E-COMMERCE REVERBERATIONS I BY JAMIE MAJOR Holiday Prep Starts Today
S ummertime! Oh how we miss leaving the house in a T-shirt and shorts, backyard barbecues, beach days and those long summer nights. And just as quickly as sum- mer ended, the holiday selling season has begun. Those who start mapping out their plan of attack for Black Friday and Cyber Monday now will celebrate later — and those who put off holiday prep will see those once long summer nights turn into even longer days as the seasonal rush begins. But even with all of the preparedness in the world, the music industry landscape continues to evolve and change. For example,
Don’t worry, Santa may see you while you’re sleeping, but I see you when you’re trying to determine the best price for a piece of gear. Searching across different websites for similar products you own is certainly a starting point, but you could take that one step further by utilizing the Reverb Price Guide. Reverb tracks the price point of different items across different conditions and compiles all of that informa- tion into one pricing tool. If you’re a dealer selling pri- marily new gear, you’re in luck: Plenty of manufacturers release holiday pricing rates and sched- ules, so be sure to always take note of these and price your in- ventory accordingly. Due to advancements in ship- ping infrastructure, customers are used to getting their gear faster. Offering a two-day shipping rate could be the thing that gets your item added to a buyer’s cart over another. Especially during the latter half of the season, buyers will be more and more concerned about getting those gifts deliv- ered to their home in time to be wrapped. Give them some peace of mind by offering expedited ship- ping and clearly communicating arrival dates. Regional shipping rates and preferences are offered on Reverb’s shipping profiles, and it’s worth having the conversation with your preferred carrier to gain a leg up on customers near your distribution center. Being prepared is the best way to kick off a successful holiday season. MI
customers are starting to buy gifts for their loved ones earlier, for a multitude of reasons. According to the National Retail Federation, in the last several years, approximately two out of every five holiday shoppers have started browsing and buying before November. There’s plenty of reasons for this shift — many cus- tomers are interested in spreading out their budget across the entire holiday season, while others want to avoid last-minute crowds and gift stress. Because of this change in customer purchasing behavior, it’s imperative to be as proactive as possible in preparing for the holiday rush. To start, make sure inventory is up to date by investing some time in checking your list. Review your back room, and then the back of the back room to see if any hidden
gems might have gotten buried when a larger shipment came in. But, what do you do when you’ve found the diamonds in the rough and ensured the accuracy of all of your inventory? It’s then time to take a long hard look at pricing. We all know customers are drawn first and foremost to savings. It’s the reality of the world we live in. And customers are never looking for deals more so than during the holiday season. It makes sense, right? Buying a MXR Carbon Copy for yourself might be no big deal, but if all three of your children have TC Electronic Bucket Brigade Delays on their Christmas list, the cost for that one pedal triples. So, what can we do?
“Because of changes in customer purchasing behavior, it’s imperative to be as proactive as possible in preparing for the holiday rush.”
THE USED ADVANTAGE If you’re selling used gear, you’re at a huge advantage when it comes to reaching comfortable customer price points. In fact, on Reverb, roughly 60% of well-priced gear sells within a week of being listed. And most major retailers constantly have seasonable events, so why not you? With all that used gear you have, you can run your own holiday sale to cast a wide net not only to buyers in your geographic area, but all across the country.
Jamie Major is a seller engagement manager at Reverb.
26 I MUSIC INC. I OCTOBER 2025
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