Ways to Prepare Your Bakery for Festive Seasons

Once you are based in a vibrant market like the UAE, then you will undoubtedly witness vibrant celebrations and higher footfalls around Christmas and New Year. This festive period usually sees Dubai supermarkets, Dubai grocery stores, and other establishments come alive with special offers and deals for customers. You can also cash in on the festive frenzy by preparing your bakery in advance. Here’s how. 

Getting Your Bakery in Shape 

Here are some ways in which you can make sure that your bakery is ready to leverage the coming festive season. 

• Getting your products in place- If you do not have a good bakery supplier already or your existing bakery items suppliers are not reliable, then you should fix this at the outset. Find good wholesale food suppliers for bakeries and start planning your product line-up. You can reach out to reputed FMCG companies in Dubai for this purpose. You should also have your new products ready at least a couple of weeks before Christmas to gauge which ones are creating a buzz and which are not. Analyze what your rivals are doing and take inputs from what is working for them. 
• Evaluate last year’s performance- Along with getting bakery ingredients suppliers and your product mix in place, also evaluate last year’s sales inventory. Assess your sales, the items which sold the most, ones which you will have to order ahead, and also predict if and when you will require seasonal professional help and for what duration. Use the records of the earlier year to avoid wasting time, since sales usually follow similar patterns in most cases. Avoid a scenario where you have to display out-of-stock messages to customers. 
• Keep the classic items in stock- While you can always get creative and unveil new products for customers, keep some of the classics that have always been customer favorites. Think pumpkin pies or even cookies and muffins. Some staples should always be available in sufficient quantity to keep customers coming to your store. 
• Focus on the holiday decorations- Spruce up your outlet/store with holiday decorations. Ensure that your storefront has a welcoming vibe throughout the holiday season. The interiors should encourage this feeling of warmth with good music, lighting, and other decorations. 
• Keep your employees motivated- It is sometimes hard to keep employees motivated to work longer hours during the holiday season. You can consider offering holiday bonuses or even showing them an appreciative side to your personality. If you have stocked up adequately and staffed your store likewise in anticipation of the festive rush, then employees will not be as overwhelmed. This will help them stay happy and smiling throughout this period, which is always appreciated greatly by customers. 
• Promotions and Deals should be effectively unleashed- When it comes to festive offers or deals, timing is always the key. Coupons and other offers are a great way to enhance footfall during the peak season. However, make sure that you do this about a week or a few days before the main festive event. 

Along with following these measures, the festive season is also a great time to consider giving something back to the community or volunteering to help. This can be showcased at your bakery and keep customers engaged as well. Getting into the holiday spirit is sometimes important to keep the smiles coming and the rest follows automatically!