DATE: 08/08/19
The holiday season is coming and before you know it, Christmas music will be playing and malls will be packed with kids wanting a picture with “Santa.” It may seem too early but it’s best to start getting prepared now, which is why we suggest small business holiday inventory preparation so your business is stocked up on the essential holiday supplies.
According to AdWeek, in 2018 the software company Adobe projected that American consumers would spend $5.9 billion just on online shopping during the retail frenzy that is Black Friday, which was up nearly a billion dollars from the $5 billion spent in 2017 It also estimated that retailers would sell another $7.8 billion to consumers who were online shopping on Cyber Monday in 2018, which is up over a billion dollars from the $6.6 billion spent in 2017.
Over the entire five-day Thanksgiving “weekend” it was expected that consumers would spend a cool $23.4 billion (net) in online sales, per Adobe’s figures.
According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), these sales came from an estimated 164 million shoppers. Black Friday was estimated to be the busiest with 116 million shoppers, followed by 75 million shoppers on Cyber Monday.
In order to meet your demand, you have to ensure that you have the necessary supplies, merchandise, and inventory. Don’t wait until the last minute to stock up. In order to get all of your shipments safely, securely, and on-time you need an experienced shipping company like Amerijet International Shipping.
It’s no secret that people love to shop before, during, and after the winter holidays. Between Black Friday, Cyber Monday, the day after Christmas, etc. consumers are spending more and more over the holidays.
Last year the “NRF expect[ed] holiday retail sales in November and December — excluding automobiles, gasoline, and restaurants — to increase between 4.3 and 4.8 percent over 2017. Total spending [was] expected to range from $717.45 billion to $720.89 billion.”
That’s right, spending was expected to reach nearly $721 billion.
There are two types of shoppers: the overachievers and the procrastinators. The overachievers have all of their holiday shopping done well in advance and laugh at the procrastinators when they start stressing out about getting everything done on time. The procrastinators wait until the very last moment to buy their gifts. Have you ever been to a mall on Christmas Eve? It’s the definition of hectic and chaotic. Things are flying off the shelves, and people are running store to store, and trying to get their gifts wrapped by the lovely overworked volunteers.
Speaking of the overachievers, every year approximately 40 percent of consumers begin shopping for the winter holidays before Halloween. It’s because of these shoppers that stores start putting out holiday merchandise earlier and earlier. While most retailers don’t begin holiday advertising until at least October or November, they also recognize that they need to cater to the millions of people that like shopping early, often in order to spread out the spending. Because of this, many retailers are starting to put holiday merchandise on the shelves in September – especially decorations and greeting cards, which most people buy months in advance in order to ship them early so that they arrive on time or so that they can start decorating as soon as the apple pie settles after Thanksgiving dinner. Although it’s typically the procrastinators that refuse to even look at a holiday decoration until after Thanksgiving.
For some retailers, the holiday season can represent as much as 30 percent of annual sales. This is especially true for hobby, toy, and game stores which reported the highest percentage of sales, accounting for an estimated 30.1 percent of their sales during the 2017 holiday season. Overall, in 2018 holiday sales, defined as sales in the months of November and December, represented nearly 20 percent of the total retail industry sales.
In order to meet your sales goals, you have to ensure that you have the necessary supplies, merchandise, and inventory. With Amerijet, you can ensure that you always have your stock room full, with our shipping solutions, we are the answer to all of your holiday inventory preparation needs.
If you waited too long to ship your inventory we also offer expedited shipping so that you can meet your consumers’ demand. Don’t let someone wake up on Christmas morning and not have the must-have thing that they wanted because you procrastinated on getting ready for the holiday shopping frenzy.
The earlier you ship your item, the higher the guarantee that your package arrives on time. Keep in mind that the holiday season is the busiest time of the year for shipping. Waiting too long to send out your holiday shipments is risky, and it’s possible they might not reach their destination in time.
To learn more about small business inventory prep and shipping during the holidays with Amerijet contact us, get a quick shipping quote, or set up a MyCargo account.
When shipping pets via air cargo, requirements can vary by airline, but most commonly include: For International Pet Shipping: Always prioritize your pet’s safety and comfort when planning air travel. Amerijet’s dedicated animal handling team is here to assist you at every step. Click here to contact us today!
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