4 minutes
How businesses can prepare for a seasonal sales rush
Foot traffic spikes from holidays, tourism or a single viral moment. Follow these six steps to get your business ready before it happens.
Key points
- UK shoppers spent an average of £63 with small businesses on Small Business Saturday alone this year, the highest figure in five years, part of an estimated £24.5 billion in festive spending across the season.
- BRC data shows footfall in destination-style locations – offering shopping, food and things to do together – held up far better than the high street average over the last peak season.
- Omnichannel keeps stock, sales and customer data connected across till and website, so a spike in one channel does not create a blind spot in the other.
UK shoppers spent an average of £63 with small businesses on Small Business Saturday alone in 2025, the highest figure in five years, according to a Small Business Saturday UK/American Express consumer survey. This contributed to an estimated £24.5 billion in festive spending across the season.
But the rush is not only a Christmas story. Seaside towns, market towns and destinations with a strong events calendar see their own version of it every summer. British Retail Consortium data shows that footfall in destination-style locations – ones offering shopping, food and things to do together – held up far better than the high street average over the last peak season.
Here are six ways small and mid-sized businesses can get ready for whichever rush is coming next.
1. Start with the data you already have
Before ordering stock or building a rota, look back at last season: which days sold out, which hours needed extra hands, which lines moved and which sat on the shelf. Our small business tools bring reporting into one place, so a growing business can spot the pattern instead of guessing at it.
2. Meet customers wherever they pay
Cards, digital wallets and other preferred payment types can all show up within a single trading week. In-store and online payments, together with a full mix of payment methods, cover in-person and digital sales without asking a business to run two separate systems.
3. Make every channel feel like one business
A customer who orders online should be able to collect in store without a hiccup, and a till should show the same order history as the website. Our omnichannel platform connects those channels so stock, sales and customer data move together.
Walker 1781, a family-run restaurant in Sligo with a strong seasonal tourist trade, used the Worldpay Dashboard to see transactions across the business in real time rather than waiting on reports. That visibility mattered most during the weeks when trade multiplied almost overnight.
4. Turn a single visit into a repeat customer
A footfall spike is a chance to build a longer relationship, not just a single sale. That opportunity is only getting bigger: Technavio projects the global gift card market will grow by $1.33 trillion between 2025 and 2029, while more than two-thirds of UK gift card recipients spend beyond the value of their gift card, increasing basket size at redemption. Loyalty offers and repeat-visit incentives give a summer or festive customer a reason to come back once the season ends – and a reason to spend more when they do.
5. Get ahead of the disputes that come with more transactions
More transactions bring more chargebacks. Retail e-commerce chargeback rates climbed 233 percent between the first and third quarters of 2025, according to Sift's Q4 2025 Digital Trust Index, and disputes tend to cluster around the busiest trading weeks. Disputes Defender builds a response to each chargeback case automatically, so a small team is not stuck fighting cases by hand during the weeks that matter most.
6. Plan for the swings, not just the peak
UK footfall fell 2.9 percent year on year across the five weeks to 3 January, according to the British Retail Consortium, even as some destinations posted double-digit growth by leaning into experience rather than stock on shelves alone. Building in flexibility on staffing and stock helps a good problem, more footfall than expected, stay a good problem.
Quieter trading periods need the same kind of planning. Additional funding can help cover wages, stock, equipment or unexpected costs when takings dip, so the business is ready to act when demand returns. Look for options that are fast, flexible and simple to manage, with repayments that can move with sales rather than adding pressure during slower weeks.
Whichever season is next on the calendar, preparing for it now costs less than reacting to it later. Talk to one of our small business specialists about getting ready for your next rush.
Seasonal rush FAQ
How much do UK shoppers spend with small businesses during the festive season?
Do destination-style locations see stronger footfall than the high street?
Did UK footfall fall or rise heading into 2026?
What's the first step in preparing for a seasonal sales spike?
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