---
title: Speak by Olark | Maria Waida
description: Tips on live chat sales, customer service, and building human connections from one of the Internet’s top live chat providers.
---

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## Maria Waida

![Maria Waida](https://blog.olark.com/hubfs/maria.jpeg)

### Recent Posts

[![featured image](https://blog.olark.com/hs-fs/hubfs/holiday-box.png?width=840&height=460&name=holiday-box.png)](https://blog.olark.com/small-business-at-the-holidays-4-ways-to-optimize-your-website-and-marketing-for-higher-sales)

## [Small business at the holidays: 4 ways to boost your online sales this season](https://blog.olark.com/small-business-at-the-holidays-4-ways-to-optimize-your-website-and-marketing-for-higher-sales)

 By [Maria Waida](https://blog.olark.com/author/maria-waida)

If you own a small business, the holidays are an exciting time. The National Retail Federation says we can expect to see overall holiday sales increase by as much as [4.2%](https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/nrf-forecasts-holiday-sales-will-grow-between-38-and-42-percent) this year, thanks to job growth and higher average wages. That means shoppers are ready to spend more — you don't need to rely on sales, discounts, and promotions to meet your holiday sales goals. Instead, you can focus on streamlining online purchases with a quick website tune-up. 

[Read More](https://blog.olark.com/small-business-at-the-holidays-4-ways-to-optimize-your-website-and-marketing-for-higher-sales)

[All posts](https://blog.olark.com/all)

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- [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/469764/)

 Product

- [Pricing](https://olark.com/pricing)
- [Chatbots](https://olark.com/chatbot-copilot)
- [Features](https://olark.com/features)
- [Integrations](https://olark.com/integrations)
- [Product Tour](https://olark.com/product-tour)
- [Case Studies](https://olark.com/case-studies)

 Support

- [FAQ](https://olark.com/faq)
- [Help Center](https://olark.com/help)
- [Getting Started](https://olark.com/help/getting-started)
- [Troubleshooting](https://olark.com/categories/tool-tip)
- [JavaScript API](https://olark.com/api)
- [Hire an Expert](https://olark.com/partners-directory)

 About

- [Our Team](https://olark.com/about)
- [Our Values](https://olark.com/values)
- [Become an Olarker](https://olark.com/jobs)

 Connect with us

- [Speak: The Olark Blog](https://blog.olark.com)
- [Our Guide to Remote Work](https://olark.com/tips-for-remote-managers-and-going-remote-guide)
- [Become a Partner](https://olark.com/partners)
- [Contact Us](https://olark.com/contact)

- [Terms of Service](https://olark.com/tos)
- [Privacy Policy](https://olark.com/privacy-policy)
- [GDPR](https://olark.com/help/gdpr)
- [Accessibility](https://olark.com/ada-accessible-live-chat)
- [Statement of Action](https://blog.olark.com/statement-of-solidarity-and-action-for-black-lives-matter)

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