With
October now squarely in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to start prepping for
the holiday season. We at Foxliquidation tell our customers every year plan
ahead and get an early start, and this year is no exception. Quite the
contrary, there are variables in play this holiday season that make it even
more essential than ever, including a shortened holiday season due to a late
Thanksgiving and an exacerbated retail holiday creep. When we talk about the
holiday creep, we are not referring to the coworker that insists on giving you
ugly socks every year but the tendency for retailers to roll out the holiday
season goods and promotions earlier and earlier each year. This year, in
particular, could be a real doozy, for starters, you have the short holiday
season, which we already discussed, and the second variable is the ongoing
trade dispute with China. Now, as of early November 2019, there have been
reports of progress on a China/USA trade deal, and there is now some real
optimism that it can be resolved before the end of the year. Unfortunately,
this is too late to help retailers for the 2019 holiday season. Retailers
usually are ordering goods from overseas suppliers 3 to 6 months in advance,
meaning big box retail started shopping for the holidays back in May or June.
Back then, with threats of even more tariffs in the works, you better believe
that retailers ordered early and increased purchases to hopefully beat a tariff
deadline taking effect later in the year. Long story short retailers are
sitting on goods that they want to move out quickly, and with a short holiday
season, you can bet they will be eager to get these sales rolling unusually
early this year.
As a
seller, your game plan should be to beat the big box retailers to the punch and
ramp up for the holiday season now. You should start by getting your inventory
in now and start prepping. Read about staying ahead of the holiday curve here, which covers when to order, how to time it, and
planning for any unexpected hiccups. Familiarize yourself with a few essential
details like holiday season best shipping practices read our article here
on Holiday shipping advice Which
covers how to pack, how to ship, and what to do if something goes wrong. Also,
it’s important to know all the holiday shipping deadlines for guaranteed
delivery. Check out our article on holiday season shipping, which looks at when
shipping volumes peak and all of the important shipping deadlines you need to keep in mind.
Give
your customers what they want this holiday season, and they want what you
purchase from Foxliquidation, who delivers the best goods at the best price
every day.
Wishing
all of our customers a happy, healthy, and profitable 2019 holiday
season!