"The holiday season can feel like a marathon for small businesses. Sales spike, but so do costs - from marketing to last-minute shipping fees. And with " Christmas creep" pushing major retailer to launch sales earlier each year, it's easy to feel like you're already behind. The stakes are high: for many small businesses, the holiday season drives roughly a third of their annual revenue, according to a 2024 survey from Intuit."
"The savviest ones, experts say, are already planning ahead - setting budgets, tightening operations and finding creative, low-cost ways to attract shoppers. Here are five strategies straight from their playbook. Build a blueprint for a strong season Experts say strong holiday performance usually comes down to preparation. That means analyzing last year's sales data, locking in inventory and staffing plans and mapping out your marketing calendar - a schedule of all upcoming promotions and campaigns - well before your first Black Friday deal drops."
Holiday sales raise both revenue and costs, making year-end performance critical for many small businesses. Preparation requires analyzing prior-year sales, securing inventory and staffing, and building a detailed marketing calendar before Black Friday. Inventory planning must align with promotions to avoid advertising sold-out items. Fulfillment systems should be stress-tested with trial orders to identify shipping or processing bottlenecks. The customer journey — website performance, mobile checkout, packaging, and returns — needs pressure-testing to avoid failures during volume spikes. Tightening operations, setting budgets, and using creative low-cost marketing can help capture seasonal demand.
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