The Holidays Are A Great Time To Be A Retailer60 Of All Retail Sales Are Made During The Holiday Season. Millions Of New Online Shoppers Make Their First Internet Purchases During This Season, And Their Experience There Can Either Erase Their Hesitancies About Online Shopping, Or Reinforce Them. This Gives You, As An EBiz Owner, An Opportunity To Create Loyal Customers And Generate Repeat Business.Thats Why You Need To Be Ready When The Holidays Roll Arounddont Get Taken By Surprise. Most People Think The Shopping Season Starts Right After Thanksgiving. But Lisa Suttora Of Http:WhatDoISell.com Says, Holiday Shoppers Actually Come Online Right About Mid-August, When Back-to-school-shopping Tapers Off, And They Stay Online Until The End Of January When Theyve Spent All The Extra Holiday Money. The Best Way For You To Cash In On The Holiday Buying Season Is To Be Prepared Well In Advance.How To Prepare For The Holiday Season:1. Get Your Inventory Listed Early. You Dont Want To Spend The Holidays Playing Catch-up, So Have Your Goods Ready To Go. Take Stock Of Your Inventory. Get It Organized, And Determine What Needs To Be Listed. Systematize Your Operation. Dont Try To Go Through The Entire Listing Process With Each Individual Item. First, Photograph All Your Items. Then Upload And Edit All Your Photos. Then Write All Your Listings, And Compile All Your Descriptions. By Streamlining Your Processes This Way, Youll Save A Great Deal Of Time.2. Have A Shipping Game Plan. The Number One Concern Of Holiday Buyers Is Whether Their Purchases Will Make It On Time, So Timely Shipping Is Crucial. Stock Up On Shipping Materials Prior To The Holiday Selling Season. You Can Even Order Your Shipping Supplies Online At Http:USPS.com. Prepackage Your Products, Whenever Possible. This Way You Can Just Print A Label Off And Be Ready To Go. You Can, In Most Cases, Arrange To Have The Post Office Pick Up Your Packages At No Charge, Rather Than Standing In Line For Hours.3.Customize According To Your Buyers Needs. Offer Gift Wrapping And Gift-recipient Delivery. Customers Value Their Time, Especially Around The Holidays, And Theyll Pay Extra For The Service And Convenience. Provide Them With Multiple Shipping Options. By Offering Overnight And Express Delivery, You Can Make Sales All The Way To December 24 That Your Competitors Who Only Offer Priority Mail Will Miss. Create Unique Gift Packages. For Example, Put A Curious George Stuffed Toy With A Curious George Book And Movie And Wrap Them Together In Curious George Paper. Says Suttora, What Youre Doing Is Pre-shopping For Your Customers.Customer Service Is KingIf Your Customers Have A Good Holiday Experience With You, Theyll Most Likely Come Again. Be In Constant Communication With Themyoure Letting Them Know Youre On Top Of Things. Always Let Them Know Their Tracking Numbers And Order Status. Respond Immediately To Their Emailsnot 24 Hours Later. When The Sale Is Over, Send Them A Thank You Noteyoure Reminding Them Youre There And Giving Yourself A Chance To Promote Your New Products. Follow Up On Your Salesby Building Consumer Confidence, Youll Produce Repeat Business Throughout The Rest Of The Year.
