Halloween is tomorrow! On behalf of the entire Unity Payments team, we’d like to wish you a very fun and safe time. With COVID-19 still a problem, we imagine that trick or treating may not be on the menu for your kids. But here’s to you and your little ones finding joy in whatever activities you choose to partake in this Halloween.
The coronavirus has significantly impacted businesses of all kinds.
With the holiday shopping season about to get underway, many retailers are hoping for a return to big profits. In our estimation, the best way for business owners to ensure a significant growth in sales is to push their online stores.
Thanks to the pandemic, online shopping skyrocketed earlier this year. “Statistics Canada says e-commerce sales hit a record $3.9 billion in May, a 2.3 per cent increase over April and 99.3 per cent increase over February,” reports Anita Balakrishnan for The Globe and Mail, “E-commerce sales more than doubled year over year, with a 110.8 per cent increase compared with May 2019.”
What can you do to treat your business to greater online sales success?
Create a sense of urgency.
“Sale ends November 14th” “Only five left in stock” “These are going fast!”
These are just a few example statements that you should place on your product pages. You want to invoke a sense of urgency in your online shop’s visitors. By doing so, you’ll influence clicks of the “Buy Now” button instead of having customers potentially leave your site.
“Many consumers respond positively to incentives that create a sense of urgency, from time-sensitive special offers to limited-edition products,” says Dan Shewan on WordStream.com, “For example, if you don’t (or can’t) make a limited-edition product to entice prospects, maybe you can offer a financial incentive to customers who commit to a purchase right away, such as free shipping or a discount.”
Offer free shipping.
To branch off that last point, it can be argued that offering free shipping is the number one way to increase online sales. In the weeks to come, savvy holiday shoppers will be looking for online shops that make it cost-effective to buy from them. Give them that incentive.
According to Jeremy Smith on CrazyEgg.com, “a full 39% of all retailers surveyed stated that free shipping would be their marketing tool of choice. Another group of e-commerce retailers stated that ‘free shipping…is the most effective promotion they can offer.’”
Share your testimonials.
There is no better marketing than that of the word-of-mouth variety. Consumers trust the words of other consumers far more than they do traditional advertising methods like television commercials. By promoting legitimate testimonials from your happy customers, you will more successfully encourage shoppers to select your brand over other options.
“Legions of satisfied customers are considerably more influential than even the best-written sales copy, so make sure you include gushing testimonials and reviews from your hardcore brand evangelists gushing about how wonderful you are,” writes Shewan, “These might appear on your product pages, landing pages, pricing page, even your home page.”
Is your company website all set up with an online shop? If not, please don’t hesitate to contact Unity Payments to learn about our safe and secure e-commerce solution! Call us at 1-800-661-3761 or email us at info@unitypayments.ca.
