The weather has been turning quickly, as temperatures across the United States are plummeting. For businesses of all types and sizes, wintertime brings about a lot of changes to store policies, hours, maintenance and inventory. It’s good to begin prepping your business now so you’re fully prepared for all that winter brings.
1. Prepare Your Online Store
Currently, over half of the [U.S.] population, or 190 million people, [shops] online. This number rises in the winter, particularly around the holidays, as people are less inclined to face the storms simply to conduct their shopping. If you want to make the most of wintertime sales, it’s highly encouraged to prepare your online store and marketing strategy so you can garner as many online customers as possible.
2. Choose Your Seasonal Product Lines
As you prepare for winter, you also need to begin bracing yourself for the holidays. With the holidays, you’ll likely be updating your inventory to offer more seasonal gifts that cater to Thanksgiving and Christmas shoppers. Begin scouting out the latest seasonal trends so you can choose inventory based around the hottest-selling items.
3. Prepare Your Parking Lot
The parking lot of a business is critical to keep maintained, particularly in the snowy months of winter. Potholes and cracks in the asphalt can be dangerous at any time of year, but, [when] coupled with the icy roads, [they] could be a recipe for disaster. Scan your parking lot for any holes or cracks, and have them paved over before the first snow.
4. Stock up on Needed Office Supplies
Come wintertime, businesses are much more likely to face late shipments than in summer due to poor road conditions that limit travel abilities for truckers. As such, it’s better to be overstocked on necessary supplies than understocked in the event a shipment arrives late. Take stock of all supplies that are used daily, particularly office supplies, and be sure to purchase more than enough in advance.
5. Have a Disaster Recovery Plan Created
Disaster recovery plans are even more vital in winter, because there is much higher chance of the building falling victim to structural or technological damage. Have a plan in place that details what to do should your business lose power or be impacted by structural damage due to an intense storm. It’s wise to have all essential software and technology backed up to the cloud so business can continue to operate, even in the middle of a power outage.
In the wintertime, businesses have a lot more to deal with than in summer. The facility has higher utility costs, you’ll have more maintenance tasks ahead of you, and, all the while, you’ll likely see a drop in customers. By preparing your business in advance, you can brace your company for the worst possible circumstances. In turn, you can create more wintertime sales while avoiding the potential disasters that cost businesses money. Start stocking up on the supplies your company needs, so you always have enough on hand. Visit DollarDays today and start browsing.
Original article here: http://globalbizcircle.com/preparing-business-cold-weather-ahead/