As more consumers turn to online shopping for their holiday purchases, e-commerce businesses have found themselves confronted with a changing set of demands and requirements to keep up with the increase in traffic and sales. While there isn’t a magic, solve-all recipe for success around the holidays, there are a few tips to keep in mind during the holiday rush that can help your business no matter what you sell or where you sell from.

Have A Good Receiving and Processing Procedure

A lot of warehouses put an emphasis on their picking and shipping process to the detriment of their receiving and processing, and this can cause much greater problems down the road. Consider any new shipment of items to have an ‘expiration date’ when it comes to capital, and if it takes you too long to get those items processed your customers may very well have found the item they want somewhere else – which means lost sales and revenue for you. Make sure your workers are all trained on how to properly check items in, and make sure they’re familiar with whatever industrial storage solutions your facility provides to make sure your items go right where they’re needed.

Stock The Items Your Customers Want

Particularly for smaller businesses, it’s crucial to put your own feelings aside when it comes to choosing what to stock. Maybe you’re an Xbox fan, but you notice that PlayStation systems and accessories seem to be selling much better overall – is it a great idea for you to exclusively stock Xbox items at the expense of potential PlayStation customers? Make sure to keep an eye on what your customers want when it comes time to decide what to stock, what to sell – and what to mark down to move it a little faster.

Keep Strong Inventory Records

Whatever inventory recording system your business uses, make sure everyone is up to speed on its usage, and make sure your inventory system is fast enough to keep up with changes and make everyone aware of what you have. There’s few things worse than a customer getting frustrated with your website not accurately reflecting your stock – except, of course, for an order that has to be cancelled because it was placed when the item wasn’t actually available to ship. And if you run a storefront through Amazon or eBay, you can even get kicked off if your store sells too many out-of-stock items and has to cancel orders. Keep proper auditing, picking, and receiving practices documented and in place to make sure your inventory is always as accurate as possible.

Hopefully with these tips you’ll see your way through another hectic but successful holiday season with as little headache as possible, and as successfully as you’ve imagined. Stay warm, and good luck out there – Black Friday is coming!