Is your business experiencing a post-festive season slump? Perhaps this time of year is naturally slow as consumer finances recover from holiday excesses, but the fact is that a slow spell can strike at any time. Yet when one does there’s no need to put a halt on your ambitions. Quiet times provide businesses with an opportunity to regroup and prepare for future growth.

There’s reason to be optimistic too. Research shows that global consumer spending is set to rise this year, growing by 6% compared to 2024.¹ So why not use this opportunity to refine your strategies, strengthen your relationships, and drive long-term success? Here are seven ways you could do it:

Use this time to build a deeper understanding of your inventory levels, as this could help you to better manage the current situation as well as avoiding overstocking or understocking as the year progresses. The first is wasteful of your budget, while the second could see you lose revenue and disappoint customers.²

In the midst of a slow period, it’s a good idea to identify your best sellers and concentrate on replenishing them immediately so you’re in a good position for the rest of the year. For others you could employ more of a maintenance stocking strategy to save on production costs and potential sales losses.³

To strike the right balance between supply and demand for the future, you’ll naturally want to check historical data to analyse which products have been selling well and which have been less popular. Bear in mind that past figures could be skewed by seasonal sales or by specific non-recurrent circumstances. Anything from weather factors to cultural events may have had an impact.

So, make sure you look for any consistent, replicable patterns that will be useful for your forecasting.⁴ Inventory management software can be helpful for optimising levels and identifying which products to prioritise – tools like Shopify and Sumtracker come with a host of features, from sending alerts and tracking to inventory reports and data analysis.⁵

Carrying out a thorough competitor review is another great way to maximise your downtime, allowing you to dive deep into the current landscape and identify how you can best stand out.

As well as broader industry insights and trends, gather data on competitors’ current and projected market share, sales, and revenue, and see how this stacks up against your own.⁶ Compare prices and customer ratings, and research their marketing and social media strategies – how active are they on different channels, what sort of content do they post, and how frequently?

You could also leverage tools like BuiltWith (showing you valuable information about how competitors’ websites are built) and SEMrush (to learn about their SEO tactics) to streamline this process and gain valuable insights.⁷

A sales dip can create cash flow challenges. You’ll continue to incur business costs regardless of sales volume, so evaluating and optimising your cash flow could bring greater stability during a slower period.

One way to protect your cash flow is to review your spending habits and identify any potential areas for cutbacks.⁸ Consider if there are any tools or software you’re paying for but not using much, or whether you could spend your marketing budget more wisely.⁹

Analyse your historic revenue to help predict your long-term cash flow needs and use this data to create forecasts for both peak and off-peak periods – this will help give you more confidence about future sales dips. You could also explore ways to increase or add new revenue streams, such as discounts or gift cards.¹⁰

Another effective strategy for lowering costs is by reviewing your supplier relationships and negotiating with them for reduced prices or more flexible payment terms.¹¹ You could even create new partnerships with other companies offering better prices, researching the market while you have the time.

Costs aside, this could also be a good opportunity to schedule supplier meetings to discuss current processes, figure out what’s working well, and identify any potential improvements you’ve been sitting on but haven’t previously had the chance to implement – for example, any ways to streamline your supply chain to reduce waste.

62% of businesses practicing supplier relationship management use scorecards to measure their suppliers’ performance.¹² These can be a great tool for understanding the value a supplier is offering you by focusing on metrics such as innovation, on-time delivery, quality, and responsiveness.

Even if your customers aren’t making as many purchases right now, it’s important to maintain engagement through meaningful communications that keep you front of mind.

For example, you could show your appreciation for their custom by sending a thank you email, or gather their valuable feedback to help them feel more invested in you.¹³ Ask for their opinion on your products, service and customer experience through surveys and polls – or you could find out your Net Promoter Score, a reliable market research metric based on customers’ online ratings.¹⁴

Another option is community engagement. While you can, why not participate in any local charity or volunteering events? It’ll be a fun initiative for you and your team, and you can share updates with your customers on social or email to build greater trust in your brand.¹⁵

You could use your time wisely to hone your sales plan, focusing on how you’re going to grow and sustain sales in the future and identifying new revenue opportunities.

Begin by setting specific goals (such as how many sales of a specific product you want to make over a six-month period), with deadlines and milestones to hold yourself accountable and clear actions for how you’re going to achieve your objectives.¹⁶

How many markets do you sell in currently? Whether it’s one or several, consider expanding your reach further by targeting new or underserved segments, researching needs and preferences in those markets to make sure you reach the most valuable customers.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, so to get the best out of our sales plan you may want to look online at the many templates available to help you effectively map out your strategy^.17 You can find more information on how to do so here.

Instead of rushing to publish social media content, as is often the norm during busy times, make the most of being able to craft thoughtful, strategic posts that align with your brand image. Experiment with different formats to see what resonates best with your audiences and drives the most engagement.¹⁸

When sales are lower, you may need to be more tactical with your marketing budget, especially if you use paid advertising.¹⁹ Leverage tools like Google Ads to make sure you’re getting the most out of your spend, targeting the right audiences with the right content at the right time.

Evaluate your SEO strategy too to identify any opportunities for improving your website's visibility – for example, by updating your landing pages with seasonal keywords that are relevant to your industry. Tools such as Moz and Ahrefs can help you to do this, or you could use products such as Google Trends to see which keywords are currently trending and adapt your website accordingly.²⁰

Disclaimer: The information provided on this page does not constitute legal, tax, finance, accounting, or trade advice, but is designed to provide general information relating to business and commerce. The FedEx Small Business Hub content, information, and services are not a substitute for obtaining the advice of a competent professional, for example (but not limited to) a licensed attorney, law firm, accountant, or financial adviser.