The busiest time of the year for retailers, caterers, hotel managers, and almost any other business owner is almost here. Whilst Christmas is typically the most wonderful time of the year for all who celebrate, it can be an incredibly stressful, time-consuming, and overwhelming period for those working. With so much to consider, including marketing, customer service, supply chains, deliveries, and more, it’s easy to get snowed under in the lead-up to Christmas, which can have a detrimental effect on your business.
So, we’re helping you out by providing our expertise on how to prepare your online business before Christmas. We’ll explore our top tips for getting ready for the big rush, as well as explain how our unique barcode inventory systems and other innovative technologies can assist you during the festive period and beyond.
Seasonal Preparation for Online SMEs
For those who have been in business for a number of years, you will be all too familiar with the typically year-long preparation for Christmas. Online businesses, such as those in the retail industry, have much to do before December hits and the panic buyers come in full force. For example:
- Marketing. From switching up the colours on your website landing pages to pumping out those festive-themed social media posts, so much goes into a Christmas marketing campaign, whether you’re an SME or a worldwide corporation. So, being prepared and starting early on your Christmas promotion planning and seasonal marketing is essential.
- Checking website speeds. The last thing you need as an online business is a slow website. With more people heading your way during the festive period, you must check your website speeds way ahead of the big rush to avoid disappointing customers and losing out on sales.
- SEO strategy. A solid SEO strategy is a must for all businesses, but especially exclusively for online SMEs. You must stay ahead of your competition and spend time implementing keyword research, writing high-quality website content, and tracking engagements in order to do the best you can this Christmas.
Data Analysis from Previous Years
One of the best ways to prepare your online business for Christmas is to analyse your data from previous years, which our barcoding inventory system can help with.
To achieve a successful turnover, aiming for the 80/20 rule is essential. In principle, the 80-20 rule is about identifying your best assets and using them efficiently to create maximum value. For example, a student should try to identify which parts of a textbook will create the most benefit for an upcoming exam and focus on those first. However, this does not imply the student should ignore the other parts of the textbook. Essentially, promote the items that will do well this season and save promotional campaigns on other products for next year’s plans.
To track your most popular items, monitor the lifecycle of your online transactions, from purchasing from the supplier to selling them to your customers. Identifying each item’s journey will allow you to keep on top of how many items you have sold.
From here, you can move on to the ABC analysis, which provides you with the tools to see the value of your stock in terms of a percentage of your revenue.
- A. The products with the highest demand, which help make up the 80%, aforementioned.
- B. Cheaper or seasonal products that equal around 15% of your revenue.
- C. The least in-demand stock items and the least profitable, making up roughly 5& of your revenue.
This system helps you predict which items will be high in demand so you can be prepared for the Christmas rush, and with your barcoding system, you can easily track your items. Simply scan an item as it arrives and scan again when it is sold to keep an up-to-date record of your sales.
Staying On Top of Inventory Management and Managing Your Stock
Implementing stock control software should be at the top of your list when it comes to inventory and stock management. This is because it will allow you to be completely clear on your stock levels, saving you from disappointed customers and lost sales if you find yourself selling out of a high-demand item.
The stock control software we offer here at GSM Barcoding is from G-SMart and comes with a long list of fantastic benefits, including:
- The ability to track stock from multiple stock rooms or warehouses
- Installation from a qualified and experienced engineer
- Serial tracking for larger businesses
- Barcode inventory systems used for tracking stock and printing labels
- And so much more…
It’s important to note that each benefit depends on the type of stock control software you choose. The systems we offer are the best choice for those wanting to stay on top of their inventory this Christmas and can be upgraded with additional modules depending on your business type and needs. Please speak to our experts to find the best package for you.
Boost Your Customer Service
Another great tip for staying on top of the busiest time of the year is to boost your customer service. For most, Christmas will be when your business receives the most customers, which means any problems customers face are also at an all-time high. In addition, it’s expected that there will be returns, questions regarding deliveries, and other queries requiring contact with the customer, so you should set aside time to perfect your customer service.
This includes making your contact details clearly on your website, any newsletters sent out, your social media profiles, and any physical items delivered to your customers. In addition, consider updating your FAQs with any helpful Christmas-related questions to eliminate the need for customers to get in touch.
Getting Ahead With Your Barcode and Label Printing
As leading providers of barcode printing software, we allow you to take control of your label software, printing, and automation with our specialist machines, so you can focus on other essential aspects of your business during the festive period.
Here at GSM Barcoding, we can guarantee complete control of your label printing to ensure that everything runs smoothly, including:
- Document management across multiple locations
- Seamless integration with existing business systems
- Printing from any device with Web printing
- Outstanding customisation that makes your labels one of a kind
And this is only the beginning. If you think your business would benefit from any of the services discussed today, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team.
We are always more than happy to assist, especially in the run-up to Christmas, as we understand the pressures of running a business during this time.
