Take a minute to list all the holidays of the year that you know. Not just one or two, but a long list, right? A lot of eCommerce businesses and retailers take advantage of this to drive sales because this is when buyers are not only shopping for themselves but also looking for gifts for their loved ones.
Regardless of your eCommerce vertical, there are various strategies you can apply to increase e-commerce sales. In this post, we’ll discuss five eCommerce holiday sales strategies you can use to build buyer trust and meet business KPIs in the upcoming holiday season.
The 5 eCommerce Holiday Sales Strategies In 2023
Here are five tactics and tips to give eCommerce businesses and retailers an advantage this year. You can use a single one or multiple at the same time for maximum effect.
Advocacy Marketing
The holiday season is saturated with ads, so applying advocacy marketing can make your brand stand out from the crowd. There are some ways to use marketing to boost e-commerce sales, but we highly recommend tried-and-true advocacy marketing programs regarding driving holiday sales.
Your loyal customers and fans will be invited to join your program by signing up with their social media profiles. After that, they will have a chance to gain points and win prizes by sharing your content with their family, friends, and followers.
Ensure Your Web Is Holiday-Ready
It is never too early to begin getting your web “holiday-ready.” Remember that even a few seconds of downtime during the holiday can be detrimental to your eCommerce sales. The truth is that a few seconds of delay can lead to a nearly 3% decrease in revenue. Buyers will be more likely to head over to a competitor’s site if yours fails to load correctly or is slow.
So, preparing your site for large and sudden traffic is wise to avoid losing e-commerce sales because of technical difficulties. Here are some preparations you should consider:
- Conducting stress tests.
- Commission new software or hardware in advance.
- Review SLAs and performance expectations with your vendors
- Ensure you have the right capacity and bandwidth for expected spikes
- Keep an eye on your SSL certificates for expiration and validity.
Create Holiday-Themed Content
Spreading the cheer with holiday-themed content is a great way to put a festive touch to your messaging. Black Friday-themed Emails generated more than 30% higher conversion rate than BAU (business as usual) messages. That means buyers will appreciate your brand if you take the time to add holiday fun to your marketing communications.
Here are two popular ways your brand can create (and include) holiday-themed content to boost eCommerce sales:
Conduct A Holiday Photo Contest
UGC (User-generated-content) posts have a nearly 30% increase in engagement compared to standard ones. You can collect UGC posts by conducting an online photo submission contest, allowing your customers to have fun together and show off their creativity. Then, share them with your loyal fans through emails, social media, and your website.
Publish Themed Content
Publishing themed blog posts is another fun way to drive traffic to your site and engage your customers. Remember that most of the customers are already planning out their holiday buying plans. The earlier your themed content is published, the sooner you can begin driving holiday sales. Decorating tips, gift guides, and historical facts about holidays are among the great themed blog post ideas.
Build Personalized Shopping Experiences
The Internet has given retailers and businesses a better way of selling. But they have lost some of the benefits they enjoy from traditional stores, including personalized help, friendly greetings, and the feeling that they understand the individual wants and needs of their customers.
About 80% of customers are more likely to buy from a brand that delivers a personalized shopping experience, and approximately 60% of them are likely to become loyal buyers after the first purchase. So for this year’s festival, give your customers the gift of personalization with:
- Personalized gift guides.
- Wishlist tools.
- Deliver personalized discounts, such as free shipping and 20% off.
Optimize the Mobile Experience
Investing in a mobile-friendly web is a top priority for any eCommerce business. Quick and Easy – they are golden rules regarding the mobile experience.
If you are unsure if your website is mobile-friendly, pull out your smartphone and conduct a quick test. This will tell you what it is like to shop as a customer. Forcing buyers to zoom in or scroll horizontally to see your product or text or include forms that take too long to complete are big nos. Here are some things you should implement on your mobile site:
- Reduce the amount of text.
- Deliver a full site option.
- Limit pop-up windows.
- Enlarge the search bar to make it easier to find.
Wrapping It Up
Holidays give an excellent opportunity for e-Commerce businesses to boost their sales and get new customers. So to maximize this potential, your business has to have tactics tailored for the holidays to differentiate your brand from others. Prepare your eCommerce holiday sales tactics as soon as possible to stay ahead of the competition and take advantage of the potential chances the holidays bring.
