect time to begin thinking about the upcoming holiday season.  

Why so soon? Well, experts tell us that the best time to start planning for the holiday season is actually right after last year’s holiday - so with only a few months to go, you may be already behind. 

The best way to get started is by reviewing what happened last year in terms of what worked best and what didn’t. What changes can be implemented so that this year goes smoothly and more profitably? 

Here are a few things to think about:

•  Who needs to be available, and when?  Make sure the right people are available at the right time (or they can be reached) for every area of your shop (technology, product, deliveries, staff, etc). 
• If something does go wrong, what is the escalation policy? It’s helpful to map out who gets called first and then how to move up the chain of command so your staff can react quickly if anything unexpected happens.
• Will your technology be changing before the holidays? If you need to upgrade your computers or add workstations, plan ahead - don’t wait until the last minute. Ideally, you want to be able to test your systems well ahead of the busy period, to ensure everything is running smoothly across all your platforms (in-store, online, mobile). 

Over the coming months, we’ll be taking you through all the steps to get ready for your best holiday season ever, with a special focus on e-commerce preparedness. Stay tuned!