{"id":1022,"date":"2019-10-30T17:25:00","date_gmt":"2019-10-30T17:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/au\/blog\/holiday-inventory-preparation\/"},"modified":"2025-09-28T10:18:17","modified_gmt":"2025-09-28T10:18:17","slug":"holiday-inventory-preparation","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/au\/blog\/holiday-inventory-preparation\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Holiday Inventory Best Practices to Stop You From Over-Ordering, Stocking Out, and Losing Orders"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Table of Contents<\/p>

** Minutes<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

The best time to plan is now<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Holiday inventory management best practices<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When in doubt, let the pros help out<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The holiday season is, as they say, the most wonderful time of the year \u2013 especially for ecommerce retailers. As total sales during this holiday shopping season are forecasted to hit <\/span>$136 billion<\/span><\/a> in the US alone, it is a great opportunity for your business to enjoy a piece of the pie. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, how do you ensure your business is prepared for the increased demand? What steps can you take to keep your customers happy? Here are some best practices to help your business succeed over the holidays.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best time to plan is now<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The holiday season has a tendency to creep up quick (see the data<\/a>), and it oftentimes leads to challenges with inventory management<\/a>. If you are not prepared for the holiday sales spike, it can lead to frustrated customers and a loss in potential revenue. Fortunately, there are a lot of things you can do now to better prepare for the holidays. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Holiday inventory management best practices<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There is no one-size-fits-all method for <\/span>holiday planning<\/span>, but there are ways to mitigate errors during the busiest time of the season: <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Reach out to your suppliers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As demand significantly increases over the holiday period, it is important to let your suppliers and vendors know in advance. Share information on predicted order volume to make sure you order enough to avoid potential stockouts<\/a>. Like you, they also need time to successfully deliver orders.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Make orders in advance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Using historical inventory data like SKU<\/a> performance, you will likely have an idea of what will be your top sellers, which will help you make better estimates before ordering more inventory. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if you are a newcomer, simply doing some online research, including social media, can help you get a grasp on what items in your store are in high demand this season. From there, you can prepare a list of what to stock up on. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Mark your calendar<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Avoid the holidays creeping up on you unannounced simply by creating calendar reminders. Do keep your organisation in the loop, especially your marketing and ecommerce holiday ad<\/a> teams, so they are prepared to run campaigns. Here are some of the holiday dates to make note of:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n