Wasp Barcode Technologies: The Barcode Solution People

6 Ways To Eliminate The Hard-to-Get Holiday Toy

The pet rock. Cabbage Patch Kids. Nintendo. Tickle Me Elmo. Furbee. iPods. And this year, the Hatchimal. Ah, those hard-to-get holiday toys of the past. Every year it was something different. And every Black Friday, shoppers flooded retail stores, with one mission:  Get that toy, no matter what. We have President Franklin D. Roosevelt to thank for the annual shopping mania. In 1939, Thanksgiving Day fell on the last day of November, and retailers felt the pinch. They inundated the president with pleas to move the holiday back a week so they’d have more time to make a profit from holiday sales. The president relented and set the stage for the post-Thanksgiving sales rush we now know at Black Friday. In the following decades, news segments were riddled with upset parents at local department stores, going fist-to-cuffs because their holiday festivities wouldn’t be complete without that giggling little red monster or latest video game system. Retailers couldn’t possibly keep up with such high consumer demand for these toys. And how could they? Through the 1980s, inventory management systems were still evolving. Even if a business used barcodes and software programs to track the flow of items in and out of its warehouse, the computers of the time didn’t contain enough memory to store all the information gathered. Even to this day, 58 percent of small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) still track inventory with antiquated, manual processes, even though updated technology is readily available. [Tweet "Through the 1980s, inventory management systems were still evolving."]  Streamlined supply chain management keeps your warehouse flowing In your busiest season, there are six surefire ways to avoid warehouse gridlock  and virtually eliminate the challenges of the hot, hard-to-get holiday items.

1. When you offer deals online, be prepared.

Although you still hear about the Black Friday crowds, the real buzz is about the killer deals you can find online; some online bargains are better than in brick and mortar stores. In fact, holiday ecommerce sales increased by 20 percent in 2015, so you better make sure your website is prepped and ready for the onslaught of shoppers this November and December. If you sell that must-have item a unique product that could be hot this season, an inventory management system can help. It can accurately monitor your site’s response time and speed, and help track inventory levels so you can update your online catalog. [su_divider top="no" size="2"]

Related Article: 5 Things Business Owners Need to Know About Inventory

[su_divider top="no" size="2"] Optimize landing pages so items are found more often in online searches. In addition, your company website must be mobile responsive because one in five of those who own smartphones will use them to purchase holiday merchandise. Your business depends on this biggest revenue-generating season of the year; if your website doesn’t function right on mobile device or otherwise, you will lose out on a lot of sales.

2. Optimize your shipping processes

Don’t set yourself up to be completely overwhelmed come Black Friday. Work throughout the year to get organized. It can be as simple as stocking up on shipping supplies like mailing boxes, printer label rolls, packaging tape, and other necessary materials. Warehouse workers can clean up the aisles of the facility and re-organize shelves. Also, be sure your label printer is ready to work overtime and will print dark, easy-to-read text. Use barcode labels, which can be quickly scanned by barcode scanners, mobile computers, or even smartphone apps to expedite your supply chain. You’ll always know in real-time if inventory is getting too low or completely depleted. And the last thing you need is to fall victim to the Tickle-Me-Elmo effect, with angry customers beating down your door or jamming your customer service lines.  It’ll mean lost sales this year. And those customers  are likely to remember their bad experiences with you and won’t return when the next holiday rolls around.

3. Hire enough extra seasonal help

With an overabundance of holiday orders, you’ll need more people on the front end to man the phones, online ordering systems, and sales floor. Extra warehouse workers are needed to track packages and get them out the door on time.  Hiring seasonal employees will help seamlessly adjust to the busy season. Depending on your needs, you can do the hiring process in-house or work with a temp agency. To prevent a supply chain backup outside your four walls, check to see if you’re on a daily pick-up schedule with a USPS, FedEx or UPS driver.  Then you’ll know without a doubt your customers’ must-have, time-sensitive packages are shipped every day.

4. Stay on top of holiday shipping deadlines.

Your customers want their orders in time to either send to out-of-town family and friends or to wrap up for Christmas morning. It’s important to find out domestic and international holiday shipping deadlines, and make the dates very apparent on your website. That way, customers can easily find the information they need to purchase gifts before those deadlines hit. They’re happy that little granddaughter Susie, who lives across the country, will get her special doll just in time.

5. Be aware of hidden fees.

Don’t let hidden fees strike you unaware. For example, do you know if FedEx or UPS has increased surcharges for ground, air, and international shipments? If not, now would be a good time to find out. If it’s not cost effective to use these shipping companies for all your orders, perhaps consider the U.S. Postal Service; it’s an affordable option for smaller, lightweight packages that won’t tack on fuel or residential surcharges.

6. Know Black Friday shopping has evolved, but isn’t gone

In most recent years, you don’t hear as much about the crazy Black Friday shoppers or even that one hard-to-get toy, for that matter. You may be under the impression that Black Friday has lost its edge. And you’re probably right — to a point. Don’t get me wrong, tens of millions of Americans will still converge on malls across the country. But the bulk of retailers are changing the way they go about holiday sales, expanding Black Friday hours into Thanksgiving day and offering deep discounts in the weeks prior to Christmas. Retail giants like Kohl’s and J.C. Penney have weekly door buster deals and hold sales on designated days. Last year, Kohl’s stores across the nation stayed open for 170 straight hours leading up to Christmas Eve, despite reporting banner online sales over Black Friday weekend. And rather than lining up at the mall at midnight, holiday bargain hunters opt for their laptops or mobile devices so they can fill up their online shopping carts. The holiday season is a make-or-break time for retailers. When you keep on top of these details throughout the year, the Black Friday crunch won’t be so bad, and you’ll still see revenues increase and profits grow. Now that’s a great way to keep your holiday spirit! How does your small business prepare for Black Friday?