Many consumers are overwhelmed by the holiday marketing tactics practiced by modern day businesses. As marketers, it is important to plan ahead and stay ahead of the competition, which has resulted in a holiday timeline shift far more in advanced than the actual holidays themselves. This is the reason consumers are seeing Halloween candy in September, Thanksgiving decorations in October, and Christmas trees and menorahs as early as October. Mostly in the Fall and Winter seasons, as soon as one holiday has passed, products for the next holiday are on the shelves within twenty-four hours.

As a business owner or marketer, it is important to follow these trends and be part of them if you are not already. Research shows that retailers can acquire up to 59% more customers during the holiday season if done correctly. Furthermore, conversion rates have shown to increase from just 0.6% to nearly 20% during the holiday season. This has been accomplished through bigger discounts, longer sales periods, and an in increase in shoppers and order sizes.

The holidays are a time of high demand in a limited time window. So what’s the most important step as a business owner to capitalize on the highest revenue earning period of the year? First and foremost, plan. If you are just now reading this to determine what steps you need to take, you’re way behind. It’s recommended that you start no later than July or even better, start as soon as the previous holiday season ends. Take inventory, both physically and mentally, figure out what worked and what didn’t, and start thinking about what you need to do differently for the upcoming year. Additionally, brand awareness is crucial before the holiday season actually begins, so when planning you don’t just plan for November and December, you plan for September and so forth. The most successful holiday campaigns start in September and October.