The tree is undecorated, the sale is on, and you're no longer in the Christmas spirit. Yet, this is the moment when you make or break your purchasing for next year. What you write down now, you won't remember in the summer.
Split your sales into two piles
Place your bestsellers next to your evergreen items. Not based on feeling, but on figures: what sold at full price, and what you had to sell off at a discount. The first pile is your margin. You want to buy more of these next year; the second pile you either scrap or order more cautiously.
Note what customers asked for and you didn't have
You don't see the lost sales in your figures, but your staff heard them. Which design was requested when it was out of stock, which color or size were you missing? Write it down this week, because in June it will be gone.
Put the purchasing date in your calendar now
Many distinctive pieces are ordered in the summer, well before the season. Those who wait until autumn choose from what is left. Therefore, set a reminder now for May or June, with your notes from this year next to it.
You can already sign up for next year's season. On become a reseller you can see how the pre-order and delivery process works.