Paid Traffic
As we’ve outlined in many previous Blog Posts, Paid Traffic, or Pay Per Click (PPC), remains one of the most effective ways to generate sales quickly for your E-Commerce Store. Which at Christmas, can be the best gift of all.
It’s a great starting point and makes perfect sense, as you can run your Google AdWords Campaign in the lead up to Christmas. If executed properly, paid traffic is not only cost-effective in the long term, but it can help grow your Business.
For those Small Business Owners that already have PPC Ads running, why not create a Christmas-related Ad? For example, if your E-Commerce Store sells clothing and accessories, then it could be an opportunity to advertise a Boxing Day Christmas sale.
Research has proven that Christmas always has a substantial rise in search queries for keywords such as ‘gifts’, ‘gift ideas’ and of course – ‘Christmas’, especially from October to December. If you target these keywords, then the likelihood that visitors come to your Website increases and the chances of further sales heightens.
Sell To Your Strengths
If you know your best-selling products, or have products that are in high demand around Christmas, then it makes sense to feature these on your Homepage as part of a Christmas promotion Campaign. Give them the prime real estate on your Website, so they’re easy to find and obvious to your potential customers right away.
Remember, if these items have sold well during the year, then you can push even harder during the Christmas rush. Just don’t forget to restock them prior to Christmas to avoid losing out on extra sales.
Special Deals
Whatever your Website sells, Christmas is a chance to offer sales, promotions and offers to really generate sales, cross-promote and up-sell. These special deals enable you to attract customers to several of your products and promote and sample others that they may not have originally searched for.
And, as suggested above, it doesn’t hurt to have these special promotional deals featured front and centre on your Site’s Homepage.
In addition, you could also offer premium shipping options as part of the deal. After all, your customer will likely be doing their Christmas shopping several weeks out from the big day, perhaps even less. Therefore, everyone will want their items within the next 48 hours that it’s purchased.
Use Social Media To Promote
According to a recent survey, Social Media accounts for half of the festive shoppers during the peak season. For this reason, it’s a great idea for you to advertise your most popular products on your own Social Media.
Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are great places to publish organic posts, paid ads and Christmas deals or specials you may be offering. Using Social Media to promote regular deals will trigger scarcity and urgency with those interested users, persuading them to buy quickly before they miss the deal!
Don’t ignore the power of Social Media because it you may just miss out on some HUGE opportunities to maximize your revenue this year.
Make Your Website Device-Friendly
Always remember that in today’s Digital World, everyone wants their items right now, if not sooner! And during the crazy busy Christmas period, many people will be doing a lot of browsing and shopping on their Mobile Devices to save on time. This makes is absolutely vital for you to ensure your Website is completely Mobile Responsive before the Christmas rush hits.
A recent survey concluded that 40% of all transactions now take place on multiple devices, including smartphones and tablets. The survey also found that cross–device shopping has become increasingly popular among shoppers that might find an item on one device, but will research it and then buy it on another. According to another E-Commerce study, consumers who shop on multiple devices are 20% more likely to complete a purchase on a mobile device than the average shopper.
This is why Small Business Owners should always have the mobile strategy in their back pocket due to the profit potential. On top of that, it also improves the shopping experience for the buyer and will likely result in a return sale.
Make Scarcity Your Friend
There is nothing wrong with putting the onus on the customer to make a decision fast. And when it comes to Marketing at Christmas time, this tactic of Scarcity is one that’s sure to increase your sales.
Imagine the disappointment that customer feels if he or she cannot buy the gift that they are hoping to gift to their elderly Grandmother, caring mother or devoted lover. It’s these emotions, and the fear of missing out on a good deal, which can be extremely powerful motivators to buy during the holiday season.
The customer will be aware, especially during the holiday season that they are competing for that same item with hundreds of other customers, or that the offer is only applicable ion the days leading up until Christmas. By advertising that the item is running out, or that the sale is about to end, this will inevitably force the Site visitor to act faster.
Make Sure Your Faqs Are Up-To-Date
During the Christmas rush, not only is your E-Commerce traffic on the rise, but the customer inquiries will be as well. For this reason, you need to ensure that all the questions your customers might have, have been answered on your Site.
Check out your FAQ’s on your Website. Did you do any updates recently? Are they still relevant or maybe some things have changed? Having an up-to-date FAQ serves as a great resource for addressing customer concerns. It can solve their issues without the customer having to call you and risk being put on hold or worse, not getting through at all. By answering their questions head on, this increases the chances of that customer buying an item from your Site.
Now that you’ve done your homework and research, it’s time to prepare your E-Commerce Store for the upcoming season! Getting your Website right and perfectly optimized for this period can seriously increase your bottom line, helping you to round out the year on a high note for your Small Business.
Merry Christmas to you all!
