One can’t argue the fact that this has been quite an explosive year, what with all that has happened. Time has passed quite rapidly and already we are facing the holiday season, and many are wondering just what this season will be like after the craziness of the past year.
Due to the pandemic and all the enforced social distancing, shopping as we know it has made quite a drastic change. While many businesses were forced into closure due to the pandemic, there were those who embraced the online trend and turned their brick and mortar stores into online venues and, because of this, saw a rise in sales.
A majority of stores are now focusing on E-Commerce sales to bring in revenue, knowing that traditional shopping is a thing of the past. So, they are boosting their E-Commerce websites and looking to this holiday season to increase their sales.
It’s all about preparation and the best time to prepare is now, before the holiday rush begins! So, we’re going to explore five of the final changes to make to your E-Commerce website before the holiday rush sets in, ensuring that you are fully prepared for it.
Ensure Great User Experience
It is very important that the design and layout of your website creates a custom experience and promotes and brings your brand to life. Online shoppers are on the lookout for specifics that meet their needs; therefore, it is crucial to make sure your store displays all of your products in the best possible light.
Many times, when visiting an E-Commerce site, one is immediately accosted by a pop-up asking for an email address in order to receive a discount on products or some other promotional item.
This is quite an irritation to many shoppers and a majority will exit the site rather than sign up. Instead of having the email signup right at the get-go, consider moving it to the footer of your homepage instead, making sure that you clearly state how often emails are sent out as well as your privacy policy surrounding customer information.
Offer Free Shipping or Promotional Gifts
Overall, consumers prefer online stores that offer free shipping due to the fact that they don’t want to face any hidden costs. One way to promote sales is to up the basket amount for required free shipping and to advertise free shipping on a banner right on your site’s homepage. This immediately notifies shoppers that free shipping is available and what is required to qualify for that free shipping bonus.
If free shipping is something that you don’t normally offer, consider making it a holiday season special. To many consumers, free shipping is far more important than fast shipping. 75 percent of online shoppers say that they expect free shipping. An estimated 63 percent of shoppers will abandon their carts at checkout if the shipping costs too much.
Consumers also enjoy receiving promotional gifts with their delivery. If at all possible, a great incentive for shoppers to buy more is to offer a free promotional gift with their order. It needn’t be something big, but it is a way to promote some of your less well-known or shopped products.
Again, this entirely depends on the kind of products which you supply. This isn’t necessarily an option for you, but if it is, it is definitely something to look into before the holiday season hits.
Improve on Marketing Strategy
Email marketing campaigns are among the best ways to increase sales and even to promote customer loyalty, whilst encouraging newsletter sign ups. When sending out marketing emails, be sure to keep them interesting and informative, but most importantly you need to keep them specific to the targeted buyer.
When done correctly, email campaigns will ensure return customers and will also let them know that you appreciate their business. Make sure that your marketing emails are well thought out and carefully planned well in advance. Sending out pre-holiday promotions and specials will definitely attract more customers. Not to mention sending out an email to target those last-minute shoppers and reminding them of your holiday promotions.
An incredibly important email to remember is to send out abandoned cart reminders. Let your customers know that they only have a limited time to save on promotions, create a sense of urgency.
Use Bullet Points Instead of Text
When used correctly, bullet points can be a great tool to draw attention to all the important information on your website. Instead of having monotonous amounts of text, use bullet points to emphasize promotions and products and let customers know exactly what is on offer and what is of the most importance.
This will, in turn, help to up sales and keep consumers interested and coming back for more.
Get Rid of Checkout Surprises
Keep in mind that there isn’t a consumer in existence who likes to get hit with an unpleasant surprise at the checkout page. All return and exchange policies should be made clear throughout your webpage so that when the customer reaches the checkout, they know exactly what they are going to find …
No hidden costs and no surprises.
The Final Word …
There are just a few last things to consider when revamping and streamlining your site. If you have a banner or headline (or any other messages) on your site about COVID19 – ditch them. It’s been months now and everyone is aware of the pandemic, but they don’t want to constantly be reminded of it. It’s out with the old and in with the new!
Also, it is important to ensure that the footer on your webpage contains your products and contact information. No matter your country of origin, by displaying your contact information you are building trust with your customers.
Before the last-minute rush of the holiday season, take the time to optimize your E-Commerce site to ensure your shoppers remain happy and sales are at their best — it’s time to seize the day!
Image Credit:
- Featured Image, Unsplash
