Retail: Here’s how businesses can maximise the holiday season

‘Tis the time of Christmas posts, seasonal work, and more opportunities for businesses to maximise the forecasted comeback of retail this holiday season.

Christmas and seasonal jobs have begun being advertised. Every holiday season, employers make the most of teens starting their employment careers. Retail outlets train prospective employees, and hopeful newcomers do their best over the break, thinking if they can stand out and excel, they may be able to snag a long term position.

It’s a quick way into a field that you may have no experience in.

And at times, it’s a cheaper way to introduce a new product, or line, by companies opening up temporary stands and popup stores. The business can trial a new item, or range, and without losing floor space to permanent lines and ranges, can float a new line and see if it can become a regular offer.

It’s a quick way to see if a new product suits your brand.

While these pop up stores might seem fun and cute to us as customers, months have gone into planning them and setting them up:

– There’s been research done by Head Offices into the demographics of the area, hoping to find the best location to place the temporary store. They need to put the shop where the customers will be.
– Around September/October the ads went out asking for seasonal staff, and Managers have to include the short term location in their duties. The staff have to be rostered still, banking done, and all stock must be there in time.
– These locations, even if stalls in the middle of the shopping centre, still need everything the regular outlets have – all the paperwork and books required, cash registers, and filing systems. You’ll usually see these under the little desk, or under a counter if it is large enough.

Hopefully, Covid doesn’t impact Christmas shopping too much this year. Even Father’s Day just gone seemed to give rise to many pop ups. And I noticed a few of them linger a while. I went shopping shortly after Father’s Day and saw the same booths still in the mall.

And very much like Work Experience in high school, youths are gaining invaluable training. They can understand the levels of business, and if extremely lucky, might end up with a permanent position. Going into the seasonal work, employers are keen to see if they can find reliable staff to include in routine rosters.

Seeing that retail is returning strong this holiday season, gives me hope that more people will start their Christmas shopping soon. In 2020 everything seemed overshadowed by Covid, and people were not as excited about the holiday season. You could barely find a place to have Christmas Lunch for work, as those that did allow dining were booked out very early on.

So I am quite looking forward to Christmas this year (and not only because a two day migraine foiled last year’s plans!). I am just excited to get out there, start creating my holiday posts for LinkedIn and marketing, and start getting all the stocking stuffers hidden away for the kids.