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In a May 18, 2017  Technical Interpretation  (2017-0690311C6, Danis, Sylvie), CRA considered the addition to the capital dividend account(CDA)  where  two  corporations  were  the  beneficiaries  of  a corporately-owned life insurance policy. 

Generally, the addition to the CDA is equal to the amount by which the proceeds  of a life insurance policy  exceed  the  adjusted cost basis  (ACB) immediately  before the death of a policyholder’s interest (Paragraph (d) of the definition of capital dividend account in Subsection 89(1)).

Where  there  are multiple  corporate  beneficiaries designated under a policy, it is CRA’s view that eachbeneficiary  must apply  the  above calculation to its CDA  independently.  In other words, the portion of the death benefit  received by each beneficiary must be reduced by the full ACB.  The legislation does not provide for a proration of the ACB in cases of multiple beneficiaries.

For  example,  where  the  death  benefit  of  a  corporately-owned  life insurance policy is $1 million, and the cost base is $200K, the addition to the  CDA  for  each  of  the  two  corporate  beneficiaries  would  be  $300K ($500K proceeds per corporation less total ACB of $200K).

COMMISSION EARNED BY CORPORATION

In  a  July  11,  2017  Technical  Interpretation  (2017-0693761E5, Robinson, Katie), CRA opined that whether a corporation  is  carrying on a business and earning commission income is a question of fact and requires more than a mere assignment of income.

The question was asked as Income Tax Technical News 22 noted that “if insurance  agents,  realtors,  mutual  fund  salespersons,  or  other professionals are legally… precluded from assigning their commissions to a  corporation,  then  the  commission  income  must  be  reported  by  the individuals, and cannot be reported through a corporation, regardless of the documentation provided”.

In  a  2017  Advance  Income  Tax  Ruling  (2016-0675881R3),  CRA  ruled  that  the  related  party exemption  (Paragraph  55(3)(a))  would  apply  to  a proposed  internal  reorganization,  such  that Subsection  55(2)  would  not  reclassify  a  deemed dividend into a capital gain. The series of transactions effectively  split  up  a  real  estate  corporation  into two new corporations,  each  respectively  owned  by a sibling.  However,  the  parents  retained  voting  control  of  the  two new corporations, rendering them related for the purposes of Paragraph 55(3)(a).

In a supplemental Advance Income Tax Ruling (2017-0704351R3), CRA  opined  that,  provided  the  beneficial  owners  of  the  property remain  unchanged, a change in legal title of the property would not alter their opinion that the related party exception would apply.

In  an August 22, 2017  Release  (2017JTT0137-001468) it  was noted that $1,500 grants  were being offered to help resume operations  for those affected  by  BC  wildfires.   Eligible  organizations  include  small businesses, First Nations, and  non-profits  located in certain areas. For  further  details  on  qualification,  or  to  apply  for  a  grant,  visit redcross.ca. Applicants have until October 31, 2017 to apply.

ONTARIO  BASIC  INCOME  PILOT  –  SOCIAL ASSISTANCE

The  Ontario  Basic  Income  Pilot,  lasting  3  years,  will  include  lower income participants chosen at random from certain areas in Ontario (Hamilton,  Thunder  Bay,  and  Lindsay),  and  will  be  restricted  to  those between the  ages of 18 and 64. Monthly basic income payments will be responsive  to  changes  in  one’s  income,  family  composition,  and disability status. In a June 26, 2017 Technical Interpretation (2017-0704801E5, Wirag, Eric), CRA noted that the payments are based on an income  test,  and  therefore  constitute  social  assistance  payments(Paragraph 56(1)(u)). Social assistance payments are generally required to be included in an income tax return, however, may also be deductible (Paragraph 110(1)(f)).

CANADA/U.S. BORDER TRACKING

In an August 31, 2017 Canadian Press article (Ottawa sharing info with U.S. Homeland security on all Americans entering Canada, Jim Bronskill) it was noted that  data will be shared between Canada and the U.S.which includes a traveller’s name,  nationality,  date of birth, gender, the country that issued the travel document, and  date and time of crossing.

The first phase of the project did not include the exchange of information on citizens of either country (only permanent residents, foreign nationals etc.). As an interim step, an agreement was signed which now allows Canada  to supply information to the U.S. regarding American citizens. The Bill to permit the U.S. to share information on Canadian citizens  is currently at second reading in the Senate.

In  an  April  28,  2017  Technical Interpretation  (2017-0699741I7,  Waugh, Phyllis),  CRA  was  asked  whether  a reimbursement  for  tax  advisory  services obtained as a result of an employer payroll error  would be a taxable benefit.  The errors in question arose from the Phoenix pay system used  for  public service  employees  (see  VTN 422(10)).

The  Interpretation  noted  that  receipts  were  required  from  the employee, and only  costs  directly related  to the payroll  error  would be reimbursed.  CRA  indicated  that  compensation  for  a  financial  loss resulting from the  employer’s error  would not be an economic benefit to the  employee,  so  such  a  reimbursement  would  not  be  a  taxable benefit.

STOCK OPTIONS – SALE ARRANGEMENTS

In a July 14, 2017 Federal Court of Appeal case (Montminy et al. vs. H.M.Q.,  A-180-16),  at  issue  was  whether  the  taxpayers  could  claim  a 50% deduction of the benefit on the exercise of their stock options

(Paragraph 110(1)(d)).  The taxpayers exercised their stock options due to the sale of all assets of the employer corporation.  The options were exercised  and then the shares  sold  to the parent  of the employer company  the  same  day.  See  Tax  Court  decision  in  VTN  419(3) (Montminy et al. vs. H.M.Q., 2012-2142(IT)G).

The exercise and sale of shares were undertaken in conjunction with the sale of the assets of the employer corporation to an unrelated third party. The option terms originally provided for exercise of the shares on the  sale  of  the  corporation’s  shares  but  not  the  assets.  However,  the terms were amended to permit the options to be exercised in this case, in the interest of fairness to the employees.

The taxpayers reported a taxable benefit being the difference between the exercise price and the value of the shares sold to the parent.  They also claimed a deduction of 50% of the taxable benefit.

The Tax Court opined that as the employees  were required  to sell the shares to the parent corporation on the date of issuance, there was no doubt that such a sale would occur, and therefore, the share would not be a prescribed share  (defined in Regulation 6204(1)).  As a result, the deduction was denied.Among other criteria, this deduction is not permitted if the issuer of the  share,  or  certain  related  parties,  is  reasonably  expected  to redeem, acquire or cancel the share within two years  of its issuance to the employee (Regulation 6204(1)(b)).

The Tax Court also noted that an exception  which disregards the twoyear test (Regulation 6204(2)(c)) should not be applied due to the Tax Court’s statutory interpretation of the law. The Federal Court of Appeal analyzed this exception in detail.

Taxpayers win

The Court noted that the two-year test is ignored where they meet the following conditions (Regulation 6204(2)(c)):

(i)                  the  employee  to  whom  the  share  is  issued  was  dealing  at arm’s length with the employer when it was issued;

(ii)                the right or obligation is provided for in an agreement or terms and conditions of the share, and it is reasonably considered that:

1. the  principal  purpose  of providing the right or obligation is  to  protect  the  employee  against  any  loss  in  the value  of  the  share,  and  the  amount  payable  to  the employee under the right or obligation will not exceed the adjusted cost base of the share to the holder immediately before the acquisition (in other words, the value of the shares when issued to the employee); or
2. the  principal purpose  of providing the right or obligation is to provide the employee with a  market for the shareand the amount payable  for the share will not exceed fair market value of the share at the time; and

(iii)               it can be  reasonably considered  that the  amount payable  for the  share  is  not  directly  determined  by  the  profits  of  the corporation,  or  a  non-arm’s  length  corporation,  for  the  period from  issuance  of  the  option  to  disposal  of  the  shares  (an exception allows use of profits in a formula for computing the fair market value of the shares)

As all three conditions were  satisfied, the exception was met and the two-year  rule  was  disregarded,  such  that  the  shares  in  question  were prescribed shares, eligible for the deduction.

Further, the Court noted that it is not the imposition of a holding period of the  shares  that  ensures  a  risk  element  but,  rather,  the  particular characteristics of the share and minimum price at which the option must be exercised. The Court found that the Tax Court neglected to consider the  risk  the  taxpayers  bore  for the more than five years that they  heldthe  options  where the value of  the corporation could have fluctuated.  As such, providing the deduction (Paragraph 110(1)(d)) was  consistent  with the broader purpose of the stock option rules.

In  a  June  6,  2017  French  Technical Interpretation  (2015-0617331E5, Roy, Louise), CRA  considered  whether  the  transfer  of  a deceased’s TFSA to their spouse could constitute an  exempt  contribution.  To  the  extent  the payment  is  made  in  accordance  to  the  will, CRA opined that the payment is made as a result of the individual’s death.  The amount may still qualify as an exempt contribution regardless of  whether  it  is  paid  directly  to  the  deceased’s  spouse,  or  first  to  the estate, and then the deceased’s spouse.CRA also opined that the payment could be an exempt contribution where it  related  to  a  debt  due  to  the  division  of  family  property,  the dissolution  of  the  matrimonial  regime,  a  gift  made  by  marriage contract,  or  a  post-mortem  support  obligation.  An  exempt  amount must be paid during the rollover period (must occur by the end of the calendar year following the death), and the amounts must be  distributed as a consequence of the individual’s death.An  exempt  contribution  allows  for  an  addition  to  one’s  TFSA  account without reducing the available contribution room.

TESTAMENTARY  TRUST  AS  A  BENEFICIARY  OF  AN ESTATE

Where an estate, trust or beneficiary acquires a right or thing upon a taxpayer’s death, several tax consequences may arise, as follows:

• the  value  may  be  included  in  the  deceased  taxpayer’s  final income tax return (Subsection 70(1));
• the  value  may  be  reported  in  a  separate  elective  return(Subsection 70(2)); or
• the  value  may  be  taxed  when  ultimately  received  by  the beneficiary who inherits it (Subsection 70(3)).

The  beneficiary  will  be  taxable  where  a  right  or  thing  has  been transferred  or distributed  to a beneficiary  within the prescribed  time limit, no later than one year after the date of death or 90 days after the date of mailing of any notice of assessment or reassessment in respect of the year of death, whichever is later.  Where this requirement is met, the tax  liability  arises when the beneficiary  realizes  or disposes of the right or thing.  See  Interpretation Bulletin IT-212R3, Income of Deceased Persons – Rights or Things, for more information on these items.

In a June 28, 2017 French  Technical Interpretation  (2016-0653921E5, Allaire, Lucie), CRA was asked whether a testamentary trust  could be a beneficiary  of an estate  or a person beneficially interested in an estate for these purposes.

A deceased artist had previously made an election to value their artistic inventory at nil (Subsection 10(6)), allowing the individual to deduct the costs associated with the inventory in the year incurred rather than when the inventory is sold.  The artwork is considered a right or thing.  Upon the individual’s death, the artwork was bequeathed to a testamentary trust.

CRA opined that the testamentary trust could be a beneficiary of an estate or a person beneficially interested in an estate.  Therefore, if  no election  were  made  to  report  the  deceased’s  rights  or  things  in  a separate  return  (Subsection  70(2)),  the  income  inclusion  could  be deferred until when the artwork was disposed of by the testamentary trust.

CPP  SURVIVOR  BENEFIT  –  TIMELY  FILING  OF APPLICATION

In  a  May  30,  2017  Federal  Court  case  (Flaig  vs.  Attorney  General of Canada, T-538-16),  at issue was whether the taxpayer could  obtain CPP survivor  benefits  retroactive  to  the  date  of  her  husband’s  death  in 2007. The taxpayer made the application for the CPP survivor benefit in 2012.  Benefits were provided back to 2011, not the requested date in 2007.

Taxpayer loses The Court opined that as the taxpayer did not demonstrate that she was incapable of forming or expressing an intention to make an application for survivor  benefits  before  she  actually  made  the  application,  she  was unable  to  go  back  beyond  the  standard  1-year  retroactive  look back period for the benefits.

TIMING  OF  CPP  COLLECTION  –  GENDER CONSIDERATIONS

An August 10, 2017 Globe and Mail article (Why women (especially) should delay taking CPP,  by Bonnie-Jeanne MacDonald) discussed the merits of deferring application for CPP until age 70. This increasesthe monthly benefits by 42% over collecting at age 65.The article noted that a 65 year old woman  today can expect to live for 22 years, three years longer than a male. Deferring CPP to age 70 will result in total benefits about 9.7% greater than collecting at age 65.For a male, the increase would be about 6.1%.

The  article  also  noted  further  reasons  to  draw  extra  funds from an RRSP from age 65 to age 70 and defer CPP application, including the following:

1.  reduced investment risk  as the funds to be withdrawn from the RRSP would presumably be held in low-risk assets;
2. inflation protection as CPP is fully indexed;
3.  reduced risk of outliving one’s retirement income, as CPP is guaranteed for life;
4. less stress from managing investments; and
5. reduced  exposure  to  fraud  –  and  to  pressure  from  relatives seeking loans – by reducing accessible savings.

The article noted that women  tend to be more  risk-averse, leading to a preference  for  the  guaranteed  income  provided  by  CPP.  It  also  noted many other considerations  which may suggest  collecting CPP earlier, such as an expectation of a shorter lifespan.

Finally,  the  article  suggested  that  women  expecting  to  be  eligible  for Guaranteed Income Supplement  (GIS) payments should  apply  for  CPP at age 60 as CPP will erode their GIS eligibility. As well, lower income seniors tend to have shorter lifespans.

FINANCE RELEASES  ( www.canada.ca/en/department- finance.html )

1.  September  5,  2017  –  Finance Minister  Bill  Morneau  and  Minister  of Small Business and Tourism, Bardish Chagger,  are  undertaking  a  cross country  listening tour  with respect to  the  proposed  changes  to  the CCPC taxation.

2. October  3,  2017  –  Late  Breaking:  As  the  consultation  period regarding taxation of private corporations comes to an end, those proving submissions were thanked. The next steps will be based on  the  following  key  principles:  keeping  taxes  low  for  small businesses;  avoiding  unnecessary  red  tape;  ensuring  that  the transfer  of  a  family  business  to  the  next  generation  is  not affected; and conducting a gender-based analysis. No specific step or timeline was provided.

CRA RELEASES  ( www.canada.ca/en/services/taxes/income – tax.html )

1.  September  1,  2017  –  A  CRA  news  release  announced  that  an office  will  be  opened  up  in  Whitehorse,  Yukon,  to  support residents with their filing obligations.  The centre will also focus on providing  specialized  support  to  businesses  and  individuals  in context  of  northern  resident  issues  (such  as  the  northern resident deduction).

2.  August  21,  2017  –  CRA  announced  that  it  has  begun  making automated courtesy calls  notifying registered charities  that the  due  date  for  filing  their  completed  information  return  is approaching.  A charity’s status may be revoked if it doesn’t file.3.  August 9, 2017  –  A CRA news release commented on schemes that claim that taxes don’t have to be paid. Discussed were the “tax protester” and “natural person” movements.

4.  August 2017 –  CRA announced that a  webinar  information session for  employers  who  have  questions  on  the  small  business deduction will be held on October 18, 2017.

Determining the status of an appeal can be difficult.

Speaking of which, last minute holiday shoppers can be a godsend to retailers because they give you plenty of opportunities for sales and engagement.

And that’s exactly what we’ll be talking about today. In this post, we’re offering some practical tips to help attract—and convert—last-minute holiday shoppers.

Check them out below:

Recognize that speed can make or break sales

Speed is critical to converting last-minute customers. Remember, these shoppers are pressed for time and need to complete their purchases ASAP. They want to browse, shop, and pay with ease. That’s why you should remove any friction points that are slowing down the shopping experience and ensure that shoppers can get their hands on products in the most convenient way possible.

Here are some things you could look into:

STORE NAVIGATION AND STAFF

Set up the necessary signage, and arrange fixtures in a way that makes it simple to navigate your store. You want shoppers to quickly and easily find what they’re looking for when they’re in the shop.

Clearly point out where people can find gifts for men, women, kids, etc. Train your employees to know where everything is. That way, they’re prepared to help shoppers who need assistance.

Also instruct your staff to be more diligent with cleaning and organizing your store. Have them move about the shop and be on the lookout for disorganized products or items that aren’t in their proper shelves, so they can tidy up immediately.

Store navigation improvements can also be applied to your ecommerce shop. If you’re selling online, create banners or even special navigation links for the season.

For example, why not have a collection or page filled with your top holiday products or gift items? Then for best results, put up a link in your navigation bar to direct people to the page. You should also have holiday-themed banners up on your front page so visitors can get to your offers or products in as few clicks as possible.

Look at what Dormify is doing. The homeware retailer has a special “Gifts” link on its navigation bar to make it easy for people to access the merchandise. Dormify even changed the font color of the link so users don’t miss it. And to make things even more convenient, Dormify grouped gifts by price (i.e. Under $25, Under 50), by recipient (i.e For Her, For Him), and by category (i.e. Stocking Stuffers, For the Home, Travel).

CHECKOUT EXPERIENCE

When customers have already decided that they want to buy from you, the last thing you want is to lose them at checkout. Unfortunately, many retailers seem to be dropping the ball when it comes to ringing up sales. Between long lines and associates having trouble with the POS, the checkout experience can be frustrating and could lead to shoppers abandoning their purchase.

Prevent this by improving the checkout experience. Depending on your store, there are a number of ways to go about this. Some stores are replacing their slow cash registers with mobile POS systems that not only work faster, but can also speed up checkout through functions like email receipts and mobile payments.

Other retailers are taking things a step further by untethering their POS system altogether. This lets associates ring up purchases on the sales floor, rather than from behind a cash wrap.

Consider what Magic Memories is doing. The tourism photography company replaced their old POS system with an iPad-based one. This, according to Chief Operating Officer Steve Taitoko, gave the Magic Memories staff the mobility to better interact with customers.

“Since we’re able to use tablets to process payments, our staff can actually go out to where the customers are, as opposed to just sitting behind the register waiting for people to come up,” he said.

SITE SPEED

Speed is obviously critical for online retailers. Studies have found that “40% of people abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load.” This means that a few seconds delay in your site’s load time could result in you losing about half of potential customers.

That’s a big chunk, especially during the holidays, so make sure you address all your site speed issues (and prevent them from turning up) before the season’s shopping rush.

Some of the things you can do are:

• Optimizing your images
• Reducing the size of above-the-fold content
• Getting rid of unnecessary plugins
• Minifying resources

To check your site speed and to see the things slowing you down, you can use Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool here.

Also be sure to check out our post on addressing high ecommerce bounce rates for more insights on optimizing your online store.

ORDER FULFILLMENT

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Efficient order fulfillment is important all year round, but during the holidays, it becomes a make-or-break factor.

See to it that you’re able to get products to your customers as quickly (and reliably) as possible. If you’re shipping merchandise, be sure to inform (and continuously remind) your customers of your cut-off dates so they know when to place their orders.

ESSIO, a store that sells aromatherapy shower diffusers, does this quite well. “We focus on consistently reminding customers when our cut-off deadlines are,” says founder and CEO Peter Friis. “There’s last day to order economy shipping, last day to order expedited and last day to order overnight. For each, we have a site stripe at the top of our site explaining the deadlines. Then we also send out an email to customers on the last day to remind them.”

You may also want to create an easy to read shipping chart, such as the one by Snapfish below. This gives people an at-a-glance guide for when they should place their orders.

The holidays are also the perfect time to provide in-store pickup and same day delivery services. Last-minute holiday shoppers are always in a hurry (for obvious reasons) so they would appreciate the option to pick up their purchases on their own time or have it delivered on the same day.

Send out holiday gift guides

Your last-minute customers could use a bit of help and inspiration finding presents. Give them a leg up using gift guides filled with ideas and product recommendations.

Go through your product catalog, pick out the ones that would make for great presents, and include them in your holiday guide. Bonus points if your guide can add real value (instead of just plugging your business). On top of gift recommendations, why not throw in recipes, party ideas, or tips for enjoying the season?

Check out what Starbucks did. In 2014, the coffee company sent out a holiday gift guide to their email subscribers to entice people to check out their brews and merchandise. And in addition to their holiday picks, Starbucks also added a link to their “Holiday Pinspiration” board on Pinterest that’s filled with recipes and gift ideas.

Consider changing up your merchandising mix

Depending on your store, you could consider spicing up your product mix during the holidays by selling items you don’t usually carry. If your main products don’t normally make for great holiday presents, it would make sense to branch out a bit.

Take for example, Lucky Brand, a retailer that specializes in denim. As Forbes puts it, since “jeans are a tough gift for people to give to someone else,” the retailer shifts its merchandising mix by adding shoes and accessories to their catalog.

You may want to do the same if you find yourself in the same holiday dilemma.

Personalize

At a time when customers are getting more marketing messages and emails in their inbox, how can you stand out and get them to notice your offers? One word: personalization.

Be more targeted with your offers. If you’re sending out emails, tailor your messages to the buying history and preferences of your customers. Touch base with people who bought from you in the past and remind them of the reasons why they love shopping with you. Tell them their favorite brand is back in stock and you’re giving them a special discount just for being a regular customer.

Offer gift cards

Gift cards may get a bit of flack for being impersonal, but they’ve proven to rake in sales, especially during the holiday season. The NRF found gift cards to be the second most popular gift this year, with 56% of consumers saying they’re planning to give them as presents.

Gift cards are a godsend for last-minute shoppers who don’t have time to cook up gift ideas, so see to it that you stock up on them in the coming weeks. Help your customers out by displaying them at checkout and other prominent parts of your store. Have your associates remind them that you have gift cards in stock.

Some retailers, such as ESSIO, are even letting customers print out gift cards themselves so they can get them on the spot. “For the truly last minute shopper this year we plan to offer digital gift cards so someone could literally order, print and create a card as a gift for someone on Christmas Eve / Day,” adds Friis.

Set up gift-centric displays

Determine your top-selling and most gifted items during the holidays, then put the spotlight on those products by placing them in a special display or shelf. Make sure people see it (and know what it is) by putting signage along the lines of “Holiday top sellers” or “Gifts for him/her”.

For best results, bundle these items to increase value and incentivize sales. Depending on the products, there are a number of bundling strategies you could implement, including:

Complementary products – Group a product with a relevant accessory or complementary items (e.g. A doll and her accessories.)

Multiple item grouping – Bundle a number of units of the same products then sell them as a package. (e.g. Items that come in multiple colors.)

Slow-moving items with top sellers – Pair slow-moving products with your more popular items. (e.g. Top-selling pairs of shoes with slow-moving socks.)

Offer gift-wrapping services

If you have the space and staffing resources for it (and if it makes sense for your business), why not offer gift-wrapping services? Your last-minute shoppers will thank you for it.

Depending on your business, you can structure your gift-wrapping services in a number of ways. You can offer it as complementary service to add value to purchases and give people another reason to buy. Or you can add certain conditions such as “Free gift wrapping with every $50 purchase.” You could also offer gift wrapping as an upsell to increase order values.

Run attractive (but still profitable) promotions

Sales are rampant during this season, and while they’re undoubtedly effective in generating sales, you shouldn’t be tempted to offer discounts that eat up your profits.

This holiday season, strive to be more strategic with your discounts. You can start by personalizing your promotions. Segment your customers based on their price sensitivity and shopping habits, then offer discounts accordingly.

The following table is an example of what you can do:

Vend tip – are you a Vend user? Our customer management software makes it easy to build and manage customer lists, so you can view, sort, and group shoppers according to factors like purchase history, balance, and location.

As we mentioned in our article about discounting in retail, carrying out creative pricing or sale strategies will allow you to entice customers without killing your profits or hurting your brand.

You can, for instance, set spending thresholds on your promotions. Rather than just giving away free shipping, why not offer it once the customer spends a certain dollar amount?

Another tactic would be to have exclusive sales reserved for your most loyal customers or top spenders.

In some cases, you may not even have to “push” your discounts to customers. Have a look at what Express, an apparel retail chain did, when it revamped its promotional strategy.

In late 2014 (and continuing to 2015), Express decided to hold fewer promotional events. It also relocated its sale items from the front of the store to the back. This move encouraged shoppers to check out their top-notch items first, and allowed the retailer to get more people paying full price without alienating those looking for deals.

Consider extending your store hours

For some retailers, opening a little early and closing later than usual can make a big difference this season. That’s why plenty of shops extend their operating hours during the holidays.

Last year, for example, Macy’s kept its doors open for 24 hours on December 22 and 23, and remained open from 12 am to 6 pm on Christmas Eve. Similarly, Toys ‘R’ Us also extended their hours and stayed open for 24 hours on the 22nd and 23rd, and until 10pm on the 24th.

Of course, this doesn’t mean you should automatically follow suit. Some businesses won’t actually benefit from pulling these holiday all-nighters.

The best way to figure out if extending your holiday hours would make sense for you is to pay attention to holiday foot traffic trends. Are people coming in earlier or later during the holidays? For example, do you usually have more people waiting for you when you open your doors or do you have customers coming in when you’re about to close?

Next, look at your sales data and determine if the sales you make during your extended hours would offset the costs of staying open. Naturally, if the answer is yes, then you should probably extend your store hours this season.

Raise the bar on customer service

Last-minute shoppers don’t just want to be served quickly, they want to be taken care of. They want you to help relieve their holiday stress so they can get what they need and enjoy the festivities. The best way to do this is to engage your employees.

As Joe Cecere, president at Little said, “to help last-minute holiday shoppers now—or any time of the year—retailers have to go beyond price and selection. What they need to do is leverage their most under-utilized assets—their employee base.

“Passionate, engaged employees can deliver personal customer experiences that create customer loyalty and help dial down the panic mode of the annual holiday procrastinator.”

This holiday season, recognize that taking care of your customers starts with taking care of your staff. There are plenty of ways to do this. You can start by determining your store’s peak holiday hours and scheduling shifts so that there’s a healthy associate to customer ratio and none of your employees are overworked. You may also want to hire additional associates, just in case.

1: Visit A Digital Detox Camp

With the underlying idea of “disconnect to reconnect”, tech-free wellness retreats are springing up everywhere. Participants trade in their smartphones or devices for an off-the-grid experience. The objective? To engage in offline activities, create meaningful and deeper connections with new people and even learn new (sometimes forgotten) skills.

Check out US based Camp Grounded or Digital Detox LLC for more inspiration.

2: Try Laughter Yoga

“In Laughter Yoga, we don’t laugh because we are happy; we are happy because we laugh.” – Dr Kataria, founder of Laughter Yoga.

Laughter yoga is based on the belief that voluntary laughter provides the same physiological and psychological benefits as spontaneous laughter. Basically participants come together for “laughing sessions”. This not only generates plenty of positive vibes all round, but provides a great way to let go of inhibitions. Research suggests it may even have some medically beneficial effects, including benefits to cardiovascular health and mood.

There are several Laughter Yoga clubs around the world (check out New Zealand clubs here). Bonus: classes are generally free!

3: Indulge In Some Floatation Therapy

Claiming to be “the ultimate relaxation experience”, floatation therapy involves getting into ‘float pods’ (or sensory deprivation tanks) and lying for an hour or more in a solution of Epsom Salts and Dead Sea salts and pure water set at relaxed skin temperature. It is a method of deep relaxation, helping to relieve stress and improve wellbeing.

4: Volunteer for a Good Cause

Pets, the Environment, Education, Fitness – chances are, whatever you’re interested in, you’ll find a volunteering opportunity to fit. Nothing like the feel good feeling of doing good.

So how do you get started?

The easiest way to get started is to check out local opportunities – for example, listings in the paper, websites such as Neighbourly or community centre noticeboards at your local supermarket or gym. A lot of countries also have a dedicated website for Volunteer opportunities – such as Volunteering New Zealand or Volunteering Australia.

5: Complete A DIY project

Whether it’s a new deck you’ve been waiting to build or you want to upcycle your existing furniture, DIY projects are a great way of taking ownership of your life and material possessions. Besides, completing a project is a really great and empowering feeling!

So how do you get started?

• First of all, think about the project you want to work on and the skills you’ll need. For example, with furniture upcycling, could a woodworking class be beneficial? Or learning about sustainable materials or environmental best practice?
• Learn from other bloggers; The internet is a wonderful place – tap into insight from these top 20 DIY blogs.
• Find a DIY community in your area; Makerspaces offer an opportunity for DIYers to meet up and share ideas and inspiration around similar interests.
• Head over to your local hardware stores for more support; In New Zealand for example, home improvement retailer Mitre10 has a dedicated Guides and Advice section on their website, and Bunnings Warehouse offers weekly DIY workshops.
• Get inspired on Pinterest.

6: Make Time For Creativity

Ji Lee talks about the transformative power of side projects, so whatever you’ve been thinking about dabbling in on the side, holidays are a great time to pick it up! But any creative pursuit requires intention and purpose to progress beyond the initial stage. Here are some ways you can get your creative ideas off the ground:

• Set yourself a goal – for example “to complete 30 minutes of a creative endeavour every day”.
• Create an environment that is conducive to creativity. Plenty of natural light, a good pair of headphones and a clear, clutter-free desk work best for me.
• Set reminders in your calendar.
• Get someone to hold you accountable.
• Get inspired! If the idea of launching head first into a creative project is daunting, look at the work of others who inspire you.

7: Listen To Alternative Music

Listening to music that’s outside your comfort zone is a good way of sparking creativity. We’re not just talking about changing up your Spotify playlist. Physically heading to different gigs will expose you to new ideas, rhythms, and people. Check out local gig guides for ideas!

8: Take a Vipassana or ‘silent meditation’ course

Vipassana meditation is ‘noble silence’ meditation, described as a practical way to achieve peace of mind and live a happy, useful life. But it’s definitely not for the faint hearted. A lot of centres offer a 10 day residential course where the student can be free from distractions and engage in a more disciplined practice.

9: Do an improv class

Image from The Office

Learning the art of improv is another great way to loosen up and gain a newfound confidence in a fun environment. You’ll find a class or course you can join in most cities. Bonus: You’ll gain skills that are transferable to the workplace, such as being able to think on your feet, improved self-confidence, the ability to laugh at yourself and…the joy of play.

10: Pick Up A Book

You can’t be a great writer if you don’t read, so I try and have my nose buried in a book whenever I can (yes, the old-fashioned kind). If you’re looking for some holiday reading, we have some great suggestions on the WorkflowMax blog:

• 6 Books By Inspiring Women To Add To Your Booklist These Holidays
• 25 Must-Read Books for Agency Executives
• On the Clock! 5 Awesome Time Management Books to Read

Go on, do something a little different this holiday!