Considering the craziness of this year, we’re no doubt in for a holiday season like no other. Spending habits have changed, people are spending more time at home, and you can count on light crowds in the malls and on the streets.

If you have put some effort into building and marketing your online store, you’ve probably already seen the benefits and gained new customers. One thing about 2020, people have truly embraced online shopping and other contactless methods of getting the stuff they need. As the holidays approach, you’ll need to be ready for the surge, and we’ve got a few tips to help you through.

Save Time and Pump Up The Volume

Sales today in the COVID era are a little different. You might be doing more online sales, which means extra time, money, and effort in packaging, shipping, and dealing with returns. All things considered, whatever numbers you’ve been doing so far this year, you can expect to multiply accordingly.

You’ve got family gatherings to consider as well as gifting, and these are both great opportunities – not only to capture more sales but also to delight your customers. If you can anticipate and satisfy their needs, they will continue to support you well into the future.

Here are some quick tips to get you started:

1. Plan your holiday offers. Brainstorm a few gift baskets and collections to promote or allow your customers to build their own basket in your online store.
2. Order holiday inventory well in advance. Supply chains are not as reliable as they once were, and delays are inevitable. Order as early as possible to avoid stock-outs.
3. Get ready to wrap! The more convenient you can make the holiday shopping experience, the better your customers will like it. Be sure you have plenty of wrapping materials on hand, including festive packaging and cards.
4. Hire seasonal help. Even if you don’t expect the usual foot traffic, you can still use some help with packaging, wrapping, shipping, and local deliveries. Don’t get yourself caught in the weeds!
5. Grab and Go Options. Once you’ve planned your offers, have a bunch of them pre-packaged, wrapped, and ready to go to maximize time and boost sales.
6. Foodies and gourmands love nothing more than to discover new flavors, and there’s no better way to do it than with a monthly subscription. For you, it continues to boost your sales into the new year, and that’s always a comfort in the lean early months, COVID or not!

Gourmet Gifts for Everyone

This year was pretty big for cooking and baking. Even people that were once too busy to cook at home are now embracing slow food and family meals, and it’s a trend that you can support.

From recipe packages to gourmet gift sets, collections of olive oils and balsamic vinegars, cookbooks, bakeware, and more, there is no end to the combinations you can come up with. Keeping in mind that many of these newly minted home chefs are still learning their craft, cooking kits that simplify the process will always be welcome.

Get your holiday orders in now! Browse our collection today for more great holiday merchandising ideas.