Five ways to get the most out of the Christmas spending rush

It’s October and already retailers are adorning their shop fronts with Christmas paraphernalia. In fact, David Jones has been selling Christmas trees and decorations since mid-August.

Businesses, it seems, will have to work extra hard to lure cash from Australia’s reticent consumers during the festive season.

Figures released this week by Dun & Bradstreet highlight the challenges: one in three households are more focused on saving than they were 12 months ago, while 56% are worried about their financial position.

Consumers are reluctant to obtain new credit to go on spending sprees and it’s likely that many will wait for last-minute deals and discounts before making their Christmas purchases.

But there are still several things businesses can do to improve their chances of getting a Christmas lift.

StartupSmart spoke to the experts to find out what they are:

1. Make sure your inventory stocking is stuffed

“I think there’s a number of things retailers already should have done or are in the process of doing,” says Russell Zimmerman, executive director of the Australian Retailers Association.

“Understanding their stock requirements is number one.”

“If you bought 500 T-shirts last year and they sold out, you might need to be ordering 550 or whatever it might be [this year]. Also, look at your slow sales.”

“And if there’s a new version of something, ask yourself if you really need to buy it.”

Zimmerman says retailers need to ensure their suppliers are on board ahead of the Christmas period.

“You will be receiving products from now until Christmas. But suppliers can cancel a product, so you need to be checking all your suppliers will be able to deliver,” he says.

“If they aren’t, you need to determine how you will supplement that product.”

2. Getting enough elves (staff) on the shop floor

Zimmerman says retailers obviously need to look at their staffing levels in the lead-up to Christmas.

“You know you’re going to need an increase in staff. Quite often, retailers use young casuals. Don’t bring them on a week before – get them involved in your business now,” he says.

“You need to make sure you get them in place now so they receive training on customer service, cash registers, etc. That’s vital – ensuring you’ve got the right staff there.”

“If you’ve got a warehouse at the back of your shop and you’re employing casual staff who are accessing those areas, you’ve got to show them where everything is.”

“It’s also vital for those staff to understand who they’ve got to report to – you need to give clear directions to those casual staff.”

According to Brian Walker, managing director of the Retail Doctor Group, it’s equally important for retailers to think about their existing staff.

“They want to make sure people are starting to get a break before the Christmas rush, and ensuring they’ve got their recruitment and rostering models worked out,” he says.

“They want to be starting to think about internal Christmas promotions [for staff], so there’s an incentive, because they’ll be working a lot longer.”