There is but one holiday season each year, and merchants rely on it to fill their stores and online shopping carts to fatten their bottom lines. But holiday sales can carry merchants only so far, and as the calendar flips to 2023, they will need help to survive and thrive. 

That’s where their service providers can step in with solutions. The numbers look good for a strong holiday sales season for merchants, which saw a record 197 million in-store and online shoppers between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday. However, as a potential recession and other economic headwinds hit merchants beyond the holiday season, they will be looking for ways to maximize both sales and non-sales customer interactions that can lead to greater engagement and loyalty.