杰姬·達夫

Its easy for small businesses owners to feel overshadowed during the holidays by the extreme deals and flashy1 adverts offered by big box stores， but a wave of interest in shopping local and supporting homegrown enterprises is helping small businesses thrive.

In fact， 94 percent of consumers value the contributions small businesses make to their communities and 83 percent plan to do at least a portion of their holiday shopping at small， independently owned retailers or restaurants， according to a recent survey. Small businesses that find ways to capitalize on this goodwill will secure their fair share of the $720 billion in retail sales expected this holiday season.

Though there is no one-size-fits-all approach to preparing a retail oper-ation—whether ecommerce or brick-and-mortar2—for an influx of business during the holidays， a blend of time-tested， common-sense steps and innovative approaches can help small businesses take on the holiday sales rush.

Here are 6 key steps that business experts and experienced owners agree can help small businesses get the most out of the holiday season.

1. Plan and set seasonal goals

Planning is ongoing for every business， but preparation for the busiest shopping time of the year should include a detailed review of last years holiday sales performance. This information can be used to determine inventory， tailor deals， create promotional offers and set revenue goals for the season.

“Make sure that the goals you set for yourself are reasonable and attainable，” said Stefan Lewinger， founder and CEO of Sock Fancy.

He also reminds fellow business owners that they dont have to define their goals solely on revenue： “Other metrics3， like customer engagement and social media following， are ... great tools to measure your success.”

Also， spend some time researching the holiday sales strategies of your top competitors and determining the marketing approaches you will use to reach your target customer. Lewinger suggests getting your products included in holiday gift guides or “best of” lists.

2. Secure sufficient working capital

During the holidays， it may be necessary to have more funds readily available to increase inventory， hire seasonal staff or set up holiday displays.

“If pre-holiday business has been slow or you otherwise dont have sufficient cash on hand to give the season your very best shot， talk to your banker or local community lender about securing a line of credit or short-term loan，” said Paola Garcia， a small business advisor at Excelsior Growth Fund.

According to Garcia， many lenders have reasonable interest rates and repayment terms， and quick turnarounds4 from approval to funding. However， business owners should shop around and be vigilant of predatory lenders.

“Be sure that you know what youre signing up for before you agree to any loans or lines of credit，” advises Garcia.

3. Review and upgrade technology

You need to make sure your technology is ready and able to handle the onslaught5 of holiday shoppers. You dont want to lose potential customers because your website is down or you cant process credit card orders. This means taking the time earlier in the year to upgrade security software， test checkout and payment processes， check the usability of search functions， and make sure your website is user-friendly and able to handle an increase in traffic.

“Small businesses need to ensure that all channels—whether in-store， online or mobile—are all up to date and running smoothly，” said Chris Francis， vice president of market development at Worldpay. “They must run the necessary tests and evaluations to ensure their technology is working properly， and to avoid any bugs or malfunctions from losing sales.”

4. Embrace omnichannel customer experiences

One of the most prominent trends impacting holiday sales is omnichannel retailing6， which is defined as an integrated sales approach that creates a seamless shopping experience for customers regardless of whether they are shopping from a desktop， mobile device or store. For example， these customers may buy online but pick up the item in the store， or they may use a smartphone app to compare prices and then make a purchase through a companys website.

“By embracing all available sales channels， small businesses can enjoy increased sales during the holiday season，” said Francis.

One way businesses can be responsive to omnichannel shoppers is by honoring online coupons and in-store deals interchangeably.

“Make sure that all of your holiday deals are scannable for your in-store sales，” said Mike Catania， CTO and founder of PromotionCode.org.

5. Stock up on holiday inventory

There is nothing worse than running out of the must-have gift and having to turn away customers.

Therefore， make sure you are fully stocked and have plenty of your best sellers readily available.

“Stock up on your most popular items， the latest trends in your industry and specially branded or crafted gifts that make your merchandise stand out，” said Garcia. “Talk to vendors and see if you can get discounts for buying in larger quantities or extended payment terms.”

6. Market to loyal customers

Acquiring new customers always requires more time and money than getting repeat customers to come back， and this is especially true during the holiday season. You can encourage existing customers to make holiday purchases by engaging them with exclusive online offers， in-store events and personalized discounts and promotions.

“Based on their past buying history， you already know exactly what will appeal to them most and can create personalized campaigns that will convert them [into repeat customers]，” said Jurgen Nebelung， vice president of e-commerce and digital at Tea Forte. “Loyal customers spend on average 67 percent more than new customers.”

假日期間，小企業(yè)主很容易在大型商場的超值優(yōu)惠和炫目廣告面前感到自慚形穢，但購買本地產(chǎn)品和支持本土企業(yè)的熱潮正在幫助小企業(yè)蓬勃發(fā)展。

實際上，最近的一項調(diào)查顯示，有94%的消費者重視小企業(yè)對社區(qū)的貢獻，而83%的消費者計劃至少在小型個體零售店或餐館進行部分假日消費。能充分利用這一意愿的小企業(yè)將在本次假日季預計的7200億美元零售額中分得一杯羹。

盡管沒有一種萬能的方法能使零售業(yè)（無論是電子商務還是實體店）為應對節(jié)日期間的生意激增做好準備，但是將一些經(jīng)過時間檢驗、常識性的做法與創(chuàng)新方法相融合，可以幫助小企業(yè)應對假期銷售高峰。

商業(yè)專家和經(jīng)驗豐富的企業(yè)主們一致認為，以下六個關鍵步驟可以幫助小企業(yè)充分利用假日季。

1. 計劃并設定季節(jié)性目標

每家企業(yè)都會進行業(yè)務規(guī)劃，但是為一年中最繁忙的購物季做準備還應該包括對去年假日銷售業(yè)績的詳細回顧。此信息可用于確定庫存、定制折扣、制定促銷優(yōu)惠并設定本季收入目標。

Sock Fancy創(chuàng)始人兼首席執(zhí)行官斯蒂芬·萊溫格表示：“要確保您為自己設定的目標是合理且可實現(xiàn)的?！?/p>

他還提醒其他企業(yè)主，不必將目標僅限于收入：“客戶參與度和社交媒體關注度等其他指標是……衡量成功與否的絕佳手段。”

另外，花一些時間研究主要競爭對手的假日銷售策略，并確定吸引目標客戶的營銷方法。萊溫格建議將您的產(chǎn)品列入假日禮品指南或“最佳”榜單。

2.確保充足運營資金

在假日期間，可能需要更多可隨時調(diào)用的資金來增加庫存、雇用季節(jié)性員工或布置假日展示櫥窗。

“如果假日前生意不景氣，或者手頭沒有足夠現(xiàn)金來為本季放手一搏，請與您的銀行或當?shù)厣鐓^(qū)貸款人協(xié)商獲得信貸額度或短期貸款?！盓xcelsior 成長基金的小企業(yè)顧問葆拉·加西亞說。

根據(jù)加西亞的說法，許多貸款機構利率合理，還款期限寬松，并且從批準到放貸周期較短。但是，企業(yè)主應貨比三家，警惕掠奪性貸款機構。

加西亞建議：“在同意接受任何貸款或信貸額度之前，要了解該貸款的附加條件?！?/p>

3.審查和升級技術

您需要確保技術設備已經(jīng)準備就緒并且能夠應對假日購物者的激增。您不想因為網(wǎng)站崩潰或不支持信用卡付款受阻而失去潛在客戶。這意味著在當年提早花時間升級安全軟件，測試結(jié)賬和付款流程，檢查搜索功能是否好用，確保您的網(wǎng)站方便訪問并能夠應對流量的增加。

環(huán)付通市場開發(fā)副總裁克里斯·弗朗西斯表示：“小企業(yè)需要確保所有渠道（無論是店面、網(wǎng)店還是移動端）都已更新并運行平穩(wěn)。他們必須進行必要的測試和評估，以確保其技術正常運行，避免任何故障引起的銷售損失?！?/p>

4.接納全渠道客戶體驗

影響假日銷售的一個最顯著趨勢是全渠道零售。全渠道零售是一種整合銷售方式，可為客戶提供無縫銜接式購物體驗，無論客戶是從臺式機、移動設備下單還是實體店購物。例如，這些客戶可以在網(wǎng)上購買但在實體店取貨，或者使用智能手機應用程序比較價格，再通過公司網(wǎng)站進行購買。

弗朗西斯說：“通過接納所有可用的銷售渠道，小企業(yè)可在假日季增加銷量?！?/p>

企業(yè)積極響應全渠道購物者的一種方式是線上有優(yōu)惠券，實體店也提供折扣優(yōu)惠。

“請確保店內(nèi)銷售能掃描到所有假日優(yōu)惠?！盤romotion-Code.org首席技術官兼創(chuàng)始人邁克·卡坦尼亞說道。

5.儲備假日庫存

最糟糕的事莫過于必備禮物售罄而不得不謝絕顧客。

因此，請確保庫存充足，并有大量暢銷商品可供選擇。

“大量儲備最熱門的產(chǎn)品、所在行業(yè)的最新款式以及能使商品脫穎而出的特色品牌或工藝禮品?！奔游鱽喺f，“與供應商協(xié)調(diào)，看是否能夠因大批量購買而獲得折扣或延長付款期限?！?/p>

6.吸引忠實客戶

與吸引老顧客回購相比，吸引新顧客通常需要耗費更多的時間和金錢，假日季尤其如此。您可以向現(xiàn)有顧客提供專屬線上優(yōu)惠、店內(nèi)活動以及個性化折扣和促銷活動，激勵其假日購物。

“根據(jù)客戶的購買歷史，您已經(jīng)確切地知道最吸引他們的是什么，并據(jù)此創(chuàng)建個性化營銷活動以將其轉(zhuǎn)化為回頭客?！?Tea Forte公司電子商務和數(shù)字化副總裁于爾根·內(nèi)貝隆說，“忠實客戶的花費平均比新客戶高67%?！? ? ? ? ? ? □

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎選手;單位：南京師范大學中北學院）