Worried about how you’re going to stay sane this busy holiday season? You’re not alone – 45 per cent of SMEs are focused on simply getting through their workload with their sanity intact rather than increasing sales.
A survey of over 400 small businesses from MYOB found that just 10 per cent of businesses had a special marketing campaign in place for the lead up to Christmas, while 39 per cent said a holiday campaign didn’t apply to their business.
Tim Reed, MYOB CEO, said that it’s important for businesses to tailor their marketing to seasonal trends to enhance their chances of meeting customer demand.
“With so much going on it can be tempting to cut back on brand building activities, but I encourage business owners to step back and consider whether that really is the right move,” Reed said.
Business operators in the building and trades sectors are most concerned about their sanity, with 50 per cent concerned with getting through the holidays, compared to 32 per cent of SMBs in retail.
The survey also found that just 7 per cent of businesses have an e-commerce website ready for the holidays, while another 11 per cent have a website but haven’t enabled it for e-commerce yet.
Despite this, most businesses are expecting a successful holiday season. Almost 30 per cent are expecting an increase in revenue, while 54 per cent are forecasting the same revenue as last Christmas.
“We’re setting up for a happy new year,” Reed said.