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Holiday Prep Guide for Small Businesses
The holiday season brings major opportunities for small businesses — especially in Nevada, where local shopping, tourism, and community events create extra foot traffic. With strong preparation, you can boost revenue, streamline operations, and build lasting customer relationships.
Start Your Holiday Marketing Early
Shoppers begin planning long before they hit “buy.” Create a clear and simple marketing strategy that includes:
- Key promotions and dates
- Holiday messaging and visuals
- Email, website, and social plans
- Any holiday events or collaborations
Tools like Canva make it easy to design branded graphics. If you participate in Small Business Saturday, enhance your campaign this year with stronger promotions or a neighborhood partnership.
📌 Related resource:
Business Services
GNCU Business Checking
Forecast and Prepare Inventory
Use last year’s data to predict what will sell — or start tracking this year if you haven’t before.
Consider:
- Increasing stock of top sellers
- Adding holiday bundles or gift sets
- Ordering shipping supplies early
- Creating a plan to handle possible supply delays
Planning ahead helps avoid the classic “sold out before Santa arrives” moment.
Refresh and Strengthen Your Online Presence
Most consumers research online before purchasing. Make sure your digital presence is ready for holiday traffic.
Quick tune-up checklist:
- Update holiday hours everywhere
- Confirm mobile site performance
- Highlight holiday promotions on your homepage
- Test your checkout process
- Add fresh reviews or testimonials
- Enable two-factor authentication on accounts
If you ship products, post your holiday shipping cutoff dates early and prominently.
📌 Related resource:
Merchant Services
Optimize Shipping, Pickup, and Delivery
Smooth fulfillment is essential during the holidays.
Prepare for:
- Shipping deadlines
- In-store pickup
- Stocking packaging materials
- Backup carrier options
If you offer local delivery, promote it more heavily during the season.
Prepare Your Staff and Seasonal Help
A well-trained team makes the busy season much easier.
Make sure staff understands:
- Holiday hours
- Promo details
- Return/exchange policies
- Best practices for handling increased traffic
- How to upsell gift items or gift cards
If hiring seasonal help, bring them on early enough to train effectively and reduce stress for your core team.
Enhance Customer Experience
Great service turns a seasonal shopper into a repeat customer.
Try adding:
- Gift-wrapping services
- Loyalty coupons for January
- Small snacks or a treat station
- Follow-up “thank you” emails
Thoughtful touches help your business stand out.
Monitor Cash Flow and Holiday Expenses
Between extra inventory, staffing, and marketing, holiday expenses can add up. Create a simple cash flow forecast that includes:
- Supply orders
- Seasonal wages
- Marketing costs
- A buffer for surprises
Make sure your business accounts and tools are set up to handle increased activity.
📌 Related resource:
GNCU Business Checking Options
Offer More Payment Options
The easier you make it for customers to pay, the more sales you can capture.
Confirm you can accept:
- Chip and swipe cards
- Digital wallets
- Contactless tap-to-pay
- Online payments
If you want to upgrade your systems or support higher volume, GNCU can help with secure merchant tools.
📌 Related resource:
Merchant Services
Participate in Local Events and Community Opportunities
Nevada’s winter calendar is full of markets, festivals, charity drives, and holiday pop-ups.
Consider:
- A holiday open house
- A pop-up with a neighboring business
- A Giving Tuesday partnership
- A Small Business Saturday promotion
These events help build brand awareness and strengthen local ties.
Plan for Post-Holiday Sales and Engagement
Before the season starts, sketch out your January plan so you finish strong.
Include:
- Clearance or winter sale timing
- A plan to re-engage holiday customers
- Key metrics to track (sales, returns, foot traffic)
- Notes on what worked (and what didn’t)
Even a short strategy gives you a strong start to the new year.
Final Thoughts
The holidays are the perfect time to grow your business, connect with your community, and set the stage for a successful year ahead. With the right planning, you can reduce stress, increase sales, and deliver a standout customer experience.
If you need support — from payment processing to business accounts — GNCU is here to help Nevada businesses thrive.
