Christmas trading is approaching fast. For regional retailers, this is make-or-break season—often generating 30-40% of annual revenue in six weeks.

Is your technology ready? Here’s what to check.

Point of Sale Systems

Performance Under Pressure

Your POS that handles 20 transactions daily needs to handle 100+ on busy Christmas days.

Check now:

• Test during peak hours to identify slowdowns
• Clear old transaction data if your system allows
• Ensure backups are working
• Have offline fallback procedures documented

Payment Processing

Verify:

• EFTPOS terminals are updated and working
• Tap-and-pay functions correctly
• Mobile payment options (Apple Pay, Google Pay) are enabled
• Backup payment terminal available if primary fails

Staff Training

Casual staff hired for Christmas need POS training before they’re thrown into busy periods.

Ensure:

• Training sessions scheduled before rush begins
• Quick reference guides available at registers
• Experienced staff rostered to support casuals

Inventory Management

Stock Visibility

Nothing worse than selling items you’ve already sold, or turning away customers for stock you actually have.

Verify:

• Stocktake completed recently
• POS and inventory systems synchronised
• Popular items reorder points set appropriately
• Low-stock alerts configured and monitored

Online-In-Store Integration

If you sell both online and in-store, inventory accuracy becomes critical.

Check:

• Real-time stock updates between channels
• Click-and-collect processes tested
• Overselling prevention working
• Staff trained on integrated orders

Online Sales

Website Performance

Increased traffic will test your website’s capacity.

Check now:

• Load testing if possible (free tools available)
• Image optimisation to reduce load times
• Mobile experience works smoothly
• Checkout process completes without errors

Shipping Cutoffs

Communicate clearly when orders must be placed to arrive by Christmas.

Plan:

• Determine cutoff dates for each shipping method
• Create clear messaging for website and social
• Update cutoffs as dates pass
• Have alternative options ready (click-and-collect, gift cards)

Gift Cards

Digital gift cards can save Christmas when shipping deadlines pass.

Ensure:

• Gift card purchase and redemption works
• Clear instructions for recipients
• Email delivery is reliable
• Customer service prepared for gift card questions

Customer Communication

Contact Capacity

Customer enquiries spike during Christmas. Can you respond?

Prepare:

• Phone coverage during extended hours
• Email response capacity increased
• Social media monitored more frequently
• FAQ updated with Christmas-specific questions

Expectations Management

Clear communication prevents customer frustration.

Communicate:

• Trading hours (including any extended hours)
• Shipping timeframes
• Return/exchange policies for gifts
• Contact response timeframes

Backup and Recovery

What If Things Break?

Christmas Day is the worst time for system failures.

Have ready:

• Manual backup procedures for POS failure
• Alternative payment processing (mobile readers)
• Offline inventory tracking methods
• Emergency support contacts for critical systems

Data Backup

Verify:

• Automated backups are running
• Backup recovery has been tested
• Critical data stored redundantly

Extended Hours Technology

If you’re extending trading hours:

Check:

• Security systems programmed for new hours
• Lighting and HVAC scheduled appropriately
• Internet and phone services don’t have off-hours restrictions
• Alarm monitoring company notified of changed hours

Energy and Infrastructure

High-traffic periods stress physical infrastructure too.

Verify:

• Electrical capacity for busy periods
• Air conditioning working for crowded stores
• Internet bandwidth sufficient for increased transactions
• Backup power for critical systems (UPS for POS/EFTPOS)

Post-Christmas Considerations

Plan now for January:

Returns processing: System ready to handle increased returns volume Gift card redemption: Expect spike in January redemptions Exchange tracking: Inventory adjustments for exchanges Sales period: Pricing updates ready to activate

Quick Wins Still Available

With a month until peak trading, you can still:

• Clean up inventory data
• Train staff on existing systems
• Test payment processing thoroughly
• Update website with Christmas content
• Document backup procedures

What’s Too Late

Probably not enough time to:

• Implement entirely new POS systems
• Launch new e-commerce platforms
• Major website redesigns

Focus on making current systems work reliably rather than adding new capabilities.

The Bottom Line

Christmas technology success isn’t about having the fanciest systems. It’s about:

• Reliable systems that don’t fail under pressure
• Staff who know how to use them
• Backup plans when things go wrong
• Clear customer communication

Test everything, train everyone, and have backup plans ready.

Good luck with the trading season.