People are making their lists, and checking them twice because they’ve got to find out – who’s got the best price.
The 2022 holiday shopping season is going to be here before we know it. It’s a critical time for any business, as it’s the period of the year that people are willing to spend money – especially when their kid says “I want a hippopotamus for Christmas.” A pretty big request from a kid – but certainly easy to find from businesses that sell stuffed animals.
Does your e-commerce business have its 2022 holiday strategy ready yet? If you haven’t, what are you waiting for? There’s no time like now to get your business ready for the busiest shopping season of the year. Last year, 57% of shoppers were planning on making their holiday purchases online, a number we expect to increase this season. Online shopping has made it incredibly convenient to purchase the perfect gifts so that there will be presents by the tree. People don’t want to be hassled with shopping in crowded and busy stores when they could click a few buttons and be done with all of their shopping.
We’ve assembled some tips on how to position yourself for success this holiday season.
Streamline Your Process
The weather outside is starting to get frightful. And millennials find sitting on their couch to be so delightful. Sixty percent of Millennials make their purchases online. And one key aspect of that is because of how easy it can be. Look at Amazon, for example. You can purchase an item with one click of the mouse or tap of the finger.
It’s time to look at your business’ processes to see how you can make it easier for people to purchase what they’re looking for.
- How easy is it to search for or find an item in your store?
- How many steps does a user have to go through to purchase an item? Is it possible for users to one-click purchase?
- Do you have Apple Pay, PayPal, or another mobile payment option available? Mobile Payment Options are HUGE amongst Gen Z’ers, who will soon represent 40% of all retail sales.
- How easy is it for a user to get or view updates on their order?
Make Sure Your Messaging is On Time
While the holiday shopping season is the biggest time for shopping in a year, there are three specific dates you need to be prepared for. Black Friday (11/25), Small Business Saturday (11/26), and Cyber Monday (11/28). These dates need to have messaging prepared in advance and ready to go in the early morning on each of those days.
Tie in email marketing and social media for this. Start teasing, in advance, what you’ll be promoting for each of those days including specials on specific items, sales, and offers. And be sure to run it through those specific days. People have short attention spans online and you need to be able to capture it.
Prep Your Holiday Promotions
Online shoppers won’t ask for much this Christmas, but it’s best to prepare so you’re not late to the parties for hosting for holiday promotions. No one wants to be last in grabbing the attention of potential customers. There’s a number of GREAT ways to capture potential customers, but it’s best to have it planned ahead.
- Early Bird Offers
- Holiday Gift Guides
- Offer Free Shipping
- Gift Card Bonuses
Be Engaging & Personal
Consumers are about to get a lot of irrelevant content pushing them to spend money without making an effort to say hello to consumers they know and everyone they may meet. If you want to truly stand out this holiday season – be personable and be engaging. Interact with consumers on social media, address them personally, curate your emails to use merge tags to reference them by name. Include content that doesn’t have to deal with your business – share a favorite holiday recipe, talk about traditions, ask questions about their holiday needs and wants.
We hope these tips help your business have the most wonderful time of the year. And while holiday shopping may hurry on its way before it waves goodbye, don’t you cry because it’ll be back again some day! Around the same time next year.
If your business is looking for expert help in planning your 2022 Holiday E-commerce Strategy, get in touch with 3PRIME and we’ll ensure your troubles are out of sight.