Though it may still be summer, the holiday season will be here before you know it.
For most small businesses, the holidays are a make-or-break time. In fact, one survey showed that holiday sales can account for more than 25% of a small business’s yearly revenue. That’s why it’s important to start planning long before the first Christmas decorations hit the stores, which seems to happen earlier and earlier every year.
Taking small steps now can make the difference in having a successful and stress-free holiday season. Here are some areas small businesses can focus on to be ready.
Use historical data to plan inventory and predict demand
Proper inventory management is especially important for small businesses: Order too little and you risk disappointing customers, but order too much and you’ll create deadweight for the business.
Money tied up in a surplus of inventory could be better spent on things like marketing and technology investments. That’s why it’s important to look at inventory history and sales during the same time period for at least the prior year to predict as accurately as possible how much to order.
For Lenovo Pro members, one-on-one sessions with dedicated business advisors make inventory planning easier. Whether you need guidance on what tech to invest in or help analyzing purchasing trends, they can help offer tailored recommendations to support smarter planning and more confident decision-making.
Pressure-test your website
Having a website is a great way for small businesses to tap into an e-commerce revenue stream, but a slow or clunky experience can pose challenges during busy times, including potential customers abandoning their online shopping cart altogether.
Make sure your website is up to the task of handling serious spikes in traffic by checking in with your hosting provider to make sure it can scale up or down easily. You should also test out the user journey — from making sure copy descriptions and images are clear to having a seamless checkout experience — to ensure a positive experience on both desktop and mobile.
Make sure your technology is up to date
The last thing you’ll have time for in the middle of a busy holiday season is updating your business’s technology. Several months before the holiday shopping rush, assess the current technology you have — from laptops to POS systems— to make sure they’re running smoothly and will be able to withstand the extra pressure that comes along with increased sales.
As a Lenovo Pro member, small businesses also get early access to device deals — including the member-only Labor Day Full Access sale starting August 18, 2025 — so you can upgrade your tech with exclusive savings designed for your business.
Start marketing efforts early
The holiday season is oversaturated with ads and emails from retailers looking to convert consumers to customers. Though it’s important to plan out marketing campaigns surrounding dates like Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday, your marketing efforts for these days should actually begin months before.
Use the time you have now to build up a following — either through social media, email campaigns, or paid ads (or all three) — so that when these key shopping dates roll around, your business is already top of mind.
Lenovo Pro offers resources to support small business owners, including webinars that explore how AI can streamline marketing tasks. As a business owner who may be limited on time or design support, AI tools can help you generate images, ads, campaign ideas, and even customer targeting lists. As one of the many benefits you receive as a Lenovo Pro member, the Lenovo Pro Community provides you with an opportunity to connect with other small business owners.
Technology tip: A device like the Lenovo Aura Edition ThinkPad X9, powered by the best-in-class performance of Intel® Core™ Ultra processors, delivers the compute power needed to run these AI tools efficiently.
Create a seasonal hiring plan
Like planning your inventory needs, analyzing past years’ sales and traffic (both in-store and online) can help dictate what type of seasonal support your small business might need. It can range from extra salespeople on the floor or at the register to online customer support when traffic is up.
Though you may not staff up until November, start looking at possible candidates a few months before to make sure you’re getting the proper talent to help your business run smoothly. This will also give you time to develop a proper onboarding and training process to make sure these temporary employees can get up to speed quickly.
Don’t wait until the start of the holiday season to begin your preparations. With the right tools and early planning, your business can make the most of the season.
Learn how Lenovo Pro can help your small business handle the holiday rush.
This post was created by Insider Studios with Lenovo.
Intel
