One of the most exciting times of the year for any online seller is the holiday season. Customers come out (or stay in to surf the web) in droves looking for the best deals they can find. It’s crazy, stressful, magical, and no online business or WePay Store owner would have it any other way.

However, the “magical” part of the holiday season really only occurs if you make the money you were really setting out to make. If not, the winter chill can really set deep into your bones. A slump can also set the tone for the next year as you have fewer resources to work with.

With some proper planning, though, you’ll have a great winter selling season. Let’s look at some fun tips that can set you apart from the competition.

1. Organize Finances

You don’t want anything else weighing on your brain while you’re trying to move the most product you can in the least amount of time. One constant issue in business (and life in general) is your checkbook. The last thing you want to worry about is if you paid the light bill when you’ve got 50 orders of your best products that need to go out.

So get all that out of the way as soon as possible! Automate any bill payments you think you can, like electricity or Internet. Cut off unnecessary things like that Netflix account you haven’t touched in four months. Also, gather all your paperwork and organize it so you can keep better track of just how much dough you’re really making.

2. Reorganize Your Website

Nothing signals “big new sale” to your customers like a redone website! As soon as your regulars hop online and see the new layout they’ll want to poke around and see what’s up. Plus, new customers will see your “Check out our brand new design!” sticker on the front page and be curious what you have to offer.

One great idea is to create a page specifically for holiday deals and link to it with a fun picture on the main page. This way, customers know exactly where to go to find the best stuff you have instead of clicking wildly, and possibly bouncing on to the next big sale.

3. Get Your Battle Plan Ready

The holidays are great for small businesses, but only if customers actually see and buy from them. And that’s increasingly more difficult as the competition grows each year. The more noise in the eCommerce world the less likely it is people will be buying from you in particular.

So you have to find a way to make yourself seen! What will help you accomplish this is to understand your audience. Don’t worry about getting noticed by every single person in the world. Just go after your core audience and word will spread from there.

Of course one idea that will draw others in will be a sale. But make sure you’re operating within your limits – don’t have a sale for totally free shipping, for instance, if it will put you out of business. However, if you can offer free shipping for orders over $300, don’t be afraid to give it a whirl!