How to Make the Best Use of Your Time During the Holidays

We all know that the best closer in your store is you. If you could spend ten minutes with every customer that walks in your store would see an increase of profits. But that would require you to clone yourself to get ready for the Holiday rush. So we put together a few time management tips for the season of Joy. We picked the brains of the experts and this is what we found most effective.

Here are five time management tips for retailers:

1. Start early.

That means planning for the Holidays months in advance and getting to the store early enough to take a deep breath and review your goals and to-do list. Planning ahead means setting realistic goals and incentives, making sure you have inventory to support sales, and training staff up. Maybe rearranging the store to accommodate more traffic. Adjusting product visibility based on customers spending a little less this year.

2. Identify time-wasters.

‍It’s easy to settle into a slower pace when people are casually shopping.But when they’re in a rush you need to be as efficient as possible. Find ways to make processes faster, like check-out, restocking, customer greetings and assessments. Everyone who walks through your doors should be greeted and feel like they are going to be treated well and as soon as possible, even when the store is packed.‍

3. Make breaks count.

‍Hours on the floor can make anyone cranky. Work rotations so that there is time in the backroom keeping inventory organized so Sales Associates get a break from people, but are also staying productive. And when their scheduled breaks come, kick them out of the store for some personal time so they come back refreshed.

4. Delegate.

This requires training your staff before the rush begins. Have fun with Holiday drills, pretending you’re at peak hours. Measure effectiveness and give out incentives for best performance during these training games.

5. Automate.

Nothing wastes time more than redundant and manual tasks that could be automated.Technology is your friend. Use it. The right technology makes it possible to automate the personal touch process, and to scale it.

Now, enjoy the ride. The Holidays are upon us. But these tips aren’t just for the seasonal rush, they’ll help you out all year long.

‍