How to Prepare Your Business for the Holiday Selling Season

By RafterOne
How-to-Prepare-Your-Business-for-the-Holiday-Selling-Season

Oh, how time flies! As the 2024 holiday selling season approaches, it’s time to start gearing up to ensure your business is fully prepared. With a shorter-than-usual holiday shopping season this year, there’s no room for missed steps. Whether you’re in B2C, B2B, B2B2C, or D2C Commerce, careful planning is key to making the most of this critical time. 

To help you prepare, we’ve compiled some essential resources from Salesforce: 

Key Considerations for a Successful Holiday Selling Season 

At RafterOne, we’ve helped many clients navigate the complexities of the holiday rush. Based on our experience and expertise, here are some critical steps to consider as you finalize your plans: 

1. Review Last Year’s Performance 

Take a detailed look at what worked (and didn’t) during last year’s holiday season. 

  • How much discounting did you do, and will that change this year? 
  • Do you have enough inventory depth for key items, and will they arrive on time? 
  • If certain items or events from last year aren’t part of this year’s plan, how are you compensating? 

2. Campaign and Promotion Cadence 

Planning out your home page, landing page content, and assortments for every site change is essential. 

  • Ensure all contributors are clear on their commitments and that coverage plans and escalation contacts are in place. 

3. New Integrations and Load Testing 

If you’ve built new integrations since last year, now is the time to test their load capacity. 

  • Be sure to simulate traffic volumes beyond what you expect to handle this year. 

4. Shipping and Delivery Windows 

Remember to clearly communicate your shipping windows to customers, including regular, expedited, and rush shipping options to ensure delivery before the holidays.  

5. Product and Site Optimization 

  • Ensure your product content (names, descriptions, images), pricing, and categorization are optimized. 
  • Every item should be on the correct page(s), with all necessary information for onsite shoppers and external search engines. 

6. Limited Lifespan Products 

For gift buys with limited lifespans, ensure your inventory allocations and merchandising plans are tested and ready. 

7. Sorting Rules  

New items may end up at the bottom if you use sales velocity or product views as sorting rules. Adjust your sorting rules if necessary. 

Remember that holiday shoppers are often less patient and use different search terms, so test last year’s holiday phrases to ensure relevant results from this year’s assortment. 

Prepare for Pent-Up Demand 

This year, based on data from last year’s holiday season and this year’s Prime Day sales volume, there is industry understanding indicating constrained consumer spending, with shoppers waiting for the best deals. This pent-up demand could drive higher-than-expected inventory turnover during the early days of Cyber 5, leading to more aggressive discounting. 

By optimizing your operations now, you can capitalize on this demand surge and ensure a smooth, successful season. 

At RafterOne, we’re here to support your holiday efforts. Reach out to us for any help you need while planning or implementing your holiday readiness strategy. 

Here’s to a successful—and stress-free—Holiday Season! 

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