Top Ways to Navigate the Holiday Season Like a Pro

November 4, 2022
Ingram Staff
Top Ways to Navigate the Holiday Season Like a Pro

It’s the most wonderful time of the year as the season of gift-giving is in full swing! This means now more than ever it’s time to get those shelves prepped and ready for the holiday rush. Whether you’ve been in the book business for less than a year or even a veteran, these tips will help ensure your store is prepared for everyone’s wish list.

1. Make Sure You Order Early

You’ve probably heard it every year that it’s important to stock up early (and it is),but during the busiest time of the year, it’s a good idea to place your orders a few days earlier each week. For example, if you usually place your orders on a Tuesday, back it up a few days to Sunday instead—that way you can ensure everything is ready to be delivered on time with our speedy delivery.

 

2. Utilize Direct to Home

Don’t limit your bookstore to just the physical copies on your shelves. With Direct to Home, you can offer millions of online titles that can be shipped directly to your customer’s doorstep, or the doorstep of whoever your customer wishes. That way gift-giving just got easier!

Don’t have a Direct to Home account? Learn how to create one here.

3. Take Full Advantage of Special Promos

Be sure to check your emails for any special promos that are running for the holiday and even beyond including:

Holiday Promo

Receive an additional +2% off our regional catalog with over 700 bestsellers that are in high demand with your readers. No promo code needed. This offer will be running from October 5th through December 11th.

 

Frontlist Preorder Promo

Preorder frontlist titles 42 days prior to pub date and receive an additional 2% discount with the Frontlist Preorder Promo! No promo code required.This offer ends with frontlist titles* published by February 29, 2024. Orders for frontlist titles can be placed along with other titles, however, the discount will only apply to the eligible frontlist title(s).

 

Additional Promos

From Booklove rewards to UK Wholesale deals even to new vendors promos, Ingram has special offers running especially during the holiday season to make sure you don’t go over the budget when getting stocked up for the most wonderful time of the year.

4. Explore Weekly Top Picks

Speaking of checking your email, if you are subscribed to our marketing materials, you will notice every week we are showcasing new, hot titles that are pubbing the following week. These titles are carefully curated after reviewing what is in demand with readers. Be sure to check out these weekly messages and get your shelves stocked just in time.

5. Take Full Advantage of Special Promos

We know getting your store prepped and ready even when it’s not holiday season takes a lot of time and effort. That’s why ipage has several features you can take advantage of to ensure your process runs as smooth as hot cocoa. A few key features that will be useful during holiday include:

 

Email shipment notification

Know exactly when your items will be in store and ready to fulfill someone’s wish list. To utilize this feature, click on the My Account tab and select UserAdministration. Under the User Administration section, click “Edit User,”check the “Enable for shipment notification” box, and then click “Submit.”   

Back in stock notification

Get notified when a specific item is back in stock so you can order it right away. You can set this reminder on the title’s product page by clicking on the Notify Me button under the inventory details. (It’s also highly recommended to backorder titles as soon as possible so you’ll secure stock when there is more inventory.)

Find my order button

This new feature can track down your order letting you know where they are located so you aren’t left wondering where your items are. Start by clicking on the blue Find My Order button on the home screen, then enter either your PO number or a specific title’s EAN/product code.

Report any damages immediately

The easiest way to report your damages can now be found on ipage.  You can access the form under the Help dropdown at the top of ipage or simply click here. The form contains all of the information we need to quickly process your claim so you can get the best quality items in a timely manner.

 

Want to take a deeper dive on how to utilize ipage for the holiday season? Visit here to watch a webinar where our expert walks you through the steps or take a look at other tools that can help here.

 

6. Don’t Forget Sidelines

Your customer’s taste in gifts is as unique as the customer themselves, so make sure you are stocked up with a wide variety of items that go beyond books! From puzzles to video games to plush toys, don’t skip out on non-book items that could be the ultimate gift for someone.

View Gift & Games for your line of business:

Retail

Christian Retail

International Retail

 

 

Reach Out to Ingram for Help

Whether it’s holiday or beyond, at Ingram, we are always ready to help in any way we can!

Ingram Staff

Ingram Staff

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