The holidays are a few weeks away, and most people are saving up to celebrate in the best way possible. For entrepreneurs, this season presents an excellent opportunity to boost your sales, maximize your business profits and build sustainable relationships with your customers. In this article, we will help you take advantage of the holiday season to grow your business.

• Prepare early: People buy more products and services during the holiday season, so having enough inventory to cater to higher demand is a must. Identify what products or services that your business will likely sell more and have them in stock or get in touch with your suppliers in advance to supply them in time. This helps you prepare in advance and gives you enough time to fix any issues that may arise such as late deliveries. Having enough stock will make your customers feel you are able to meet their needs, and it contributes toward building a solid relationship with them.
• Provide special discounts and offers: Special discounts and offers can be a good way to attract new customers and reward those that you already have. Before discounting your products or services, ensure you have a clear goal of why you are doing it. It could be to increase sales, engage new customers, or to build brand awareness or customer relationships. One example of a special discount might be offering an amount or percentage off if a customer spends a certain amount; for instance, spend Rwf 100,000 and get Rwf 100 off. This can encourage customers to buy more or bring new customers through your doors.
• Customize packaging and provide unique service delivery: Most aspects of the business have evolved due to competition, so it is important to think through ways you can make your business stand out. Personalize your packaging so customers feel that the product or its packaging was especially made for them. Once you receive an order, include the customer’s name and address with a personalized appreciation message. This will make them feel a sense of belonging and care from your business, and customers will be bound to stick with you as their preferred business.
• Use holiday themes for your social media marketing: When thinking about marketing messages, posts on social media, and emails or SMS messages to your customers, think about how you can include holiday greetings that are most relevant to them. Create marketing content with graphics or visuals of important dates happening during holidays such as Christmas and New Year. This will make your content more relatable to your customers because it reflects something that they are also celebrating.
• Use social media to engage customers: Every customer wants to be appreciated for spending their hard-earned money at your business. Rewarding customers who engage with your business on social media can make less active customers more active or attract new ones. Host polls about interesting topics that relate to the holidays or polls about what should be discounted from your product line. Host online quizzes about your business and reward your followers who get the answers right. Think of it as giving back to your customers for supporting your business.

With some thought and careful planning, the holiday season can be a great time to grow your business. Whether by thinking ahead about what items will be most in demand, providing a special discount, or using holiday themes, there are different ways to engage customers during this time. Reach out to us with any suggestions you think can help small businesses take advantage of the holiday season to increase sales and grow their business.

Are you an Agripreneur startup in need of capital investment? Apply for the AgriPitch Competition before 4 November 2022

The Africa Development Bank (AFDB) invites African youth Agripreneurs to the AgriPitch Competition. The competition aims to support Agripreneurs focusing on building the profitability of their businesses and becoming investment ready.

Selected Agripreneurs will be trained and mentored in an interactive and tailored two-week training program to prepare them for presenting their businesses to investors. Participants will access virtual training sessions covering product development, marketing, business management logistics, revenue channel identification, and investment readiness. Additionally, winning Agripreneurs will have access to a total grant pool of USD 140,000 at the end of the competition.

The competition is open for three categories of youth Agripreneurs, including early startups (at least 3 years), mature startups (more than 3 years), and women-empowered businesses. Interested participants must fulfill the eligibility criteria depending on their category.

For early startups, they must:

• Be at the very early stage of developing ideas or concepts for Agripreneurship
• Have a clearly defined prototype or proof of concept or a product introduced to the market

For mature startups, they must:

• Have market traction with an existing product, technology, or service already in the market
• Have a clear investment growth strategy or plan
• Be a legally registered corporate entity

For women-empowered businesses, they must:

• Meet eligibility requirements for either early startups or mature startups
• Have a women founder or have women owning at least 51% of the business

To apply for the competition, visit: Application forms