How to Get Your Craft Business Ready for Holiday Demand

Alt: A neatly packaged Christmas present.

The month of December is the busiest for many independent artisans because of the Christmas shopping season. It's easy to feel overwhelmed by all you have to do between fulfilling orders, preparing for craft exhibitions, attending Christmas parties, and buying gifts for your own family. This is why today we are here to help you by talking about how to get your craft business ready for holiday demand.

1. Prepare in Advance

The first thing you should do to prepare your craft business for holiday demand is to prepare in advance. You might think it's too late to start planning now, but it's not. The beginning of the holiday season may be in December, but it lasts throughout January and February. If you start preparing now, you'll be able to adequately prepare inventory, pack your products, set prices, and market your goods. It's best to get a head start on the Christmas shopping season so that you may take advantage of early consumers and escape the madness at the last minute. For this reason, we highly recommend that you get started as soon as possible!

2. Pay Attention to the Last Postage Dates

Many people who are new to the craft business make the mistake of not looking at the last postage dates. You need to be aware of the last shipping dates which you have to meet throughout the Christmas season. This is especially true if you sell your handcrafted goods internationally. Include the last day you can ship orders to customers for any product they are interested in. If you do this, you will be able to plan ahead for the workload that is going to come up. Furthermore, by not having to rush last-minute orders or worry about the possibility of missing last postage dates, you will make the holiday shopping season a lot less stressful for yourself.

3. Create More of Your Top-selling Items

As well as bringing fresh designs to your catalog, you may also want to raise production on the products that have previously shown to be successful. If you don't expect to sell out before the holidays, it's preferable to do this with fewer Christmas-specific things that may still be sold after the holidays. According to Best Long Distance Movers, people are much more comfortable spending money during the holiday season, which increases the likelihood that your top-selling item will see an even larger increase in sales. Additionally, you may take full advantage of the seasonal uptick in business if you increase your output by working longer hours or hiring additional staff. 

4. Be Mindful of Your Inventory

Preparation is the key to success; therefore, it's best to stock up in advance. Having a sufficient supply before the holidays will let you focus on advertising, packaging, and other details that are just as important. After production has ended, things calm down and become more comfortable. However, you shouldn't stockpile just anything. You should avoid wasting the valuable real estate, resources, and time stockpiling goods that will never sell or have little value. Here are some basic recommendations for handling stock. Therefore, it's a good idea to:

1. Sort your inventory by priority. By sorting your stock into categories based on importance, you can determine how often and how much of each item you need restocking, as well as how much you can afford to spend.
2. Keep track of sales. Do you know when specific items go on sale or go out of stock? Does it have anything to do with the time of year? Are certain products only available on certain days of the week? Do certain products typically move in tandem? When it comes to stock management, it's not just the numbers that matter.

5. Consider Events As Well As Selling Online

The holiday shopping season is a fantastic time to expand your customer base. Keep an eye out for holiday markets, craft fairs, and other events where you may set up a booth and sell directly to the public. Most people who buy something handmade do so on the spur of the moment rather than after conducting a deliberate online search for a specific present. As a result, you'll find a lot of success setting up shop at local fairs and markets, where you'll be able to reach customers who wouldn't necessarily shop for your wares online. And just like hiring long distance movers to help you make the process smooth when you are relocating, a holiday fair is going to make selling your surplus stock much easier.

However, how do you find craft fairs or other such events in your area? Well, there are numerous resources available to help you find the ideal event for selling your craft. For example,  you can take a look in your local newspaper or arts and crafts publications. Advertisements in local newspapers' classified sections are a common tactic that many craft fair organizers use in the lead-up to their shows to attract merchants. The closer the exhibition or fair gets, the more advertisements there will be to attract customers. Also, browse at the back of arts and crafts magazines for future events or fairs. Major crafts magazines are available at most bookstores and libraries for free if you don't feel like spending the money.

Conclusion

Hopefully, you know how to prepare your craft business for holiday demand. Applying the tips above ensures you're prepared to sell more of your merchandise in time for the upcoming shopping season. Also, by looking into how to promote your business further via events and social media, you'll ensure your business will succeed not just during Christmas but throughout the year! Therefore, if you haven't done so, get out there and start planning your holiday marketing campaign today.

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