Welcome to the end of 2024. It’s been a bit of a bumpy ride, hasn’t it? Some stores showed the kind of increases one would hope for as the original pandemic year recedes into the past. I find it hard to believe that just four years ago this month, our store was open a total of twenty hours a week – to just five customers at a time. Unfortunately we haven’t bounced back as quickly, or as fully, as I would have envisioned in 2020. I certainly wouldn’t have thought that COVID would still be a factor in our lives, but just this week we had an employee call in sick because she tested positive.

One of the reasons that this year was so up and down was the presidential election in November, which saw our nation split almost equally in half. This divisiveness will undoubtedly continue to influence business in 2025. While it’s best not to get involved in politics, we need to acknowledge that for many of our customers, there will be strong emotions around the coming inauguration.

Still, January is a time of fresh hope and new resolutions.  It’s a good opportunity to think about what you can do to help your customers cope with this stressful time. Offering experiences such as classes, workshops and lectures can help bring people together.  There is already a tendency for us to spend too much time in front of our screens (4 to 7 hours a day, according to various surveys).  Providing an enjoyable shopping experience is a great way to lure customers out of their homes and offices.

It’s also helpful to think about what products you offer that may solve problems for your shoppers. Can you help them feel better about how they look through new wardrobe options, or provide recommendations for some good reads? Do you have merchandise to make their homes more cozy during the winter months, or bath products to calm and sooth?  Concentrate your social media and advertising messages on the ways that shopping at your store will make them feel good.

Take a moment to think about how you can best cope with these stressful times. You are undoubtedly also spending more time in front of your screens too. Are you feeling isolated in your role as a small business owner? It’s important to reach out to others, either in your town or district, or in the wider retail community, for friendship and support. 

As you wrap things up for 2024 and start looking at 2025, I hope you’re allowing yourself to enjoy some time outside of your shop. I wish you all the best in the new year!

Happy Retailing,
Carol “Orange” Schroeder