Tagchristmas

It’s Friday 16 October. Christmas is 70 days away. Ten weeks sounds like plenty, but it goes quickly once the rush starts.

This list won’t ask you to spend more or add to an already full week. Most of it is about checking the basics and getting more out of the stock and people you already have.

1. Give slow sellers another go

This can be an easy win.  Walk the shop, your back room and anywhere you have stock before you order anything else. Check the drawers, the bottom shelves and the stockroom. You will almost certainly find stock you have already paid for that would make a good gift.

A product that struggled in one spot can sell well in another. Move it, pair it with something, or put a gift suggestion beside it. Try that before the discount stickers come out. Display it the way you would want a present to look.

2. Bundle things that belong together

Shoppers are short on time in December. A bit of work from you now makes their decision easier.

A journal and a pen. A puzzle and some treats. Gardening gloves and a trowel. Pick pairings that suit your shop and the people who shop there.

Package the bundle neatly and give it one clear price. It doesn’t need a discount. Saving the customer the thinking is the offer.

3. Look at last Christmas first

Before you place another order, pull up last year’s sales by department and by product. Note what sold early, what ran out and what was still on the shelf in January.

Then weigh that against what is happening in the shop this year. Last year’s numbers are a guide. Some of last year’s buying decisions are best left in last year.

4. Count the stock you’re relying on

Pick your key Christmas lines and count them by hand, on the shelf and in the stockroom. Compare the counts with your POS.

Include cards, wrap and bags. They are easy to forget until you run out.

If the numbers don’t match, find out why now. Ordering off wrong figures in November is an expensive mistake.

5. Make gift shopping easy

Walk through the shop as if you had no idea what to buy. Where would you start?

A few clearly signed gift displays help that customer a lot:

• Gifts under $20
• Gifts under $50
• Thank-you gifts
• Teacher gifts
• For someone who has everything
• Easy to post

Keep each display small and focused. Make sure every price is easy to see.

6. Plan your display changes

Write down which areas will change over the next ten weeks, when, and who will do the work. Leave room for the slow sellers from step 1.

Then give one person the job of checking the Christmas displays every day. Tidy, priced and full is the standard.

7. Check supplier deadlines early

Ask your main suppliers about order cut-offs, lead times and availability. Get the answers in writing if you can.

Review the reorder settings on your expected best sellers. Keep watching actual sales as the weeks go by.

You don’t need to replace everything that sells. Think about what you would like left on the shelf when Christmas trading ends.

8. Get the team across the gift range

Each week, pick a few products and talk them through with the team. Who would like it? What does it cost? What goes with it? Where is it?

Show them the bundles and explain why you put them together.

New staff need time to practise the everyday jobs too. Make sure they know where to find your procedures for gift vouchers, lay-bys, returns and online order collection.

9. Sort out the counter

Put together a short counter checklist:

• Receipt rolls and printer supplies
• Shopping bags
• Gift wrap, ribbon and sticky tape
• Gift voucher stock
• Spare price labels
• A tidy spot for customer orders awaiting collection
• Answers to common questions, written down

If a scanner or receipt printer has been playing up, fix it now. December is the worst time for it to fail.

10. Give people a reason to come in

Build your Christmas marketing around specific products. Show a handful of them with prices and a line on who they would suit. Your own shop photos usually work better than supplier images.

Include the slow sellers you have redisplayed and your new bundles.

Check you have the stock before you promote it. Then tell the team what is being promoted.

11. Keep an eye on cash

Before the next order, check what you already owe and when it is due. Look at how much money is sitting in slow stock.

Often it makes more sense to sell through what you have before adding another range. Keep some money aside for the lines that take off closer to Christmas.

Fit your shop into their Christmas

You don’t need to turn your business into a Christmas shop. Think about where what you sell fits in your customers’ plans. It might be a gift. It might be something for a family lunch, the summer holidays, or a job they want done before the break.

Then make that link obvious, on the shop floor and in your marketing.

Start with three jobs

There is no need to tackle the whole list before close today. Pick three jobs, give each one an owner and a date, and get started. We would begin with whatever makes your shop easier to buy from.

Tower Systems is not your average software company.