Gift Basket Business Blog

Holiday Planning: When & Why, Part 3

November 28th, 2006 at 03:47pm Lorie Obernauer

In previous articles, I suggested that asking What, Who, and Where could help you get organized for the holidays. In this final article, we’ll deal with the last of the 5 W’s: When and Why.

Here’s a question you may not have considered as you planned for holiday orders: WHEN is the last date that you’ll accept orders? I know of many floral and gift basket businesses that continue to take orders up until Christmas eve. In many cases, this results in chaos! It’s important to analyze well before the holiday season is in high gear just how many orders you can REALISTICALLY get out.

First, You need to think about your design staff and your delivery staff. How many people will you have working those last days before the holiday? Will your staff be willing to work late on Christmas eve? Disgruntled staff will not do their best work and you risk ending up with dissatisfied customers. You also need to make sure that you know when UPS or FedEX (or whichever service you use) will be making their final pickups and be very sure that you know exactly how many days their deliveries will take.

It’s also important to ask yourself: WHY should customers buy from you? This is actually a question to consider at the beginning of your planning process, even before you start to make your advertising and marketing plans. Think about all the ways that you can make holiday shopping a real pleasure for your customers. Maybe you offer free delivery, or you provide special gift wrapping services, or a “shop at home” service. Whatever makes you stand out from the crowd should be emphasized in your brochures, on your web site or throughout your showroom so that your customers know exactly why they choose to do business with you.

Entry Filed under: Business Tips