Ways to get your eCommerce business ready for Christmas sale

The Christmas holiday season is just around the corner. Christmas is a great opportunity for your eCommerce business to take advantage of the holiday season to drive sales. Christmas and new year is not only busy for shoppers alone, they are extremely busy for store owners as well. The Christmas season is always a massive hit on the market. Every company prepares the most effective and unique promotional campaigns to hit maximum sales.

Ways to increase Christmas sale :

1. Review your last year sales :

This is the most important step for a successful marketing campaign. Analyse your previous year data to create a marketing campaign. If your previous year social media marketing was successful, then you can depend on it, this year too. In addition, you need to look at what did not perform well? If you can identify the problem and fix it, then you can rely on your last year’s marketing campaign.

2. Festive letters :

To keep your customers up to date with any offers that you are promoting  during the Christmas  season, it is the best way to get hold of as many of your past customers as possible. A good looking newsletter is sure to attract the customers. Accordingly you can design your letter, based on Christmas themes.

3. Free shipping :

One survey says that the percentage of sales increased by 49% after offering free shipping service to the customers. Most of the shoppers are always looking for free shipping to save money. That’s why many stores are offering free shipping. This has been regarded as one of the most powerful marketing strategies to increase sales during Christmas. If you don’t want to offer free shipping to customers then you can create a conditional shipping rule, by which customers can enjoy free shipping if their order value exceeds a certain amount.

4. Offering discounts :

During the Christmas period you can outline on the front page of your online shop, that you are offering a discount on certain items for just one day or a week and this offer changes every day. That way you will have people coming back for more every day to see what is the next offer.

5. Using social media :

Social media is the most influential tool for any type of business, whether it is online or offline. Social media helps you to inform your customer about your Christmas festive discounts and sales. To increase the number of customers to your store, you can use paid advertising campaigns.

6. Creating promotional ad’s :

During the Christmas season, there is neck to neck competition between stores. Promotional  ad’s play an important role in attracting higher traffic. Higher the traffic higher will be your sales and returns. These promotional ad’s highlight the Christmas discount your store is offering, free shipping ad’s which help in increasing your sales.

7. Offer gift wrapping service :

This service is something customers usually look out for during the Christmas period. For some, gift wrapping is a boredom job if it is on a large scale and also time consuming. So shops can offer gift wrapping service to customers. Customers willingly pay extra for such services.

8. Optimize the performance :

When you are dealing with an eCommerce store, customers rushing online can also slow down your store. so it is essential to optimize your store performance which enables the customer to have hassle free shopping.

9. New content :

Content marketing strategy plays an important role in attracting the visitors on your site and then converting them into customers. This year take the time to improve your content marketing strategy and try to build a niche. New content will provide new and repeat customers, it will improve your brand awareness and better customer engagement.

10. Rewarding loyal customers:

Every customer likes receiving personalized messages and your loyal customers will definitely appreciate it. This is the best way to express your gratitude. It may only be a simple holiday greeting, however it can help you to make a strong customer relation.

Conclusion:

If you start early enough your Christmas this year will be a successful one. Above mentioned tips may place you firmly on a good track to celebrate Christmas with maximum sales.

Social Media platform you should be selling on during this holiday season

Social media marketing is the use of social media platforms to connect with your audience, to build your brand, increase sales and drive website traffic. The consistency to bring new customers to ecommerce sites is a huge deal. In this content you can explore how you can drive consistent sales for your website through social media platforms.

      The major social media platforms which are currently running successfully are Facebook, YouTube, Tiktok, Pinterest, Snapchat, Twitter, Telegram, Linkedin, Instagram.

1. Facebook:

Facebook is currently the largest social media site in the world, with 2.6 billion monthly active users as of 2020. It’s an excellent platform for brands to market their products to a huge audience. For years people have used this app to buy and sell things. Facebook lets you upload pictures and videos from your business. This is one of the powerful ways to communicate with customers, allowing them to see your product or service without a visit on your premise. By creating a business page on facebook or business profile is a way to share the latest information about your business without creating a website.

2. YouTube:

As second in the list of top social media apps, you tube is also the second largest search engine after Google. So if you want to promote your brand, it’s a great medium to do so. Through youTube you can easily reach your audience, both by creating videos and advertising on other people’s videos. It is the third most visited website behind Google & facebook respectively. By utilizing youtube as a part of your marketing strategy for your business, you are increasing your ranking position on Google’s search engine.

3. Instagram:

Currently, instagram is the best social media app, that has become a sensation. This platform lets you share a wide range of content like videos, live videos, photos and stories. To promote your brand or business, you can create a business profile on this popular social media app. Unlike organic posts instagram ads can be made to link directly to  a product page or other landing page, allowing for direct engagement with your products. Likewise you can create and use an instagram business profile. You just have to include additional information about your business namely – add a phone number, an Email address, your business physical address.

4. Tiktok:

This social media app was launched in 2017. In less time it grew as the world’s most valuable start-up. Recently tiktok has launched a new tiktok for business website which provides marketers with a range of resources and tools to help them utilize their ad campaigns. 

If your business or the product which you like to launch has a target audience segment of 16 –30 years old, then this platform will definitely help in boosting your business. For business and marketers this is a big deal, as users of Tik Tok spend more time, so more likely they are going to see your organic content and paid advertisements.

5. Pinterest :

Pinterest is unique. It is a visual like instagram and highly targeted towards women with 81% female user base.  Recently pinterest has emerged as a leader for e-commerce. Subsequently it became the second largest source of social media traffic. Pinterest is widely regarded as a strong platform for ecommerce sales as users use the platform to find and purchase creative products. One of the biggest benefits with pinterest for e-commerce is, it simplifies the shopping experience.

6. Snapchat :

With more than 300 million monthly active users, snapchat is a relevant and easy-to-use marketing tool. On one hand snapchat is attractive and on the other, it has a unique feature like self destructive ‘snaps’ and users can send pictures or a short video as a message which automatically disappears after a few seconds. Post your story often, by adding content to your story. This often will keep your brand fresh in the minds of your followers. E-shop owners can send out discounts and other promotional offers via snapchat. Recently this app has introduced a new feature that allows you to add links to your story, subsequently this will increase your website traffic.

7. Twitter :

Twitter can also be named as ‘fast & furious’ app. Ecommerce stores today use twitter ads primarily to drive brand awareness and promote specific products for direct conversions. If your business is related to entertainment, sports, politics or marketing, you can earn tremendous engagement on twitter. On this platform you can communicate with short messages. Implementing twitter cards- will help your followers to visit your website. This will help you in creating the opportunity to gain more followers, more engagement and more traffic to your website. Simultaneously you can use twitter list to manage your contacts.

8.Telegram :

Currently a lot of business owners are using telegram for business. Because it is very easy to handle, in less time you can create a very big community by telegram group and telegram channels. It is a good platform for business as you have full control over your audience. In Spite of multiple clamp downs by the government bodies, telegram has gained much popularity. This app is steadily expanding its user base. Users privacy driven policy and security is what makes this app stand out against its competitors.

9. LinkedIn :

This social media platform is used specifically to build brand awareness and relationship with consumers. You can use linkedin to grow your e-mail marketing with professional connections and network. It also offers opportunities to advertise your business, like sending personalized ad’s, boosting your content and displaying ads on the site. It focuses more on professional problems and challenges. Unlike most social platforms which excels at B2C advertising , linkedin is uniquely suited for B2B ads and social media marketing campaigns.

Pull up :

Social media is by far the most popular service available on the internet. It can share information, spread brand awareness- it makes or breaks your business – depends on how efficiently you use your social media platform.

The eCommerce guide to holiday flash sales

People more likely buy when they feel they are getting a special deal instead of an everyday low price.  A flash sale is a short term discount or promotion on products offered by eCommerce stores specifically lasting for less than 24 hours.

Why run a flash sale?

  • A well executed flash sale can increase customers loyalty and moves excess inventory.
  • Flash sales gives an opportunity to consumers , exactly what they are looking for.Then running the deal for a short period of time gives customers that extra jolt to act fast and buy now.
  • Flash sales help sellers compete on price.
  • As an eCommerce owner you would get rid of excess inventory.
  • It lures the customers, hoping to retain them afterwards.
  • It also increases your overall sales and profit.
  • But profits aren’t guaranteed. You have to execute flash sales correctly to reap the benefits.

Reasons why flash sales fail :

1. Shipping failure :

After a flash sale is over, customers expect quick and accurate delivery. Most of the customers complain of waiting several days to receive their product after the purchase. Make sure your flash deal offers free shipping. This not only helps your brand stand differently on eCommerce platforms, also you will be competing in a better way with Amazon.

2. Inventory failure :

Sometimes e stores keep selling products even after they have no more inventory left. This means the seller has to cancel some of the orders, leading to customers dissatisfaction and mistrust of your brand. So make sure that before launching flash sales, you have plenty of stock.

3. Bots failure :

“Bots”- computer programs are the most popular hack. Firstly the sites are hit by the bot invasion and rob loyal customers. Secondly bots have created a thriving resale market online, causing both retailers and fans to suffer.

        Make sure you look at resale sites. Because,those hand-to-get items that were just on flash sale on your site are sold out. Within no time, those products are available on online resale markets. So bot protection is a key to your success as an online flash seller.

4. Site failure :

It is seen that eCommerce websites crash during their busiest sales season. During the busy season, your eCommerce site will be receiving the most traffic, processing the most orders and using the resources optimally. Thundering crowd slows your site speed, even causing it to collapse. If your business model heavily relies on flash sales, load testing your site is a must. Your website server should be able to scale on demand, to prevent crashes.

The best practices of successful flash seller

1. Determine the goals :

  • Firstly determine why you want to run the flash sale ?
  • Do you want to sell off the excess inventory?
  • Do you want to gain website traffic?
  • Do you want to attract new customers?
  • Do you want to increase brand awareness?

If any of these go with your goals then flash sales could work well for you.

2. Select your target customers :

your flash sales strategy should focus on your target customer and design your flash sale around their interest. Avoid targeting existing customers instead target your competitors’ customers. Select those customers who left negative reviews for your competitors. A flash sale is a great way to re-engage inactive customers with your offers.

3. Pick the right time :

Holidays like valentine’s day, mother’s day, Christmas day are special times of the year when consumers are emotionally ready to shop. By looking at your past order data you can decide when to run a flash sale. If you host flash sales before the holiday season, you can actually win new customers and beat the competition. This will increase your fan base before the holiday shopping event starts.

4. Pick the right product:

The products you select for your flash sale should be based on the customers that you are trying to target. For instance if you are targeting competitors customers, then choose a product that your competitors customer love at a lower price. Secondly if you want flash sales to promote brand awareness then promote your signature product that your brand is known for.  Promote the products with the highest search volumes is the best way to appeal.

5. Set right prices :

The price must be right. Your discount should be big enough to send people running to your site. If your brand never goes on sale, then 10% might be enough. Price your flash deals slightly higher than your lowest possible price. These price drops should be reserved for your biggest annual promotions like BF[black Friday] CM[cyber Monday].

6. Create a sense of urgency to promote flash sales :

Use social media platforms namely Facebook, Instagram etc., to actively engage with your customers throughout the flash sale. Show your discount in your subject line. Use countdown timers on your flash sale landing page. As flash sales are for limited time, it will create a sense of urgency. It is a FOMO deal [fear of missing out] which helps in boosting flash sales. This encourages the shoppers for impulse buying.

To sum up:

All in all flash sales can help you make a lot of money. They provide you with short term benefits like inventory clearance, generate extra revenue, brand awareness and business growth in the long run. You have to invest time and effort. It’s a boom or bust in a very brief sales window.

SEO trends that will carry into the new year

SEO has seen a considerable change in these few years. Mobiles has been used widely for online searches. SEO isn’t just about keywords but to make the content on your website more attractive and relevant. This changes will help you to prepare and update your site and to target the market share maximum. In the last five years SEO strategies have changed with the introduction of new technologies. Like voice assistants, artificial intelligence and the rise of mobile experience. Google and other search engines have played an important role in digital marketing.

1. Voice Search Optimization :

Voice operating assistants like Alexa, Siri or google voice console are going to be the buzz in the new year. As soon as the device has input, it will detect the language in which the query has been asked. The key words in the query will be captured and the query will be answered accordingly. Voice search engines are faster easier and time saver.

2. Visual Searches :

People use visual search mostly to get directions and identifying landmarks, shop recipes local business reviews. People are searching more with images than ever before. Platforms like Pinterest get 600 million visual searches monthly. If you want your sites content to be served to your visitor as a visual search result, ensure you use image SEO.

3. Online Video :

Nearly 86% of global business use video on their site today. make sure that video should be a part of your SEO strategy. when doing online video, make sure that you organize your content into sections, that help google and search engines understand the video content. Also add a key word in the title and using tags helps the search engine know what the video is about.

4. Growth of AI [Artificial Intelligence]:

AI is reshaping SEO, they identify data patterns to collect accurately real time information and evaluate the quality of your content. Search engines are relying more on AI for search query. Align your content for voice and visual search, to get the right data from your site. Also use AI powered analytics to find out your site’s performance and optimize it for better results.

5. Off page SEO :

Off page SEO also helps to boost your online ranking away from your site. Google review is one of the most powerful tool for your online store. The number and quality of reviews act as leading conversion factor. Make sure you encourage the customers to leave reviews, which will add a positive feedback for your business.

6. Long tail keywords :

Keyword research becomes the bread and butter of maintaining SEO. Long tail keywords are the best friends of eCommerce stores. Long tail keywords make up the majority of user searches, that is how people search online. Every short tail keyword has endless long tail words that could all benefit from different pages. It is all about knowing your niche. Long tail keywords has two benefits, one you will face lower competition and have a higher conversion rate than short tail keywords.

7. Mobile first :

More than 50% of all internet traffic is from mobile devices. Google also has shifted it’s algorithm towards mobile users. The websites that perform best on the mobile, will be ranked accordingly. Websites which does not adjust as per device, will have low readability and slow page loading speeds. To optimize your site, google provides you with this tool. To check, if your website accommodates mobile users.

8. Local SEO :

The demand for local search is huge. More than 5 million apps and websites use google maps platform every week. That’s why google continuously releases new features for business to use such as posts, services, hours, address., etc., due to covid-19 people are searching out local options around them, both due to lockdown and to support local business, which is facing a difficult time to stay in business. People search to see if business are still open their working hours have changed, checking out menu’s [restaurant services] take away timings. Google my business is a high visibility way to communicate, these updates to a customer, new or existing.

9 . Quality Content :

This is the kind of approach that you can take on your website. It is time to consider the information that people are looking for and need first. As the importance on quality content is growing, it is time to boost your content marketing strategy. Eat [expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness], matter a lot for eCommerce store.

Conclusion:

SEO is moving quickly. These trends and challenges can help you optimize your site for better organic traffic to your site.