6 Reasons Your Maker Business Should Start Holiday Prepping

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(Newswire.net — October 19, 2020) — It’s hard to start thinking about the holidays while the sun is shining and kids are just getting back to school. However, for creative businesses, holiday prep should start months in advance. This is especially true for businesses that take custom orders.

Planning ahead is essential for capitalizing on the busy buying season and getting the profits you deserve. Here are six reasons your maker business should start holiday prepping now.

Supply Chain Disruptions Still Exist

2020 has had a dramatic impact on how businesses operate, from manufacturing to transportation. While the early days of panic have fallen by the wayside, many industries are still battling the lasting effects of the pandemic. As much of the world enters the second wave, supply chain disruptions still exist.

What does this mean for maker businesses? The interrupted supply chain often results in delivery delays. Many postal services have already released announcements about shipping delays and the holiday season. Now is the time to start planning and ordering your supplies so that you have everything you need for your business.

Keep Costs Low

Everything gets more expensive as the holidays draw near— it’s a simple effect of supply and demand. Whether you need wholesale jewelry or polymer clay for your custom creations, buying them sooner rather than later will help avoid holiday inflation. 

This consideration also ties into supply chain delays. Those who hesitate will also end up paying more for priority shipping, which cuts into their bottom line. Take some time to identify your supply needs and ensure they’re already in place when the holiday rush begins. 

Generate Enough Marketing Lead Time

Many retailers and big-box stores start advertising their holiday sales before the Halloween decorations are gone from the shelves. That means makers are competing with large corporations when trying to sell their wares. 

Starting your holiday prep early allows you to generate enough marketing lead time to make an impact. This process is also important when using social media as your preferred medium for connecting. Pinterest posts often take months to take hold. It can take more than five touchpoints to turn a lead into a customer.

By starting your marketing buzz early, you’re getting ahead of the advance shoppers and ensuring that your leads see your messaging enough to make an impact. 

Avoid Unsustainable Work Loads

One of the biggest challenges for maker businesses is that there’s a threshold on what they can handle. As such, the holidays are often rife with long days and ample amounts of stress as orders pile up. Consider offering a small early bird discount to encourage people to get their orders in quickly.

By starting early and setting deadlines, maker businesses can avoid unsustainable workloads. Taking an early dive into the holidays also allows time to hire assistance as needed. 

Get Ahead of Shipping Delays

As mentioned previously, many postal services have already flagged that the holiday shipping delays are expected to be more pronounced in 2020 and beyond due to the pandemic. That means all holiday orders will need to be shipped earlier than usual to ensure they make it on time. 

Planning now lets you get ahead of shipping delays both before and after production.

Test Seasonal Designs

Finally, many creative businesses make seasonal designs that are new and unfamiliar. As such, it can take some time to work out the kinks and streamline the process. By starting holiday prep now, creatives and designers can test their seasonal designs and one-offs to get ahead of quality control.

For these six reasons and many others, creative businesses, designers, and makers should start holiday prepping as soon as possible.