Tips for Ecommerce Businesses in Preparation for the Holidays!
October is drawing to a close and that means Black Friday and holiday shopping are literally right around the corner and will be here before you know it! In fact, experts at Deloitte have predicted that eCommerce sales will grow by 12.8% to 14.3% compared to last year! As an e-commerce business owner, you may be feeling one of two things:
Excitement
OR
Intimidation
We get it. The holiday season can often be sheer chaos, especially for a business owner. Not to mention trying to maximize advertising campaigns, craft the right offer for holiday shoppers, and increase sales - all while finishing the year out strong!
That’s why we decided to write this blog! To give you some tips for how to navigate the holidays as an eCommerce business owner and maximize the influx of online shopping!
Plus, some insights on predicted trends for the 2022 holiday season that you don't want to miss!
Back to the Basics
Let’s kick off with some foundational tips regarding your website. Now some of these may seem obvious, but we promise you that these small practices can make a big difference during the holidays!
First, it’s the holidays and your website should look and feel like it, so deck the halls! You don’t necessarily have to completely overhaul your website’s look but a few themed images and color changes should do the trick!
Next, check your site speed and make sure that your website can handle an influx of traffic. You don’t want customers to leave because your website isn’t loading within 3 seconds (like actually, it should be less than 3 seconds ;)
Make sure you are providing clear information on shipping details. This is a prime concern for holiday shoppers and making sure that it’s indicated on your website can help customers make a buying decision. If they are unsure of delivery times, they may avoid making a purchase. If you can, offer free shipping, 71% of consumers say free shipping is the biggest motivator in purchasing a product. Alternatively, set a threshold for the order value that customers must meet in order to qualify for free shipping. Even consider offering an expedited shipping option for those last-minute shoppers!
Although you may see a spike in site traffic, you may also see an increase in cart abandonment on your website. This is normal during the holidays but here are 2 ways to minimize cart abandonment.
Implement software for exit-attempt pop-ups. When a customer puts items in their cart but then navigates to leave without completing a purchase, they will get a pop-up reminder about their shopping cart. If you collect an email from the customer during the checkout process, you can also follow up with an email (try throwing in a small discount with a time expiration to incentivize purchases).
The second tip for minimizing cart abandonment is to offer payment plans. Not only does this provide customers with options and flexibility but it will help minimize cart abandonments due to price. This is also a great way to target a younger demographic who is looking for convenience and a way to stay on a holiday budget.
All in all, making sure your website is ready for the holiday traffic should be a top priority as we head into the holiday season. As a recap here are the top 5 ways to prep your site for holiday sales!
Update your website to reflect the holidays! Make it festive!
Check your site speed and optimize it to upload under 3 seconds
Provide clear information on shipping
Provide free shipping at a certain price threshold and the option for expedited shipping
Set up exit-attempt pop-ups to minimize cart abandonment
Make a list and check it twice
Ideally, you have been gathering customer insights throughout the year and have been able to analyze some of the data from your previous ad campaigns. This provides you with valuable information on customers that have interacted with your brand in the past and what products they were interested in.
Drum roll, please.
Enter retargeting ads! The holidays are the perfect time to implement a retargeting strategy. Rather than vie with the thousands of other online stores that are trying to attract customers, you can target customers that have interacted with your brand and therefore have a higher chance of a conversion.
Retargeting works as a reminder to customers that are already interested in your brand that you have some great holiday deals for them! They may have browsed your website, clicked on an ad before, or searched products you offer and now you can engage with them again during the holiday season when they are looking to make a purchase!
Pro Tip. Run these retargeting campaigns the day after Christmas as well! You’d be surprised how much online shopping takes place the day after Christmas and you can remind customers that you still have holiday deals available!
Holiday Trends
Being aware of past holiday shopping trends and keeping up with the needs and values of your consumer can help you understand how to best navigate the holiday frenzy.
Consumer buying behavior can change from year to year and experts are predicting that almost half (47%) of shoppers plan to start buying their gifts between September and mid-October, and 36% say they plan to shop even earlier, starting in early September, according to LTK.
Have you ever heard the phrase “convenience is king,” with Amazon Prime and rising consumer expectations, it is reported that one in three (33%) consumers say that the most reasonable timeline for when they expect holiday gifts ordered online to be delivered is two to three days. This relates to our tip about making sure that all shipping and delivery information is available to consumers when they visit and that it’s available through the purchase process. This convenience factor also comes into play when you offer payment options for customers at checkout!
Our last holiday trend insight is that customers are reporting an expected 20% increase in gift card purchases this year! If you don’t already offer gift cards this may be the time to try it out! Create a digital gift card that can be emailed to the purchaser and then forwarded to the receiver of the gift card. Digital gifting is becoming more and more popular and is a great way to increase sales and provide an additional gifting option to customers!
That’s a Wrap
After reading this blog, we hope that you are feeling way more excited and prepared for the upcoming holiday season. You now know some of the things to address on your website, ideas on how to decrease cart abandonment, and the benefits of implementing a retargeting campaign throughout the holidays. You also know some 2022 predictions and trends that can help you optimize your sales this season!
Cheers to holiday season success!