10 Things to Do Before the Busy Season

September 15, 2026 • Nicole Sherwood, Marketing Coordinator

10 Things to Do Before the Busy Season

The busy season has a way of sneaking up on you. Before the holiday rush begins, take some time to get your team, inventory, marketing, and customer experience ready. A little preparation now can save you a lot of scrambling later, and help you make the most of one of the biggest opportunities of the year.

1. Review Last Year’s Holiday Marketing & Sales

Start by looking at what worked, what didn’t, your best-selling products or services, and your busiest time periods. Identify which products, services, or promotions you’d like to bring back this year, as well as areas where you have an opportunity to improve from the previous year.

2. Prepare Your Staff for the Rush

During the holiday season, good customer service can make or break your business. Make sure all employees understand the expectations, promotions, policies, and their roles during the busy season. If you plan to hire seasonal employees, start the hiring process as soon as possible to give yourself plenty of time to hire and train them.

3. Update Your Inventory

There’s almost nothing worse than having your best-sellers sell out during the busiest time of the year. Use last year’s sales data to forecast what you’ll need this year, and make sure to account for seasonal items, gift packaging, or other supplies you plan to use during the holiday season.

4. Create Seasonal Promotions

Use the insights you gathered from last year’s holiday marketing and sales to develop the offers, bundles, discounts, events, or other incentives you plan to offer this season. Make sure your promotions align with your business goals and give customers a reason to choose you during the busy season.

5. Plan Your Marketing Calendar

Now that you know what seasonal events, deals, and promotions you plan to offer, it’s time to map out how you’ll promote them. Schedule your social media posts, email campaigns, digital ads, direct mail, and other marketing efforts so customers hear about your offers before they make their purchase decisions, and so you’re not scrambling to create content once things get busy.

6. Freshen Up Your Website

Your website will likely see more traffic during the holiday season, so make sure it’s ready. Check that seasonal promotions, holiday hours, product or service details, contact information, and calls-to-action are up to date, and make sure customers can easily find what they’re looking for.

7. Re-Connect With Existing Customers

Did you know that acquiring a new customer can cost five to seven times more than retaining an existing one? Reach out with an email, direct mail campaign, or other targeted message to remind them that you’re ready for another holiday season. It’s a great opportunity to turn past customers into repeat customers.

8. Collaborate With Other Local Businesses

Partnering with local businesses on events, giveaways, or cross-promotions is a great way to reach new customers while supporting other local businesses in your community. Reach out to potential partners early to give everyone plenty of time to plan, coordinate, and promote the collaboration.

9. Decorate Your Physical Space

If you have a storefront or customer-facing location, decorating for the holidays is a great way to draw attention and get customers engaged with your business. Get your holiday decor, signage, displays, and promotional materials ready before things get hectic.

10. Test Everything Before the Rush

Do a final run-through of your website, checkout process, online ordering or booking system, email campaigns, promotional codes, signage, POS system, and anything else customers will interact with. It’s much easier to fix a broken link or promo code now than during your busiest week of the year.

The holiday season doesn’t have to mean scrambling to keep up. By taking the time to prepare your team, inventory, marketing, and customer experience ahead of time, you can enter the busy season feeling confident and ready to make the most of it.