holiday marketing for ecommerce sites

Preparing for the Holiday Season

Readying Your Ecommerce Site for the Busiest Time of the YearPrepared by the Giftery.me Team

November, 2012

find more ecommerce & marketing tips at http://blog.giftery.me

Play Up the Season with Theming

Much of holiday shopping is the experience. Bring in some seasonal flare with images and colors to set the stage

And demonstrate that you’re a great gift without saying it

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Connect Visitors Who Want with Whoever is Buying

For every gift there is an excited recipient.

Many of your visitors are getting, not just giving.

Provide a way for people to share what they want that keeps you in the spotlight.



Create a Holiday Shipping Schedule

The barrier to ecommerce is always “will it get here in time”.

Alleviate the concern upfront by putting shipping information in one place.

Provide easy access to ground & expedited shipping cuttoffs on every page.

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Optimize the Buy Box with Holiday-Relevant Facts

Gifts require information you wouldn’t need for yourself.Explain key details like gift wrap,, sizing upfront.

Reiterate value messages like returns all the way to purchase.



Bundle Required Accessories for a Complete Gift

Batteries may not be included but they are necessary to things working out of the box.

Suggest what’s needed to get each gift going.

Follow up with customers who skip out to make sure the experience is a good one.



Prepare Gift Cards for Late & Uncertain Shoppers

Late or uncertain, gift cards are the alternative gift.

And at 100 billion this year it’s a big market.

Make sure getting these is just a click away.



Develop Gift Guides for Easy Shopping

Options can quickly become overwhelming.

Streamline the process by offering a short list

of curated ideas on price, age, gender,

relationship & whatever else fits.



Highlight User Ratings & Reviews

Only slightly less frightening than a late gift is a bad gift. Boost user generated content to

instill confidence that your products are the right pick.



Ease Up on the Return Policy

Return shipping is barrier enough.

Clean up return policies to simple 1-2-3.

Make it no risk to buy, exceed expectations.

Keep information front & center.



Make Sure Support is a Click Away

If it’s not easy to order, it’s on to the next option. Keep phone numbers and contact links

at the top of every page and reduce the friction.



Build Trust with the Right Seals

Ecommerce come a long ways but the old fears still linger. Show your commitment to security & privacy recognized trusted seals

Add advanced SSL seals & green bar encryption too.



Prepare “Big Day” Deal Pages

Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and that last Monday Capitalize on the big dates with dedicated deal pages. Make deals easy to share & index for shopping sites.



Ramp Up Infrastructure for Spikes

Small or big it just takes one good marketing hit to crash. Prepare systems by increasing capacity. Prepare shipping carriers & pickup options. Prepare inventory stock & staffing.



Set Your Rollback Before Taking Off

The end of the season also means the end expected end of your holiday creative so queue up your take down strategy early and enjoy your time off too!


11/17/2012 16find more ecommerce & marketing tips at http://blog.giftery.me

GOOD LUCK!BE SURE TO LEAVE A COMMENT WITH YOUR THOUGHTS


holiday marketing for ecommerce sites

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