With a strange holiday sales season ahead of us, including expected supply and supply-chain issues, and the possibility of more pandemic shopping disruptions, planning for holiday sales and promotions NOW is critical. Here are some resources and suggestions:

• Check out this ABA article: Preparing for the 4th Quarter: What to Know and What to Do
• Click here to see the ABA’s Holiday Preparations Checklist
• Choose the titles you want to focus on selling now, and order your holiday stock early.
• Consider “bundles” with other books, greeting cards, and gift items — create easy and quick gift options.
• Consider Greeting Card bundles.
• Be prepared to pivot in your promotions if titles become unavailable.
• Think about how to sell what you have IN STOCK.
• Think about alternate titles to some of the big books that may not be available.
• Encourage your customers to shop early. Educate them on expected supply issues.
• Encourage your customers to shop on-line (if applicable).
• Plan a holiday “book talk” for your customers — in-store or virtual — and offer great gift ideas.
• Make the most of your MPIBA Holiday Gift Guide Catalogs (if applicable). Click here for marketing materials, access to digital versions of the catalog, and more.
• Plan a holiday shopping social media campaign with title suggestions for every type of gift.
• If your store is open to the public, start your holiday clean-up, organizing, and decorating early, to make gift shopping quick, easy, and fun!
• NOTE: Both UPS and FedEx have started reporting that they are running one day behind in some areas of the country. Shipments scheduled for or expected in two days are taking three, and so on. Plan and communicate with your customers accordingly.

Tell Customers to Buy Early, Buy Local With “November is the New December” Designs
To encourage readers to start their holiday shopping now, ABA has created several images for booksellers to use in stores, on social media, in newsletters, and on websites.