Are your holidays looking more like a stress fest than a festive delight? Take a deep breath and relax: There are things you can do now to make this the most wonderful time of the year for you and your business.
Check the forecast.
Forget about the weather — it’s your data forecasts that will help you survive and thrive this season. With help from the Ghost of Christmas Past (i.e., your Square Dashboard), you can take a look at which days were the busiest last November and December and plan staff schedules and seasonal hires accordingly. You can even single out your busiest hours on those days to help you set seasonal hours.
Stock your shelves.
Which items were flying off the shelves last year? Take another look at your Square Analytics to see what you sold the most and when. You can also save time and avoid selling out of your most popular items by signing up for inventory alerts that let you know when you’re running low and remind you to order more before Santa and his elves come knocking at your door. Check out Square App Marketplace to link your Square account to more tools that can help you keep an eye on your inventory during this busy season.
Bust those lines.
Frazzled shoppers crave a calm, pleasant shopping experience and you can help them — and boost your sales — by making sure you have the right number of employees on hand. But before you put extra seasonal staff in place, make sure you order additional Square Readers to help them cope with increased customer numbers.
All set? With a bit of forward planning you can maximise sales, step up your customer service and stay calm this holiday season.