It's the hap-happiest season of all — and the most important time of the year for ecommerce. Get your online shop ready for gift shoppers and market wisely to make the most of the holidays.
Despite how enjoyable this time of year can be, it can also be stressful. Let's face it, many of us leave shopping to the last minute and sometimes the perfect gift is simply impossible to find. As an online shop owner, competition is going to be fierce. Getting ahead is about being smart, prepared and inventive.
Ready to get started?
Here are our top ecommerce tips for the festive season:
1. It’s not too early!
Just because Halloween hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean you can’t get started on your Christmas preparations. As an ecommerce merchant, you should aim to be ahead of the game. Christmas shopping season will be in full swing before you know it.
2. Offer customization
Let your customers add a personal touch to your products. Christmas gifts are a popular item to customize with a name, an inside joke or a special photo. To allow your customers to personalize their product through SPOD, you can activate the Customizer feature for them.
Be sure to play with prices with when you allow customization. This is a tool that can set you apart from the rest so don't be afraid to charge accordingly.
3. Delivery options are the spice of life
If you don't already, Christmas is the perfect time to add delivery options, especially fast shipping. There's always an uncle out there doing last minute shopping that will need the items yesterday. Just make sure to include your return policies too! Not only with this encourage your customers to buy, but it will also increase their trust in your brand.
4. Price strategically
Is something in your online shop selling like hotcakes? Increase the price on it! It seems counterintuitive, but if the item is flying off the shelves then a lot of people think it’s great value. If you up the price, less people will buy, but you’ll be able to find a sweet spot where less people buy, but the improved margin will make a healthier profit for you. Don’t be afraid to run some discounts or special offers, such as free shipping, before and after key dates. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the kickoff to Christmas shopping and it’s definitely worth running a promotion to get a boost before Christmas.
5. The power of add-ons
The secret to success can often be found in add-ons. Items such as stickers can be a fantastic additional sale, whereas vouchers act as the perfect way to convert a picky buyer.
6. Package it up
Package deals not only look great as gifts, but they're a great way to provide offers without decreasing the value of your products. Try pairing items such as T-shirts with socks, mouse pads and water bottles or hoodies and hats.
7. Last Christmas, I gave you my heart…
Remember last Christmas? Take a trip down memory lane and check out what sold well for you last Christmas. What were your bestsellers? What could carry over from last year? How could you adapt last year’s favorites for this year? If you didn’t have a store last year, check out Google Trends.
8. Communicate your order deadlines clearly
If your customers are shopping for holiday gifts, one of their main concerns will be delivery times. Receiving gifts in time for the big day is of utmost importance. Avoid disappointment by setting and communicating a clear cutoff date for Christmas orders. Feature it as a banner, post about it on social media, and generally make it very obvious. Be careful about guaranteeing delivery in time for Christmas—unforeseen delays can happen.
9. Market on social media
Get the word out! Facebook advertising is easy and accessible for everyone, as well as advertising on Instagram. Invest in social media advertisement, engage with your followers and market, market, market!
10. Take note and learn for next year!
Record what you did to market your products this year. What worked well? What flopped? What did you run out of time for? Collect your ideas and save them in an easy-to-find place for next year.
Tracking is always important, but perhaps most especially during your peak times. Use UTMs to track exactly where your traffic came from so you can put more concentration into these channels next year.
The festive season is fast approaching it's not too late to start you online store. There's still time!