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Get ready for the holiday shopping season

December 8, 2022

Holiday shopping season is just around the corner. (Yes, really.) There’s plenty to do over the next few weeks to get ready, so we’ve put together a series of tips to help you prepare.

The reality is that, for some of you, it has felt like the holiday season year-round since the onset of the pandemic. Still, peak season transactions can account for 30 percent or more of some retailers’ total yearly volume. Combine increased transaction volumes with targeted promotions, new payment methods, and new transaction channels and you may find it is harder to keep up with emerging fraud trends. A common way to combat increased fraud is to send more transactions to manual review—ultimately increasing overhead costs and potentially delaying customers from receiving their purchases.

Drawing on the experience and insights of Cybersource Managed Risk Analysts worldwide, we’ve put together a series of tips to help you prepare for holiday shopping season and protect your business against fraud and risk while delivering a frictionless experience for genuine customers.

5 Tips for Using the Right Data to Improve Your Marketing

December 6, 2022

In the age of technology, data-driven marketing is a powerful tool for your small business. Much like knowing your customer base, accessing the right data can help drive customer engagement and help you advertise more effectively.

However, it can take time to ensure you’re using the correct data to influence your marketing strategy. With so much information on the internet, data collection can become overwhelming. So let’s take a look at data-driven marketing and discuss five hands-on tips for using the right data to improve your marketing strategies.

Topics at a Glance

7 tips for gracefully managing employees during the holidays

November 29, 2022

By Alysha Love

There’s no changing the holiday rush, but small business owners can help lower the stress of the season for everyone by managing employees with grace.

That can be easier said than done. The National Retail Foundation predicts a 6-8% increase in total retail sales for the winter holidays this year. At the same time, 9 out of 10 small business owners told QuickBooks that they’ve been ensnared by supply chain issues this year. Those kinds of stressors can make graceful leadership feel unimportant or impossible by comparison.

But how you curate your work culture and manage your employees makes a huge difference in their job satisfaction — and, ultimately, your employee retention. The three overarching reasons that employees leave are because of subpar benefits, like paid time off; a lack of recognition; and poor company practices, like an unhealthy culture, a 2021 QuickBooks study found.

Small actions can speak volumes. These seven tips are a good place to start to manage your employees through the holidays with grace.

How to Write and Follow a Business Plan: Tips for the First 365 Days

November 17, 2022

By Dustin Ray

Starting up a successful business is no small feat. Many prospective entrepreneurs are daunted by the statistics and the harsh reality that 18.4% of businesses fail within their first 365 days, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It’s bound to be a competitive landscape, no matter what industry you’re in.

Luckily, your first year doesn’t have to be a flop with some careful planning and preparation. Creating and following a business plan, avoiding common pitfalls, taking advantage of resources, and learning from others are all important steps in getting your new business off the ground. This guide is designed to help get you off to a good start.

Digital marketing for the holidays: It’s not too late to get your business up to speed

November 15, 2022

By Alysha Love

You’ve already figured out that you were supposed to start planning your holiday marketing in the summer… whoops.

Even if you’re among the 1 in 4 small business owners who told QuickBooks they don’t have marketing expertise, there’s no need to panic. You can still get up to speed with a digital marketing campaign for the holidays. If July was the best time to start, the second-best time to make a plan is now.

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