The holiday season may still feel a few months away, but for retailers, the time to prepare isn’t November; it’s now.
Once holiday traffic picks up, the last thing you want to discover is that a register needs attention, inventory counts are off, an integration isn’t working as expected, or employees aren’t comfortable with the tools they need during your busiest days. A little preparation now can prevent a lot of scrambling later.
Here are seven things retailers should check before the holiday rush begins.
1. Give Your POS System a Pre-Holiday Checkup
Your point-of-sale system will be working overtime during the holidays. Make sure your workstations, printers, scanners, cash drawers, customer displays, and other essential hardware are working properly now.
That slightly temperamental receipt printer you’ve been ignoring? September is a much better time to deal with it than Black Friday. It’s also a good time to review your Counterpoint environment and make sure any necessary updates, maintenance, or system changes are handled before your busiest season.
2. Make Sure Your Inventory Is Telling the Truth
Holiday purchasing decisions are only as good as the inventory data behind them.
Review inventory counts, negative quantities, slow-moving merchandise, top sellers, and items that may need reordering before demand increases.
Counterpoint has a lot of valuable inventory data available. Using it now can help you make smarter purchasing decisions, instead of discovering in December that your best seller has been sitting at zero while something else takes up valuable shelf space.
3. Test the Entire Checkout Experience
Don’t just make sure the register turns on. Walk through an actual sale from beginning to end.
Ring an item. Apply a discount. Process different payment types. Print or email a receipt. Test a return. Check gift cards and loyalty programs if you use them.
Think about the transactions your employees will handle when customers are waiting in line. If something is confusing or taking too many steps now, it won’t get easier when the store is busy.
4. Check Your Integrations
Retail technology works best when your systems work together.
If you use eCommerce, accounting software, shipping tools, email marketing, loyalty programs, or other integrations with Counterpoint, make sure information is flowing where it should.
Look for failed syncs, duplicate entries, outdated settings, or manual workarounds your staff has quietly adopted. Those little inefficiencies may be manageable on a normal Tuesday. During the holiday rush, they can quickly become a much bigger headache.
5. Get Seasonal Employees Comfortable With the System
Holiday help needs more than a login and a five-minute register tour.
Make sure employees know how to handle common transactions, discounts, returns, gift cards, customer lookups, and other situations they’re likely to encounter. Training before the rush gives employees time to ask questions and build confidence without a line of customers watching.
And if your longtime employees have developed a few questionable shortcuts over the years, this might be a good time for a refresher for everyone.
6. Review Your Customer Marketing Tools
The holidays are also one of your biggest opportunities to reconnect with existing customers.
Make sure you capture customer information correctly, and review how you use that data for email, promotions, loyalty programs, and targeted marketing.
Instead of sending the same message to everyone, use customer purchase history to create more relevant campaigns and offers. Your POS shouldn’t just tell you what customers bought today. It can help you bring them back tomorrow.
7. Know Who You’re Calling Before Something Goes Wrong
Technology problems rarely choose convenient times.
Make sure managers and key employees know who to contact for support, what information they should have ready, and the proper process for getting help.
Most importantly, don’t wait until your busiest weekend to address an issue you already know exists.
A Little Preparation Goes a Long Way
Holiday retail is hectic enough without preventable technology problems.
Taking the time now to review your POS, inventory, integrations, hardware, employee training, and customer tools can help your team spend less time troubleshooting and more time taking care of customers when the holiday rush arrives.
Not sure where to start?
Mainspring Retail Solutions can help you review your Counterpoint system, identify potential trouble spots, and tackle the projects you’ve been putting off before Q4 gets into full swing.
