Make the most of the next couple of months by planning ahead now
The Christmas and new year period can be a daunting time for small businesses, with most shutting up shop and accepting the next few weeks will be quiet. And, of course, garment decorators work harder than most to ensure that their business runs smoothly, so a little break is necessary!
But you don’t have to accept seasonality because a quiet Christmas period can be avoided with some careful planning and implementation. This presents a great time to prepare for the year ahead, and you can also produce some short-term marketing to make sure your business ticks over. With some careful planning and advance preparation you can switch off and have a relaxing break, ready to pick up where you left off in January. Here are a few ways to ensure your business stays busy throughout the festive season:
Seasonal shops and products It may not be your core focus most of the year but personalised products make great gifts – so look into the potential products you can offer in store or online.
Seasonal discount Offer flash sales for New Year’s Day or Boxing Day, and provide discount codes and special offers specifically for this period.
Focus on social Most garment decorators’ core target market is business owners and, more often than not, they can’t completely switch off. Social media is a key way to keep them occupied, so create scheduled content for your platforms and see what happens.
Update your website Of course, you don’t want to work over the holidays, but prepare your website, content and artwork well in advance ready for a new year or seasonal update.
Update your product listings Updating product listings is one of the more laborious tasks for a garment decorator. Remove any discontinued and end-of-line items and add some new styles ready to promote in 2020.
Andrew Langridge is from ETrader, one of the industry’s leading suppliers of websites to garment decorators across the UK.
