The festive season is the best time of year for eCommerce stores because it’s one of the most profitable times. If you’re looking to do well with your store, though, you need to know how to make sure your customers are happy and they love what they buy from you. You also need to make sure that they keep coming back after Christmas has come and gone!
Focus on your customers’ needs
When it comes to selling products, understanding your customers is key. You need to know what they want and what they’re looking for in order to give them what they need—and have them keep coming back for more.
In order to do this, you should take the time to get acquainted with your customer base through various channels like social media or email newsletters. Take a look at your data and let it drive your decision-making. You can also try getting feedback from them directly by asking questions or engaging in open-ended conversations that allow the customer to tell you exactly what their needs are and how those needs can be met by your business.
Offer free shipping.
You can use free shipping to your advantage. Free shipping is a very popular incentive and will encourage customers to spend more money on your store, as they won’t have to worry about paying any fees. It’s best to offer free delivery with every purchase that you make, but if this isn’t possible then set a minimum order value as well. If you’re concerned about profits and want them kept high, then only offer free delivery if a customer spends over £25 or £50 etc., depending on how much profit margin you’d like to keep.
Create customer loyalty programmes and discounts.
If you want to really boost sales and increase customer loyalty, consider creating a customer loyalty programme. This could be something as simple as offering discounts and freebies to loyal customers or special deals for new customers who sign up.
Another way to encourage repeat purchases is by allowing them access to your store’s exclusive members club or reward scheme. You can do this by sending out an email newsletter every month with details of any special offers going on at the moment in order to entice people back into your store again and again!
Don’t forget to reward your current customers too. Use your data list to send emails with an exclusive discount for those that have previously purchased from you or shown an interest in your product(s). To trigger urgency, make the discount time-sensitive. Then you can sit back and watch the sales flow.
Add reviews from happy customers over the festive period.
Consumer confidence is the key to growing your eCommerce store. There’s no better way to impress new users than with impressive reviews. It’s important you keep your reviews relevant. Try adding reviews from happy customers over the festive period. If a customer has left you an excellent review, then use an image of them and their product to add credibility.
You can do this by adding a testimonial box/element, a customer review box on product pages or even a customer case study to your website.
Know your audience.
The first step of winning Christmas is knowing your audience. The more you know about who they are, what they want and need from you, and how to make them happy through your product or service offerings, the better chance you have of winning with them this Christmas.
Focus on building a relationship with your customer base by getting to know them as individuals. This will help you better understand their needs in relation to your products or services; keep track of their preferences and tastes; spot trends over time; avoid making assumptions based on stereotypes (e.g., “Men love watching sports so I’ll display my new TV here”); identify opportunities for cross-selling related items such as accessories or add-ons; and make recommendations based on past purchases (or lack thereof).
Send seasonal emails to shoppers.
Email is still the most effective way to reach your audience. In fact, 80% of consumers prefer to be communicated with via email, and it’s one of the most personal methods available.
However, when you’re sending seasonal emails this Christmas, there are a few things you should keep in mind:
What kind of emails should you send?
Emails that align with the seasonality of your product or service will help shoppers remember what they want on their wish lists. For example, if your store sells cute clothing for babies and kids, send an email with photos of cute baby clothes to remind people who don’t want presents but might want gifts for friends or family members with babies in their lives that they can buy baby clothes from your store too!
When should you send them?
Sending an email campaign too early means people may not have had time yet to think about what they need; however, sending too late means that customers may have already purchased their gifts—or even worse—have forgotten about them altogether! Therefore it’s important that these messages strike when there isn’t too much competition from other stores who will also be vying for attention (and sales).
We hope our tips have helped you plan for a successful festive season. If you’re looking for more inspiration, why not reach out? We’d love to see if we can help.
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