The year-end rush is close, and every dollar you put into extra stock is a dollar you can’t use elsewhere. The newest small-business research we can verify comes from the US in October 2025, so it’s about a year old and not about Singapore. It still shows what worries owners at peak season, and how to turn those worries into a stock plan.

How are small retailers’ sales holding up?

Inflation-adjusted retail sales at small businesses fell 1.4% year over year in September 2025, based on transaction data from more than 2 million US small businesses, according to the Fiserv Small Business Index reported by Retail Dive on 14 October 2025. Real sales were shrinking before the holiday season began.

That’s a US figure for one month. It doesn’t tell you how your own shop will do, but it explains why owners were cautious about how much to order.

What do small business owners worry about most?

Inflation tops the list at 68%, with just over 60% ranking tariffs among their top challenges, in a Counterpart Insurance survey of 300 businesses reported by Retail Dive. The survey year isn’t stated in the article, so we’ve inferred 2025 from its context.

Cost pressure is the common thread. When prices climb, each unit of stock ties up more of your cash.

How concerned are owners about tariffs?

86% of small and midsize businesses are concerned about tariff effects, especially on consumer demand, and nearly 90% expect those concerns to persist over the next 12 months, according to the same Counterpart Insurance research.

The lesson for a Singapore seller isn’t about US tariffs. It’s that cost swings on imported goods make ordering a bigger bet, so shorter, smaller reorders can be safer than one large order.

86% of small and midsize businesses are concerned about tariff effects, and nearly 90% expect those concerns to last another 12 months (Counterpart Insurance, via Retail Dive, 2025).

How many worry about holiday inventory?

32% of small business owners worry about holiday inventory, per Xero research reported by Retail Dive. The article doesn’t state the survey year, so treat it as a recent snapshot.

It’s a reminder that you aren’t alone. Nearly a third of owners feel unsure about how much to buy, and the unsure ones tend to either over-order out of fear or under-order to protect cash.

Related: WooCommerce stock settings explained: low stock alerts, hold stock and backorders

What else keeps owners up at night?

30% worry about burnout and 37% about Black Friday traffic, according to Xero research reported by Retail Dive. Peak season pressure isn’t only about stock; it’s also about staff energy and whether customers will turn up.

Fewer stock surprises mean fewer late-night recounts. Fixing your stock count before the rush is as much about protecting your team as protecting your margin.

Can owners rely on discounting to clear stock?

Not always. More than half of owners say tight budgets make holiday discounting difficult or impossible, according to Xero research reported by Retail Dive. A discount cuts your margin, which is hard to afford when costs are already up.

So don’t treat markdowns as your safety net. Buy slower-moving items in smaller quantities from the start, rather than planning to clear them with a sale.

How exposed are small businesses to imports?

More than 97% of US import companies are small businesses, according to the US Chamber of Commerce, as cited by Retail Dive. Small sellers are the ones most exposed when import costs shift.

Singapore is a small, trade-reliant market, so many local shops also depend on imported stock. Check which of your best sellers come from far away, since those are the ones where a late or pricier shipment hurts most.

How can I get early warning before stock runs out?

Set a Low Stock Threshold so WooCommerce emails one or more recipients when the count reaches it, according to the WooCommerce documentation (2026). Alerts go to one or more email addresses, so your buyer and your manager can both be told.

Choose the threshold by lead time. If a reorder takes three weeks and you sell ten a week, an alert at thirty or more gives you time to act. Our guide to stopping overselling across your website, Shopee and Lazada shows why a shared count matters when you sell in several places.

What does a shortage do to repeat business?

16% of small retailers say up to half of their customers never return after a shortage, according to the Global Payments 2025 Retail Inventory Report of 200 small retailers. That’s the share of retailers reporting it, not the share of customers lost across the board.

At peak season, a stock-out can lose a first-time buyer who would have come back all year. That’s the other side of the discount problem: you can’t discount your way out of an empty shelf.

More than half of small business owners say tight budgets make holiday discounting difficult or impossible (Xero, via Retail Dive, 2025).

Inventory ties up 20% to 60% of business capital for most small retailers, so every over-order squeezes cash elsewhere (Global Payments, 2025).

How much cash is tied up in stock?

Inventory ties up 20% to 60% of business capital for most small retailers, according to Global Payments (2025). That’s why peak-season ordering is a cash decision as much as a sales one.

If stock is a third of your capital, an over-order can squeeze everything else. A system that updates your count with every sale makes it easier to reorder only what’s selling; Asalta Inventory keeps one live stock count across stores, websites and marketplaces. It’s one option to compare, and the planning steps above work with a spreadsheet too. You can read more on the Asalta Inventory page.

Key Takeaways

• Plan for cash first: inventory ties up 20% to 60% of capital for most small retailers.
• Don’t count on discounts: more than half of owners say tight budgets make discounting hard.
• Order in smaller batches: 86% of small businesses worry about cost swings from tariffs.
• Set alerts by lead time: a Low Stock Threshold emails one or more addresses.
• Remember the source: the survey data here is US data from 2025.