‘Tis nearly the season to be jolly, but if you run an online
business, how jolly will you be if you don’t snag your share of the Christmas
sales boom?
Every year, more customers turn to the internet for their
Christmas shopping. The benefits are numerous;
- No queues
- No crowds
- Worldwide choice
- International delivery to distant family members
- 7 day, 24 hour shopping
- No piped Christmas music on an eternal loop!
If your online store can offer some of these benefits to
customers, and can get that message out, you stand to increase your sales over
the next few weeks.
Of course, all strategies vary depending on the product to
be sold, but if any of your products would be suitable gift ideas, this needs
to be communicated to your potential customers.
Deck the Halls
If you have the option to perform some site adjustments, it
can help to add a Christmas theme. A welcoming Christmas message and a couple
of well chosen images can show a visitor that your site is catering directly to
their Christmas shopping needs. Christmas imagery produces a positive reaction
through happy associations and promoting a jolly experience for your visitors
can certainly help to improve sales.
Santa Claus is Coming to Town
With many Christmas shoppers wanting to send presents over
long distances, you can become Santa Claus and make sure those gifts land in
the right stockings on time – no chimney climbing required.
By adding a gift-wrapping
service to your postage and packing, as well as the option to send the item
directly to the family member, you save the customer time and money. Such a
service could make the difference between you and competing stores when the
customer makes their purchasing decision.
If you do offer this service, it is very important to stress
the time needed to guarantee delivery before Christmas and let the customers
know how many days they have to take advantage of your offer. This also
produces a sense of urgency that can encourage customers to buy now rather than
later.
Ding Dong, Merrily on High
You may not have church bells to announce your Christmas
specials, but it is still very important to get your Christmas message out.
Consider adjusting your search engine advertising to include Christmas themed
adverts, highlighting your promotions.
Alternatively, if you have a blog or email newsletter, make
sure you put out plenty of information of what you have to offer in the weeks
leading up to Christmas.
The 12 Days of Christmas
These days, it seems that Christmas is over by Boxing Day,
but the Christmas festivities traditionally last until January 5th,
Twelfth Night. Superstition requires that all Christmas decorations should be
brought down before the end of Twelfth Night to avoid bad luck in the coming
year and this would seem to be a good practice to adopt for your website as
well.
Of course, you may have already adopted a New Year theme by
then, but whatever you choose to do, remember to remove your Christmas
promotions soon after the Christmas holiday, to avoid giving the perception
that your store is outdated and poorly maintained.
On the other hand, removing Christmas from your website too
early can look cold and cynical. A small adjustment in the content and imagery
can keep the Christmas theme running under the banner of a post-Christmas sale,
which also gives opportunities for late shoppers to get something for that
distant aunt in Ipswich they forgot about.
So why not adopt the 12 days on your website?
Joy to the World
If you adjust your sales plan to encompass the different
needs of shoppers during the Christmas period, you can increase sales and have
a Merry Christmas all of your own.
About the Author
Jonathan Crossfield is the Marketing Communications Manager for
PlanetDomain and Netregistry. He is a regular contributor on internet business to Nett Magazine and also produces a successful blog on writing.
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