As the snow starts to fall and we are nearly into December, Christmas shopping is well underway with customers. If you run a retail shop, it is so important to prepare your retail store for the Christmas rush and keep customers experiences as positive as possible. Despite the rise in eCommerce shopping, there is still huge demand for shopping in-person, as people want the personal experience and to be able to enjoy their shopping. This means it is VITAL your retail store is prepared to give your customers the best experience this winter.
From festive decorations, to a well-laid out store, even the little things can make customers experiences better, as well as making life easier for your retail staff.
Here are our 5 top tips to help prepare your retail store for the winter rush.
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Plan and Prep Early
If you haven’t already started planning and prepping your store for the winter rush, it is important you start now! Black Friday weekend (29th November) will be kick starting the Christmas rush and therefore you want your store to be as prepared as possible. Consider looking at last years figures and best sellers to help you get an idea of how busy you may be/ which items may sell the best.
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Hire More Staff
In order to stay on top of everything, it may be a good idea to hire an extra pair of hands to help around the store. Christmas temporary staff are a great help and can mitigate stress around the store. Give your store enough time to train these staff or potentially offer more training to current staff you have (to ensure everyone feels confident enough during the peak period).
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Decorate Your Store
Nothing says Christmas cheer like a festive retail store. Not only will decorating your store boost morale among staff, but it will keep your customers happy and may even encourage more people to buy. Play Christmas songs and ensure staff are positive and nice to all customers, to ensure there is always positive energy around the shop. Not only will this get everyone in the Christmas spirit, but it may lead to even more sales.
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Predict the Demand of Stock
A key factor to having a successful peak period is having enough stock to sell to your customers. Look at demand forecasts and be sure to place the most popular items at the front of your store (to make it easier for customers to find). You may even want to put discounts on slower moving stock to ensure this is sold this Christmas. If you need some tips on organising your stock room, you can read this here.
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Purchase Some Shelving
In order for your store to look neat and tidy, and for customers to find stock as easily as possible, it is important you purchase some great shelving for your store. Good shelving doesn’t need to cost an arm and a leg, you can get great budget-friendly shelving that will store away your items neatly and safely.
Here at Rhino, we have units to suit all retail stores. Our boltless units come in MDF form or wire shelving (which looks AMAZING in stores). Our shelving holds up to 1000kg per unit, meaning even your heaviest stock can be stored away neatly, and it is the easiest way to store your items and showcase them to your customers. Displaying your items neatly on these shelves can make customers find items easily, and it will make their shopping experience so much better (leading them to shop with you again). Industrial shelving could be your saviour this Christmas, and we offer free shipping too. Shop now to help prepare your retail store.