The music, the lights, the food and the shopping! As the song says, the holiday season is “…the most wonderful time of year”.
For ecommerce retailers this is also shaping up to be the most profitable time of year. According to digital analytics company comScore, Cyber Monday online sales surpassed $2.038 billion, posting a 17% increase from last year.
Here are a few areas where you can supercharge your ecommerce holiday sales.
Your Customers
Today’s shopper is more than a demographic. To better understand your customer, you need to know their shopping habits
- Are they cost conscious? (offer special deals on your website)
- Do they impulse buy? (offer bonus items at checkout)
- Do they want something practical or fun? (offer them appropriate options)
- Do they shop early or last minute? (send email reminders pointing them to your online store )
Understanding your customer base will help you formulate strategies to best support their buying habits.
Your Products
How do your customers identify your products? Make sure the products in your online store are tagged with the relevant words to match buyer’s search terms. If people are searching for sweaters, you don’t want your products tagged only as cardigans.
Your Offers
The buying process should be easy, seamless and provide incentives to your customers.
- Wish lists on your website allows customers to pre-select the items they want (and helps you learn what people are looking for)
- Provide early-bird discounts for early shopping
- Volume pricing and deals offered at your online store checkout are easy ways to increase your per-customer sales
Your Community
Building long term relationships with customers is the most important step any ecommerce retailer can take this holiday season. A purchase is not the only interaction that has value. Offer a free reward or discount on your website if they sign up for your newsletter. An email address will allow you to continue the relationship with your potential customer, increasing the odds you will convert them at a later date. Stay connected through various social media channels to build relationships. And after a purchase, follow up to ensure the customers are happy and don’t have any questions.
Focus on building relationships with your ecommerce customers, and they will buy from you well beyond the holiday season.
