Nowadays, every brand is a store. Given our experiences over the last 20 months, the majority of our buying is now done online through digital platforms. People’s purchasing habits have evolved simply because they are more comfortable buying online.
Shopping using digital devices makes life simpler whether you’re having things mailed to your house or picking them up from a locker or curbside.
It’s not that people don’t want to go inside shops anymore. It’s simply that eCommerce allows us to accomplish things that would take a lot more time if we had to go out and shop in person. Here are some ways brands can prepare for the upcoming holiday season!
Involve Seasonal Shoppers.
Carl Jensen, founder of Compare Banks states: “While regular, repeat consumers are the golden grail for every firm, many may discover that they have a sizable set of clients that make purchases on certain occasions, such as Black Friday and the run-up to Christmas.
It is critical to identify these individuals and connect with them as soon as possible. In South Africa, iOS installations spiked on Black Friday in November. The growth in Android was less noticeable; nonetheless, both Android and iOS saw a considerable drop following Black Friday.
Consider a teaser ad that highlights what buyers might anticipate this year. Will any specific product lines be available? When will your discounts begin and end? Of course, you may utilize your own cohort to create look-alike audiences.”
Create special deals and discounts with Christmas shopping in mind.
Carl continues; “The Christmas and holiday season promotions are about more than simply bargains and discounts for customers.
Many of your prospective consumers are also seeking expedited shipping or cheap shipping. So, while developing offers and discounts for this seasonal sale, keep consumer psychology in mind. You could use the following Christmas marketing and holiday season promotions: percent off storewide, percent off specific goods, and percent off a set cart total.”
Utilize your owned channels to their full potential.
Sam Tabak, co-founder of RMBH Charities claims: “Many businesses use owned media to drive traffic to their apps. Access to third-party data has been restricted due to privacy regulations, and marketing via your channels is typically more cost-effective for user acquisition.
Firms may generate downloads prior to Christmas shopping using email marketing, social posts, or mobile browser smart banners. To stimulate purchases, e-commerce firms such as Jumia send out emails and in-app advertisements months before Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Prioritize app download messaging and promote app exclusives, such as an app-only offer, to entice consumers. Deep links and QR codes may be used to effortlessly move customers across your app and measure campaign results.
For many retailers, owned channels include their physical store. In-store promotion of an app is an excellent strategy to acquire a brand-loyal audience. A QR code in the locker room or at the cash register may direct visitors to your app.”
Determine the appropriate in-app events
According to Isa Sibanda, founder of Privacy Australia: “Any e-commerce app marketer’s objective should be to provide the most value to consumers. It’s crucial to optimize for installations, but you also need those consumers to remain engaged and make purchases for them to genuinely give the value you’re looking for.
This is particularly critical during major shopping occasions like Black Friday when you frequently only have a limited amount of time to create an impression.
Marketers should track critical in-app events in addition to app installations to optimize their approach appropriately. These events may include buyer searches, checkout completion versus abandonment, purchases, recurring buyers versus one-time purchasers, and so on.”
Be aware of the economic situation.
Isla continues that “Above all, every e-commerce firm should recognize and confront the present economic slowdown.
The economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have led experts to believe that most countries around the world are gradually entering an economic downturn, and brands should not use the upcoming holiday shopping season as an excuse to extract more money from customers who are likely already feeling the pinch in their financial affairs.
Brands should be cautious in their marketing language, restrict price increases when feasible, and avoid pushing consumers to incur debt via high-interest loans or pay-later plans.
Brands that think long-term, and are focused on helping their consumers through difficult times, will have a more devoted customer base after the recession is past.”
Prepare your inventory ahead of time.
Ramneek Sidhu assesses how much budget to commit to Christmas inventory by assessing historical sales data and this year’s projected purchase behaviors to capture consumer demand and minimize supply chain blunders. Buy your best-sellers early and in small quantities to account for demand and lead times.
While you may want to offer Christmas products in your business, evergreen items are a better choice. If you have excess, consider year-round things. This is a brilliant way to reduce your Christmas expenditure while still providing items for year-round buyers.
Prepare your online store.
According to Abe Breuer, founder of VIP To Go; “Digital sales overtook brick-and-mortar sales for the first time since early 2021, indicating that global shoppers continue to rely on e-commerce.
Retail e-commerce sales are expected to increase 6.8% over last year, according to the Commerce Department’s Census Bureau. At Christmas, consumers will benefit from the security and convenience of an easy-to-use e-commerce site.
It’s time to modify your e-commerce site’s goods and shipping information. Online videos affected 55% of buyers. Make sure your company’s history is included in your digital presence.
With more consumers wanting to shop small and support businesses that align with their values, a company’s foundation narrative may help attract new customers.
Finally, make sure your e-commerce site is easy to use. Make the discovery-to-checkout procedure as simple as possible. Make it easy to find and buy holiday-themed collections and gift ideas on your website. Use Christmas gift suggestions to your advantage.
Gift recommendations may be an effective sales tool throughout the holiday season, particularly because 90% of North American customers are open to testing new products.
This curiosity gives you the chance to surprise and thrill clients by presenting them with one-of-a-kind goods from your business. Creating a Christmas gift guide is a simple way to highlight these goods.
Consider your target client while deciding how to organize your holiday gift recommendations. Consider whom they’re purchasing for and what principles they hold dear.
After that, consider your seasonal inventory plan. Your Christmas gift recommendations don’t have to include all-new, season-specific items. Instead, they may be chosen in a manner that best matches your product inventory.”
Increase your marketing outlets.
More online customers are using social media to uncover bargains. A social media presence may assist you in reaching out to new customers.
If you’re new, try focusing on just one social networking site. Instagram is popular for business among producers and buyers: Follow these simple steps to create a community, engage with influencers, generate income, and improve traffic. It’s an excellent way to keep customers up to speed on discounts, holiday hours, and other business news.
Instagram Live enables potential customers to get a closer look at your stuff, ask questions, and avoid buying unwanted items. This decreases the online return rate to 20.8%.
Email marketing may be a useful tool for attracting new clients and strengthening relationships with current consumers. If you haven’t previously, collect email addresses from customers through a sign-up sheet or a website form.
Templates may save you time, and understanding email complexities is easier than you think. Regular email keeps your firm at the forefront of people’s minds and promotes traffic to your e-commerce site. You might also advertise sales or holiday collections.
