Christmas shopping news has been dominated for the last few years by brick-and-mortar retailers as they move “Black Friday” further and further up. Now, many retailers open the evening of Thanksgiving, hoping to appeal to deal-seekers. This year Walmart is extending Black Friday to a whole week of sales. Lost in the excitement or furor over Black Friday news is the continuing growth of holiday e-shopping. Market researcher Comscore expects cyber-shopping to rise 16% this year where it will cross the $61 billion threshold. Brands need to be prepared for cyber-shoppers if they hope to make the most of the season.
Ecommerce Tactics for the Holidays
Offer Free Shipping on Your Ecommerce Site
Free shipping during the holidays has become more and more popular on ecommerce sites. Free shipping can cut into your profits, but at this point it’s practically essential if you want to compete at this time of the year. If your sales increase, you should be able to make enough money to make offering free shipping worth the cost.
Decorate Your Site
Change your banners, headers, footers, backgrounds, and other images to reflect the season. Add artwork featuring snowflakes, Christmas lights, and other holiday themed art to make your site visitors feel like they are walking in a (digital) winter wonderland.
Staff Up
You might need to bring in a temp, or other extra help as the volume of sales going through your ecommerce site should be, theoretically, higher than they would normally be at any other time of the year. Consider that higher volume may also lead to a higher likelihood of technical issues on the site and make sure your tech team is prepared to handle any problems you may come across.
Deals, Deals, Deals
Now is the time to cut prices on your products. If you aren’t willing to offer deals on your products, your competitors will. In a world where comparing costs for products is as easy as clicking on a mouse, you will lose business.
Overall, increased numbers of cyber-shoppers should mean an increase in business for you. Optimize your ecommerce store to optimize your sales this season.
