Every year at around this time, we publish a post or two designed to help our customers get ready for the busy holiday shopping season. This year, the first of our holiday posts focuses on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The two busiest shopping days of the year will be here before you know it.
You are already aware that Olympic Eyewear sells wholesale sunglasses for men and women. We sell wholesale wayfarers, aviators, sports sunglasses, and so much more. We have been preparing for Black Friday and Cyber Monday for months already. Why? Because we need to be sure you can stock your inventory well in advance of mid-November.
Start Planning Now
Early planning is key to holiday success. If you have not yet started planning for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it's time to get to work. Understand that your customers are likely to start researching deals sometime in October. By the time Halloween comes and goes, they will be in full shopping mode.
A consumer thinking about a brand-new pair of designer sunglasses for a loved one is likely to start looking online or browsing local stores by late October or early November. Your inventory should be ample enough to meet any consumer need.
Note that your planning goes above and beyond inventory. Now is also the time to start laying out detailed plans for each of your promotions. Those plans should include timelines, marketing strategies, and any particular products you might want to focus on this year.
It's All About Discounts
Both Black Friday and Cyber Monday are shopping holidays built on discounts. If you want your fair share of the sales pie, you need to be prepared to discount your sunglasses. Although it can be a tough pill to swallow, it is reasonable to settle for breaking even on these two days. You certainly don't want to lose money, but you can afford a lower margin on one or two days per year – especially if it brings in regular customers the rest of the year.
How deep should your discounts be? That depends on your current margin. You have seen Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales before. What types of discounts were retailers offering? One of your goals is to offer discounts steep enough to take advantage of the customer's sense of urgency. If they don't buy on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, they won't get the deeply discounted sunglasses.
Manage Your Inventory Well
Getting back to inventory, good inventory management is vital during the last quarter of the year. It is important to have a nice selection of styles, designs, and brands that cater to what your customers want. Hopefully, you have been paying attention to trends since the start of the year.
Make sure you order your wholesale sunglasses early enough to have an ample supply on hand for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. You might even order a little extra for the purposes of lead-up promotions and special sales in December. In that way, you can still capture additional sales before and after the fact.
Lean on the Experience of Others
In closing, we also want to encourage you to lean on the experience others bring to the table. Spend an evening this week researching Black Friday and Cyber Monday tips offered by experts who have been selling for a number of years.
The two biggest shopping days of the year are fast approaching. As a wholesale supplier of designer and fashion sunglasses, we can supply you with the inventory you need for a successful holiday shopping season.