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The holidays are quickly approaching, and with that comes the influx of holiday shoppers and buyers that fill every store and mall and clog every ecommerce store.

 

We’ve all been there, and whether you work in supply chain management, warehousing, or even retail storefronts, the retail holiday rush is likely to affect your business and increase your sales numbers. That said, it tends to help to try to get out ahead of this sort of thing, and if you need some help trying to plan and predict customer behavior over the next few months we’ve got a few tips and strategies here to help keep you prepared for the inevitable sales onslaught:

 

Plan For Early Season Shoppers

Seems like the holiday season starts earlier every year, doesn’t it? Even before Halloween has come and gone, there’s plenty of shoppers out there looking for the best deals and product availability to avoid the holiday rush. While this is great for your bottom line, it might not be so good for your inventory, as too many early holiday purchasers can wind up stretching your inventory thin by the time the actual holiday rush starts. Try to order ahead and monitor your pre-holiday sales to make sure you find find yourself short on needed items when the time comes.

 

Keep A Good Relationship With Your Suppliers

This is going to be crucial, especially in light of our last tip about staying prepared early on. While you might have several options for ordering products, there’s something to be said for being able to turn to a supplier that you’ve established a good relationship with to fulfill a rush order of needed inventory without a lot of heads-up notice. Take stock of the suppliers you have the best relationship with and keep your options open as to who can get you what products, and when.

 

Provide Additional Storage

This probably goes without saying, but keeping enough storage handy to accommodate your increase in inventory is crucial this time of year to avoid product damage and to increase productivity. If need be, bring in some additional industrial storage or wire shelving, at least for the time being, and provide enough space for your inventory increases to maintain proper and accurate stocking and shelving.

 

Plan For Supplier Disruptions

Sadly, in the world of supply chains and logistics, you always have to expect the unexpected. Significant disruptions such as limited production runs, weather-related shipping issues, or factory closures can impact your product availability. Try to monitor your supplies and keep your options open to find alternate routes for supplies and inventory in the event of an emergency.

 

With these tips, hopefully you can stay a little more ahead of the game when it comes to the holidays – which should translate into better sales and success over the next few months.

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