Is your Business ready for the Holiday Season?

With holidays right around the corner, we have gathered a few tips to ensure your business is ready for the Christmas and the Holiday Season.

It is always wise to have a check list to prep your business so you can kick off the new year with a great start.

1. Staff

Meet with your team to inform them of what is happening in your business over the holiday season.
Make sure all the holiday pay rates are set and up to date for working on certain days.
(Fair Work Australia).
If you plan to close your business, organise your payroll prior to that. Set up automatic payments and pay runs.
Double check everyone has time allocated and the dates for holiday or committed to work are all confirmed because no one like surprises!
If your business is closed during the festive season, develop a plan to have some staff work on some days or be on call, but this will depend on the type of business that you operate.
If your business is hospitality, make sure to hire extra staff. Create a roster to make sure you are not short-staffed.
Offering customers, the ability to pre-book via your website or your social media, then you will have an idea how many staff you will need.

2. Customers

Send a Christmas message to your clients to wish them a very Merry Xmas and inform them of what is happening in your business over the Xmas and New Year holiday period.
This is also a perfect time to touch base with your database. You have a special reason and make the very best use of it. Give your Christmas greeting a personal touch.
If you have any special offer, make sure to email your database to let them know.
If your business can send a gift to your customers, ensure it is branded with your logo. It is an opportunity to promote your business.
Create a message in your emails informing your business hours or close hours during holiday season.
Set up an automatic “out office” message

3. Stay Organised

Order any additional supply that you may need
Schedule social media content, make sure that SEO and content is implemented wisely.
If your business involves shopping online, make sure your website is running smoothly and able to handle new customers in addition to existing clients.
Make sure you have enough stock for the product, if not your website is setting to inform any “sold out” prior to receive any payment.
Double check and troubleshoot all payments processing.
Update your website with your holiday season hours and any additional policies including returns, special pricing, shipping, and deliveries.
Having a budget in place is crucial to ensuring Christmas is success and managed well
Regarding stock, manage the time to post of stock to get to customers and manage their expectations.
Manage your cash flow. If the holiday period is a quiet month for your business, take a close look at your expenses to see if there’s any spending that can wait until your business is back into a regular trading rhythm.

4. Get ready for 2022

Is all the planning for the new year start date set up?

Have you got a clear vision for you and your team what the plan of focus will be in 2022?
What streamlining of processes and insights do you want to carry forward into 2022 to make your business run smoother and more efficiently?
If your sales are a little slow over holiday season, use the time to hit the ground running in the new year.
Work in your to-do list including inventory, make a comprehensive competitor analysis or researching the market for new products, supplies or services.
It’s also a great time to have a sale and get rid of slow-moving stock and clean up the warehouse!