Christmas: How to prepare your online store!
Written by Emmanuelle Ruscio & Béatrice Join, Campaign Managers at Planning Media
In the past, people had to leave their homes to do their holiday shopping. Now, they can do it from the comfort of their own homes. This has changed consumers' shopping habits. According to a survey done for the Conseil Québécois du Commerce de Détail, the consumer spending of Quebecers in 2011 for the holiday season totaled 2.30 billion, including 55 million on the Internet. Furthermore, according to the same survey, nearly a quarter of Quebecers had already begun their holiday shopping in October or before and 34% planned to do so in November. It is therefore essential for a company with an online business to prepare well in advance for this consumer race. To help you plan ahead, this article will detail the following points: preparation, valuing your online business, profiling consumers and reaching your goals through online marketing.
How to prepare for Christmas?
It's October... Yes, it's already time to get ready for Christmas! As you will soon notice, right after Halloween, the windows of the various stores will quickly be transformed into a real holiday decor and Christmas promotions will appear everywhere, your online store should be no exception. In fact, making small changes to your site's interface to highlight the arrival of this holiday will immerse online shoppers in this atmosphere and remind them that it's already time to start shopping for this time of year. To do this, it is essential to start planning now for the web marketing strategies you will want to implement.
It will be essential for you to have advertising and promotions specifically dedicated to this time of year, both in the text ads that appear when people search for your products, not to mention your banner ads that will have to display a strong call to action message highlighting your various holiday promotions. Also, since Christmas is the time of year when people spend the most, you will need to make sure you have the inventory and staffing to ensure quality customer service and smooth sales. Finally, as an online business, make sure you get the best possible package from your postal service, as the number of deliveries you need to make will increase dramatically.
Showcase your e-business!
There are more and more online stores in almost every possible field, so it's important to make sure you stand out from your competitors. When it comes to your web marketing strategy, you should definitely opt for a remarketing strategy specifically dedicated to your Christmas promotions. By retargeting all the visitors of your site with an ad highlighting the different items they have seen or by offering them an exclusive discount, you have just increased considerably your chances that they will come back to your site to complete their purchases. As far as the purchasing process is concerned, it should be as simple as possible, people are often in a hurry and long steps can often discourage them. You can also offer gift ideas for men/women depending on your industry, as well as offering ready-made gift kits for which you should even offer a special price, this way the process becomes simpler for the buyer, as well as for the seller. Finally, since we are talking about gifts, the delivery has to be fast and efficient and you owe it to yourself to offer a return policy that will also be very simple, easy to use and understand for your buyer. Finally, if the whole shopping experience is positive for your customer, he will be inclined to buy again through your online store.
Who are these people who do their Christmas shopping online?
People who shop online all have a few things in common. First of all, they are people who have a busy schedule and don't have the time to travel to make their purchases (often young professionals), moreover they are comfortable with technology and trust the online purchasing process since they have already used it several times. You can also find a category of buyers who are looking for the best price and often manage to find it through online stores. They usually spend several hours looking for the "deal" by browsing several e-commerce sites at the same time, so you have to be on the lookout for your competitors' promotions and offer competitive prices or promotions to them. One very important thing that the consumer tends to forget: the delivery time. That's why it's very important that your online advertisements make your consumers feel a sense of urgency (like "Buy Now, Save More, Don't Wait Until The Last Minute!"). This way, you'll avoid a ton of last-minute people frustrated by the fear of not receiving their purchases.
Finally, the key to a successful holiday season with your online business is to plan ahead, to target your consumers and the promotions you want to offer them, without forgetting your faithful ally: online marketing! Since you already have an online business, this is the most effective form of marketing since it allows you to redirect consumers directly to your store. Trust Planning Media with your online marketing and you'll be sure to have a happy holiday season!
