5 Steps To Set Up Your Store For The Holidays
If you are in retail, this is the season you’ve been waiting for! And for small local businesses like us that currently don’t ship, we are relying heavily on our community of locals to share us with family and friends this Christmas.
If you have a store or work in one and are trying to figure out how you can make the most of the season, here are some tips that have helped us to be successful that we figured out and prepare heavily for, year after year. Here are
5 Steps to Set Up Your Store for the Holidays:
Make the most of your space.
Organize your areas.
Create an environment.
Stock up shop.
Don’t forget the details.
1. Make the most of your space. At Choco le`a, we say “Double the case!”
We have about 150 square feet of actual retail space in our cozy little shop which is usually great for our average of 1-2 customers at a time. But during the holidays, it can get up to 6 people at a time which is a lot for our tiny store. And so that there’s a lot less confusion of what’s available, less cross over of customers walking back and forth trying to try and see everything, and less movement even among the team to provide the best service, we do something called “double the case.”
That means we make two duplicate showcases of all the products we have, visible from one standing point. That way, we can service 2 people at the same time, while 4 more have a clear view to look and think while they wait. Sample boxes are opened up and lined up with signage, descriptions, and pricing. For us, one shelf is all the refrigerated items (truffles) and the other shelf are all the items that do not need to be refrigerated. They are also organized by price from left to right, least to greatest. Think of how you can organize it for your customers too!
We have found that making the most of our space and thinking about the comfort and ease and efficiency for our customers is always very well received. And double the case, double the registers, and double the time in service, means double the joy during the busy holiday season!
2. Organize Your Areas
This set up has been by far the best in our 9 years in terms of having a clear area for the customer and a clear area for the crew. Having a bit of a division makes it easy for people to know where they can go and what they can touch. It also allows everyone to relax when they see everything organized and in its place.
We also made renovations this year that may not be as noticeable to the public, but we found a way to make every single precious square foot count! This allowed us this year to have two stainless steel tables behind the case, giving us a clear flat surface to work on, and this alone we know will speed things up.
With baskets of products labeled, best by dates visible, gloves and things needed easily accessible, and inventory systems in place, we prepared for the smoothest process.
Finally, the best thing when organizing your area, is to also try it out! Act it out or walk through the steps of what it will look like on the busiest days. Grab what you need, see where there’s some fumbling or extra steps being taken that can be reduced so there’s less bumping into each other and a better flow.
3. Create an Environment
It’s Christmas…so have fun decorating! Create an environment that’s warm and welcoming. This year, we also purchased a large white shelf so people who love to touch, feel, turn things around and see the back, can do. It provides a sense of reassurance that we’re happy to have you in our chocolate home. We want others to know it’s a welcoming space to be curious, ask questions, taste, and take home.
And if decorations overwhelm you, just put up a few twinkle lights and it seriously adds some magic to any space. :)
4. Stock Up Shop
Get ready for more! Whatever you usually do and usually stock, “usually” usually doesn’t work this time of year! If you normally stock bags for 50 customers a day, plan for 3x that or 150 people per day. If you don’t usually sell gift tags, but they’re popular this time of year, have those ready to go with ribbon tied to make your life (and theirs) just a little simpler.
Having things easily accessible to pull, all facing the same direction, and ready, are the small things that make a big difference when you’re doing it hundreds or thousands of times a week.
Stock up every night and double check every morning so you don’t have to worry about restocking and can focus on service.
5. Don’t Forget The Details
Finally, walk around and look at every little thing form the customer’s perspective. It’s your attention to the details that will bring a smile to their face to see the deep service and care. Customers are people who crave a little appreciation, to be treated with honor and respect, and doing the little things that get forgotten or overlooked, are often appreciated more than you may realize. Even in the hustle and bustle of things, people really do appreciate when you make the effort to add a little extra touch.
Hope you have a sweet and successful holiday season in your store!
erin’s tip
After you have done everything you can, enjoy the season and your people. Be proud of what you created and if the people still aren’t coming to you, remember you need to also make the effort to go to them and invite them to your store!