Recent statistics from the year 2016 has
revealed that smartphones and tablets drove a record $259 million in
online sales on Black Friday last year, and $419 million in online sales
on Cyber Monday last year. A report provided by CNBC and Business
Insider respectively has stated that Amazon has captured more than half
of all online sales growth in the last year and Walmart’s e-commerce
sales rose by 63% just in the last quarter!
While all e-commerce
sites are aware of this sales peak, the real question lies in how to
prepare for this heavy traffic and how to make the most of it for your
individual business?
Understanding the intricacies of
handling your e-commerce sites as well as your customer goes a long way
in boosting your sale. Here are some tips to enable a well-planned and
prepared strategy for advancing your eCommerce sales during this holiday season:
Adapt to only small and avoid significant changes:
While most marketers would tell you to
make substantial changes to your sales strategy, the changes on your
e-commerce platform should be significant at the appropriate turns and
not completely redo your website unless customers have remarked
regarding the ease of use. Shoppers have the tendency to compare prices
between sellers and if they are used to your site then they would be
back to buy despite the marginal difference in cost provided they are
comfortable around the easy navigation of your portal as well as happy
with your payment options. Given the remarkable progress in digital
money, looping in e-wallet platforms and offering flashy discounts or
cash back options for your returning customers would help convert your
sales rate into bigger numbers.
Be accessible to your customers:
Customers have constant queries related
to products and service options alike. Having a separate customer
support team to address every single question would be hard to keep
track of, and therefore providing a self-servicing option would be a
wise choice. While for constantly repeated queries keeping the FAQ
section up to date would be ideal, adding in a feature of live chat
would not only be a remarkable advantage of building confidence in the
buyer to purchase from you but also help to convert them into returning
customers to be highly satisfied with your e-commerce responsive
customer service.
Market you and your product:
The primary step to get your sales reach
desired proportions is to start by planning early. The holiday calendar
is fixed and planning your strategies well ahead of time helps you to
not only regulate sales effectively but also enable you to channelize
them prospectively. Starting from doing a detailed market study of the
current year’s trends to drawing up your shipping calendar and price
plans will be the best markers from your marketing to sales conversion
strategy.
- Pick your desired festivals for sale, and draw up the promotional calendar which will outline your sales and marketing strategy from day one of your sale.
- According to Roy Erez, CEO of Loop Commerce, a buyer hesitates to purchase gifts online due to infeasible return or refund options. Amping up your return and exchange policy through a regulated shipping channel will ensure a wider customer base. Do not forget on effective shipping strategy because 88% of online shoppers have rated free shipping as their driving factor for purchase.
- Get all your planning done well ahead of the sale. Ensure that your ad copy, promotional email list, design and graphics, landing page, etc, is all prepared before the last minute of sale in order to both improvise on your strategy and to avoid technical glitches for a hassle free sale. Ensure your server does not crash due to overload as a frustrated customer would avoid purchase on your site.
Strategize the intricacies of your website and reap its benefits this holiday!
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