A third of SME retailers are expecting a leap in sales over the Easter bank holiday weekend, according to a study commissioned by Royal Mail. This is up from 25% last year as Royal Mail repeat their study either indicating that retailers are becoming more prepared for Easter shopping or that quite simply ecommerce is continuing to grow.
Clothing and books are the products SME retailers expect to sell the most of over the Easter bank holiday weekend. SMEs anticipate sales in these categories as Brits engage in online shopping and reading during the Easter break.
The study found that almost three-quarters of SME retailers feel they are fully prepared for the Easter shopping bank holiday weekend opportunity. Of these, nine per cent have hired additional staff to support their business during the Easter period.
Royal Mail reckon that at least a third of small businesses will be working on at least one day over the Easter weekend and a quarter will work all four days. With no shipping from Thursday until Tuesday it’s one of the longest breaks in the year and if you switch off for the whole weekend there will hopefully be a mammoth amount of orders waiting to be shipped on Tuesday morning.
“Easter tends to be a time for family and festivities but the long bank holiday weekend is also becoming a key moment in the ecommerce calendar. At Royal Mail, we support businesses across the UK and the globe. It’s great to see so many small business owners are seizing the opportunities the upcoming long weekend presents.”
– Spokesperson for Royal Mail
Whatever your plans for Easter, marketplace sellers will undoubtedly still be responding to messages although often these days this can be done from a mobile device. However, unless you have arranged bank holiday pick ups from couriers, if you haven’t already, ensure you have enough packaging suppliers and if needed simple things like Royal Mail sacks, so that your Tuesday runs smoothly.
