All Blogs

Gearing Up for the Holiday Sales Season

Well it is about that time of year again. The holiday sales season! This year, the holidays run from December 6th (Hanukkah) to January 19th (Christmas for the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem).

But do you really need to do something special for the holiday sales season? Well, yes you should. This is a huge opportunity to increase the success of your business. Let me share a couple of figures to prove it:
  • U.S. Christmas sales for 2013 – $602 billion
  • U.S. Christmas sales for 2014 – $619.9 billion
    • 79.4 billion of those were from online sales!
This year, projected online sales are expected to hit somewhere around $83 billion. Why shouldn't some of that money be yours?

To hit your goals this holiday sales season, you need to prepare. We are here to help you get your ducks in a row.

Calculate your Seasonal Revenue

Consider Your Staffing

  • Once you have figured out your potential revenue, ask yourself, can you handle the potential increase in sales during the holiday season with your current staff?
    • You may need to bring on staff for the holidays to prepare for an influx of sales. Decide whether freelancers or seasonal temp workers better suits your needs. 
      • Keep in mind you have only so many hours in your day. Even hiring someone to run packages to the post-office can save you a lot of time over the course of the holiday season.

Take Note of Shipping Deadlines

  • Speaking of sending packages, check to see what your mailing service’s holiday dates are. I do not mean the hours they are open, but the final dates to get packages sent out.  Once you know those dates, you will want to make sure you have notices on your sales page to let your buyers know the final date they can order from you and get the package in time for the holidays.

Figure Out Your Advertising Strategy 

  • You will want to start advertising your products now because the holiday sales season is fast approaching. You should be organizing your online ads in the next couple of weeks and should plan to launch them before Cyber Monday (Nov. 30th) hits.
  • Consult the calculator above to check on your advertising budget.
    • Consider which advertising option brought the most gain for you in the past.
    • If you are not using tracking pixels to track which advertising method works best, this is a time to start.
  • Be flexible. Track your advertising efforts and be prepared to move marketing funds around depending on which advertising methods are working best. Put the money where the profit is coming from. 
  • Wpromote has a tool - The Definitive Online Marketing Roadmap - to prepare and track your campaigns.

Plan Moments To Decompress

  • Finally, make sure to set some time aside to unwind. Your inclination may be to overwork yourself, but less sleep can often mean more mistakes. Take some time during the busy holiday sales season to relax and refocus.

Now you’re ready to get out there and have a great holiday sales season. Good Luck, Good Sales & Happy Holidays from me and the whole E-junkie team.