Now that we are smack dab in the middle of October, it’s time we admit a hard-to-believe truth. The always-busy holiday shopping season will soon be upon us! In just over two weeks, all of the black and orange decor in celebration of Halloween will be exchanged for the green and red synonymous with the holiday season. It’s all part of how retailers prepare for a huge boost in sales.
It’s important to put efforts into attracting holiday shoppers. This is especially true for e-commerce businesses. What can you do to prepare your online shop for the forthcoming holiday rush?
Start advertising right away!
The time is now to begin promoting your company’s holiday specials. Design your site so that it’s clear to visitors it accommodates their holiday shopping needs. Take to social media and spread the word about the savings that can be enjoyed in your online shop. Although you can certainly start right away, don’t wait too long after Halloween to get into the holiday spirit.
“Any retailer with an online business knows the Christmas sales spike is coming, but the ones who benefit the most are those who start to plan early,” writes Jen Roney for GoDaddy, “You’ll need time to forecast sales and order enough of the right kinds of products. It takes time to create a plan and implement it, and if you’re still working out the kinks in December, you’ll fall short.”
Debug and revamp your website.
Are there any dead links on your website? Does the design need updating? The last thing you want is a website that turns online visitors away. Make sure your site is fully updated so that it doesn’t crash, send your visitors to outdated pages or look outdated. As Jacob Loveless of Forbes warns, businesses lose out every holiday season when their websites go down.
“An important point to remember is that a slow website often appears to be an offline website to customers,” he alerts, “This is the time of year when speed really matters. To avoid something like this happening to your online business, audit your website and fix any bugs. Reach out to your infrastructure provider and make sure they are ready for increased traffic rates. Design implementation and usability optimization are also important.”
Offer better deals than your competitors.
Needless to say, you have a lot of competition. E-retailers from all over the world are vying for the attention of members of your target audience. Don’t allow your site to get overlooked. Highlight the fact that your online store has the best deals. Remember that those deals don’t just have to entail low prices. A combination of quick delivery, incomparable customer service, warranties and affordable prices will help your store to outshine others.
“Get people excited by running small Christmas sales promotions all through the holiday season,” says Roney, “You can create urgency by featuring specific categories each week or offering special weekend promotions. While shoppers always like to see individual items showcased on your social media accounts and in your product pages, a limited time offer can help move them toward a purchase.”
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