Is your business ready for Christmas?

Christmas is one of the busiest times for trading, and with just five weeks to go, the next fortnight is going to be crucial for small businesses across the country. Business owners need to ensure there is enough stock and staff on hand to manage the demand, as well as finding the time to get the all important Christmas decorations up!

Get online
As consumers become savvier and prioritise price and convenience when doing their Christmas shopping, the internet is becoming the preferred tool for browsing and purchasing. Traditionally Christmas accounts for a fifth of annual online sales and this year is set to be no exception in reaching that target. According to a new survey by eDigitalResearch and IMRG, 93% of us will be shopping online for Christmas presents this year. Despite the recession, online sales will remain strong and 71% of people are prepared to do half or more of their shopping over the internet.  With this in mind, if small businesses want to reach all their customers and maximise profits, they have little choice than to be online.

The customer is king
Although price will be a definitive factor this year, the key to business success this Christmas will be customer service. With most consumers pressed for time, all extra assistance to make the search for that ultimate Christmas gift and those essential supplies is most welcome. Small businesses can often offer a brief respite from the chaos of the mass department store, providing a more personal shopping experience. With this in mind it is important for staff to be well prepared and ready for the Christmas rush. The extra effort invested in service will keep customers happy and a happy customer will spread the positive word of mouth, which should keep small businesses books content too.

Drive sales
While the recession may be nearing its end, customers remain to be price conscious and responsive to promotions. The landscape is still very competitive and according to research by the New West End Company, retailers are preparing for another promotion-led Christmas trading season. Small businesses therefore need to ensure they are not left out of the bargain hunting frenzy. And with the VAT rate change looming, this year is likely to see even more consumers investing in significant purchases prior to the VAT increase, which presents an ideal opportunity for small businesses to take advantage of the VAT change in order to boost sales at Christmas.

What are you waiting for?
Time is ticking for small businesses to take full advantage of the Christmas rush. As always, preparation is key. Ensure staff are prepared for the influx, take advantage of opportunities to boost sales at Christmas, get online and don’t forget to put up the Christmas lights!

Comments

[alex penny]

HI ,

We are a taxi company Hummingbird Cars in London. We provide Airport Transfer service from all london airports.

We have recently started our new business and we want our business to grow and make more revenue. Can anyone suggest which is the best form of marketing medium that we can use which is quiet affordable and effective for this type of business.

http://www.hummingbirdcars.com

Thank you

[Intuit blog team]

Hi Alex,

Thanks for the comment. We can see you already have a great website in place which is really crucial to ensure that your business is visible to potential customers. There is a guide to search engine optimisation (SEO) on BusinessLink that will help make sure your website is found ( http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/layer?topicId=1081852287 ).

Another option that can sometimes be overlooked is word-of-mouth marketing. This is not only affordable but also one of the most effective methods to promote your business. It can be both online and offline, so don’t hesitate to ask all your friends and family to recommend you to their friends and through social networks or forums.

If need more tips or you’d like to share some of your own, feel free to follow @IntuitUK on Twitter or join our Facebook group ( http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=info&gid=210159426054 ).

Good luck!
The Intuit blog team