Logan Voss
The holiday shopping process can be stressful for customers and business owners alike. This time of year requires lots of work to market and appeal to your customers and stand out over the competition, which can lead to stress and burnout. Make sure that you and your employees enjoy the holiday season by practicing some ways businesses can reduce holiday shopping stress.
Start Planning Early
No matter what types of promotions and sales your business plans for the holiday season, start planning them early. Set goals and outline your marketing plans, then clearly convey these goals to your marketing team and all employees. Your teams can work together to achieve your sales goals. Planning early and notifying your employees can help reduce the pressure that comes with last-minute preparations before the holiday rush. This gives your marketing team plenty of time to finish holiday sales materials and collaborate with your sales teams to keep everyone in the loop.
Notify Customers About Holiday Hours
Giving yourself and your employees extra time off is crucial during the holidays. A few extra hours or days off can mean the difference between burning out and returning to work refreshed.
When adjusting your usual store hours and taking additional time off, be sure to inform your customers in advance. You don’t want your customer service team to have to return to hundreds of calls and complaints from customers over store-hour miscommunications. Be sure to alert your customers to your store hours and promotion windows before you close your doors for the holidays. Notify customers across your multiple marketing channels, such as social media posts, emails, text messages, and physical signs in your store.
Reduce Parking Headaches
Lack of parking space can be a common parking challenge for businesses at any time of year. The influx of new and returning customers during the holiday season can mean businesses face more parking issues than ever. Running out of parking spaces can lead to you turning away potential customers and causing them frustration in the process. Protect your business from negative reviews and disgruntled customer interactions by increasing the available parking spaces.
Don’t let yourself or your employees get wrapped up in the stress of the holiday shopping season. Remember these ways to reduce holiday shopping stress for your business so that you enjoy the season just as much as your customers.
