Maximise Q4 sales with these September actions retailers must take for a profitable Christmas. Use this September checklist for how to prepare for the peak Christmas retail sales and the essential actions to take this month to get ready for the festive season.
Q4 is known as the golden quarter in retail and can account for up to a third or a half of your retail sales for the year.
So ensure you take action and follow these steps in order to be prepare, organised and to make the most of this sales period.
How to Maximise Q4 Christmas Sales – Your Checklist:
Look at Your Previous Year’s Sales to Identify When Your Sales Are Likely to Peak
Plan your Christmas sales targets & ensure you have enough products to fulfil these sales.
Set sales targets so you have a £ number to aim for and also know how much stock to make/buy in. If you don’t set a sales target then you have nothing to aim for.
Easily create a sales forecast based on past performance and current run rate/percentage growth year on year. Make sure to account for new products, and any planned promotions.
Create a List of Backup Suppliers in Case Your Regular Suppliers Can’t Fulfil
Royal Mail strikes, snow, Brexit delays and supply chain disruptions often happen at Christmas. So it’s important to have backup suppliers and postal carriers ready for your stock and delivery needs.
Create a list of back up suppliers and couriers in case you need them, so you’re not frantically looking for them during your busy Q4 period.
Advertise for Additional Staff (or Find Family & Friends Who Can Help)
The Christmas season can see an influx of orders and additional hands can help manage the increased demand.
Start your recruitment process early to find reliable seasonal workers. This can be local parents you know, friends and family or people in your community.
Consider how they can help your retail business from customer service to making products.
Valentine’s & Mother’s Day Product Development
Straight after Christmas will be Q1 with Valentine’s Day in February and Mother’s Day in March.
It’s important to plan ahead now and be ready for these gift occasions with new products for these key gifting occasions.
Make a Black Friday Plan
Black Friday is one of the biggest shopping days of the year and a crucial opportunity to boost your sales. But most small businesses hate Black Friday as it was never meant for independents. So make a plan and decide what you will do now on whether you participate or not so you don’t feel pressured when the date is coming up and it seems everyone is having a sale.
Download my Black Friday guide now and learn:
- What to do and how to participate – that doesn’t just include discounting.
Check Your Website for Any Glitches and Review SEO
Your website traffic will increase over the festive season so check for any issues now so they don’t cause any issues when it comes to the peak sales time of Q4.
Review your product pages and add any seasonally relevant Christmas SEO phrases like:
- Stocking fillers
- Secret Santa gifts
- Gifts for her/couples/husband etc.
Create Your Christmas Marketing Plan, Including Any Promotions to Maximise Q4 sales
Plan ahead so you know what products you are launching and what collections to talk about at key times throughout the festive season. Marketing is key to maximise Q4 sales.
If you need help with this then watch the Plan Your Best Christmas workshop!
Create Any Newsletters, Blogs & Social Media in Advance
Once you have a marketing plan in place you can plot in your key newsletters, blog posts and social media posts and create these pieces of content in advance so you can show up, sell consistently during Q4 and delight your customers.
Check Last Postage Dates & Work Out Last Order Dates
Look at your calendar and marketing content plan and work out your last postage date based on your capacity and postage dates with Royal Mail/your courier.
You can also build up your messaging to build scarcity to ensure people order in time with you.
Find Backup Postage Suppliers in Case of Strikes
It’s happened before and postage strikes or extreme weather can disrupt your delivery schedule, so having alternative options is important.
Interparcel is a great resource to find different couriers.
Decide on Any Boxing Day/January Sales
The post-Christmas period offers another opportunity to clear out inventory and maintain sales momentum. Decide now whether you want to run a January sale. Have a plan rather than no plan at all so you know what is coming up in your marketing calendar and can plan ahead accordingly.
Plan and Budget for Any Paid Advertising
Paid advertising can significantly boost your visibility and sales during the holiday season. Plan this in early and add this cost into your budget.
Create Any Graphics or New Photography You’ll Need to Maximise Q4 sales
Do you need to create any website & Etsy banners or graphics for your social media to promote your new products? Create these now based on your marketing plan.
If you need any new photography for your products, ensure you book this in ahead of time.
Book Any Last-Minute Christmas Fairs and Ensure Your Set-Up is Ready to Be Used
Christmas fairs can be a great way to reach new customers and increase brand visibility but you need to apply early so research events that suit your brand and where your ideal customer will be.
Ensure your stand setup is ready to go, including displays, signage, and payment systems. Practice setting up your booth in advance to make sure everything runs smoothly on the day.
Push People to Join Your Newsletter
Build your email newsletter list by offering your audience freebies that add value to their life or a discount on their first order. Create a dedicated landing page that encourage sign-ups and highlight the benefits of joining your list and how often they will hear from you.
Do Your Christmas Shopping!
Q4 is going to get busy so if you can get ahead with your personal Christmas shopping and buy your gifts now so you don’t have to worry about it later.
Good luck with your Christmas planning!
Which key areas from September checklist will you implement to maximise Q4 sales for your peak retail Christmas sales?
I hope these September strategies for retail success will supercharge your Q4 Christmas sales.
Plan Your Best Christmas Workshop
Need help with any of this?
Take away the pressure, guesswork and stress of preparing for the festive season with this workshop.
If you’re always last minute with your plans and know that the end of the year will be here before you know it.
Then get ready to take action and plan your most successful sales period, so you feel organised and in control.
In one morning you’ll learn how to review last year, what your Christmas products will be, set sales targets and create a marketing plan. That includes Black Friday (whether you choose to take part or not) as well as how to prepare yourself and your business for peak sales.
This step-by-step, action-taking workshop will mean you will leave with a plan you are confident in, completed in just two hours.
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