You Won’t Believe How Far Small Businesses Are Willing to Go to Have a Successful Holiday Season

Small business owners are willing to do almost anything to have a successful holiday season in 2021. In fact, 44% of business owners say they’d listen to Jingle Bells on repeat this year if it meant having a successful holiday season for their business with no disruptions.

That’s not all they’d do, either.

In a new survey from DHL, small business owners say they’d sleep in the snow (23%) or take an eggnog bath (18%) to enjoy a successful holiday season.

And 16% said they’d even be roommates with Scrooge if it meant a great end of the year for their business.

Small Business Owners Would Listen to Jingle Bells on Repeat for Holiday Success

In its ‘2021 Holiday Season’ report DHL gathered almost 2,000 responses from small business owners into their holiday season preparations, following a year fraught with pandemic disruption.

When asked what they would be willing to do to avoid disruptions, all respondents said they are willing to go to great lengths to enjoy a seamless and successful holiday season.

Importance of Express Shipping

The survey reiterated the importance of express shipping this holiday season. When asked what is most important to their online customers, almost half (49%) said it is being able to provide fast/on-time shipping. 41% said express shipping options was they top priority for online customers this holiday season.

Supply Chain Challenges

The research also explored small businesses thoughts on supply chain challenges. Half of the small business owners surveyed said that supply chain delays were their biggest concern. Almost a quarter (24%) cited staffing issues as a leading issue, 18% said inflation, and 9% stated international policies, such as Brexit and tariffs, as their primary business challenge this holiday season.

Sales Forecasts are Positive

Despite the challenges, the outlook involving the forecast of sales figures remains positive. The survey found that a large majority of small businesses (61%) expect their holiday ecommerce sales to increase year-over-year from the 2020 holiday season to the same period in 2021. 39% of participants say they expect a significant increase in sales this year.

The findings of DHL’s report are important for small businesses across the US as they show what other businesses are prioritizing this season. For example, with such a large number of small businesses citing express shipping as a leading priority, businesses that ship goods should take the findings on-board and prioritize speedy shipping as a means of remaining competitive and profitable this holiday season.

And, with 44% of business owners say they’d listen to Jingle Bells on repeat, the study shows how small businesses are willing to stop at nothing for a successful holiday period.

Image: Depositphotos

This article, "You Won’t Believe How Far Small Businesses Are Willing to Go to Have a Successful Holiday Season" was first published on Small Business Trends