Now that the holidays are upon us, there is only one question: is your eCommerce store ready to capitalize on the right strategies to boost holiday sales? According to a report from Marketing Land, online sales are expected to dominate holiday spending in 2017. This isn’t surprising, considering how last year’s eCommerce sales reached a record-breaking $12.8 billion during Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday.
To make the most of the holiday season, here are a few eCommerce tips that will position your store for record-breaking revenue and an incredible customer experience.
Optimize for Mobile
According to Retail Dive, 85 percent of shoppers are going mobile this holiday season. If your online store isn’t prepared to deliver an amazing mobile experience, holiday shoppers will quickly bounce to your competitors.
Improvements in mobile shopping are necessary if you want to capture more holiday sales. Your site must be fast, easy to navigate, and streamlined for mobile conversions.
In addition to improving basic functionality for mobile users, you can take advantage of mobile video ads this holiday season to drive new and repeat purchases. Grab the attention of mobile users on Facebook with video ads that show your product in action.
Don’t Neglect Green Monday
If you’re focused solely on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, you could be missing out on another big spending day that is growing each year—Green Monday.
Sometimes referred to as “Cyber Monday 2,” Green Monday occurs on the second Monday of December. Why should you care, exactly?
Consider this: Last year, Green Monday was utilized by just 6 percent of brands. Yet, it generated 50 percent higher conversion rates than standard emails.
With Green Monday generating some of the strongest engagement and conversion rates in Q4, this is a prime opportunity for marketers to drive more sales. Use your email marketing to generate excitement for Green Monday and take advantage of this rising trend.
Drum up Excitement and Keep It Going
Consumers expect amazing deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Drive them right to your eCommerce store by teasing your deals and building anticipation in the week leading up to these shopping holidays. Check out how Country Club Prep leveraged a time-sensitive email subject line to promote their Cyber “Sunday” sale. Who says you have to wait until Cyber Monday to make your holiday sales shine?
Not only did they include a clever subject line to catch their subscriber’s attention, they also incentivized customers by automatically entering them in a contest to win a Herschel backpack to tout all of their holiday goodies.
Image via Country Club Prep
Another way your online brand can stir excitement is by releasing a “12 Days of Giving” holiday campaign and sending your customers a new deal every day.
Create a Sense of Urgency
Don’t forget to add a sense of urgency to your offers! Consumers are on the lookout for the best deal, and they will let their items sit in their carts if your offers aren’t time-sensitive.
Consider adding a countdown timer to your offers to encourage shoppers to complete their purchase immediately. That way, they know that the special offer will not be available for very long. You can reduce their anxiety of making a quick decision by offering a 30-day money-back guarantee.
You can also use scarcity to drive sales by adding “limited stock” button to items that sell out quickly. In fact, adding a countdown timer to the product page resulted in nine percent increase in conversions over sites that don’t include this helpful design element. Famous Footwear uses their marketing copy to highlight product scarcity and create a sense of urgency to act now while the inventory is still in stock.
Reward Your Most Loyal Customers
If we had to guess, it’s your most loyal customers who make your holiday season truly merry and bright. These customers are also your most profitable, and they drive sales all year long.
Their loyalty deserves to be recognized and rewarded. This holiday season, give them a sneak peek into your holiday product lines and send them email campaigns featuring exclusive offers for Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Green Monday.
Don’t forget to give them a shout out on social media as well. During the holidays, encourage your followers to share photos and videos of how they are using your products this season. Develop an incentive program to receive pictures of friends exchanging gifts and surprise them with a special offer when they share them.
Being recognized publicly not only delights your VIP customers, but it also encourages other customers to earn that coveted status! Plus, people really respond when you start a conversation over social media, and the right kind of engagement will result in a landslide of positive social proof.
Final Thoughts
The holiday madness is nearly upon us! There is much to do in the short weeks leading up to Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Green Monday, but adopting early eCommerce strategies can help you avoid any obstacles in your path to retail success.
Remember to track the results of your strategies and use this insight to optimize your marketing. That way, you can set your eCommerce store for record-breaking success this holiday season. Stuck in a holiday planning rut? Check out our free holiday resources for some inspiration!
