Christmas is only two weeks away! It is unquestionably crunch time for consumers everywhere. For many people, holiday shopping is a chore. They would much rather get it over with quickly. Ironically, many of these same people are the type to procrastinate. Several online shoppers fall into this category. To avoid crowded shopping malls, they take to the internet to hurriedly buy their holiday gifts. What can you do to encourage them to pick your online store for their needs?
Here are three steps to attracting online shoppers to your e-commerce site:
1. Make the checkout process super easy.
If online shoppers know that it takes forever to process their transactions on your e-commerce site, they will avoid it. Here is what consumers hate: going through the process of selecting items, putting them in their carts and then discovering that the shipping costs devalue the purchase. Make your shipping costs clear throughout your site. Better yet, consider offering free shipping. There is arguably no better way to avoid cart abandonment then omitting shipping costs.
“Cart abandonment can be an antagonist for your online store,” says Satyam on MakeWebBetter.com, “And if you want to increase holiday sales, you must eliminate it.” To avoid cart abandonment, he suggests that you use email automation tools to create cart abandonment email campaigns and remind users at a set intervals of time to complete their purchases.
2. Ramp up your social media advertising.
This is definitely the time to reach out to members of your target audience directly. Millions of people use social media every day. Your Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts are excellent places to inform the world of the amazing products available in your online store. Highlight the discounts you’re offering and be sure to include vivid photos in your posts. Most importantly, place a link to your online shop in each post and tweet.
“Update your Facebook page and other social media with pictures of easy gift ideas,” recommends Bob Phibbs on RetailDoc.com, “Keep the copy short and engaging; tell why it makes a great gift and give the price.”
3. Create a countdown clock.
There’s nothing like creating senses of both excitement and urgency to elicit sales. By placing a countdown clock on your e-commerce site, you will help to grow the anticipation of the holidays. More significantly, you will alert your site’s visitors to the importance of completing their purchases right away.
To create a sense of urgency, Satyam recommends that you add countdown timers for your sales, discounts or product going out of stock; offer reward points to customers if they buy the product under the deadline; display the number of products left in the stock; and notify customers through email, SMS or social media about products going out of stock.
Is your company in need of a safe and secure e-commerce solution? Unity Payments can help you to take advantage of this ever-growing trend. We’ve made selling online easier than ever! Please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-661-3761 or email us at info@unitypayments.ca to learn more.
