While the rest of the world celebrates holidays on their given calendar dates, those who work in eCommerce operate on a slightly different schedule. Translation: Back-to-school prep begins before summer even starts and Christmas promotions are decided before a single leaf falls! With the holidays starting earlier every year, eCommerce businesses must lean in or get left behind. This year, elevate your eCommerce holiday marketing with Summit’s best strategies.
Step 1: Planning, Planning, and More Planning
Establish Clear Objectives
Like we said: once the holidays start, they don’t stop! Jot down campaign, ad, and other creative ideas throughout the year because you never know when they might come in handy. Approach the holidays with clear-cut objectives (and how you’ll measure them), but be willing to pivot amidst the hustle and bustle. Abstract objectives are about as clear as yellow snow.
Check Everything Twice (Like You Know Who)
Your customers are undoubtedly busy during this time, but they’re never paying attention to emails and promotions like they are during the holidays. Poor planning will be easy to spot and something as simple as a typo or a 404 error can land your email on the naughty list.
Engage Your Customers
Is there a weirder feeling than receiving a Christmas card from someone who feels like a stranger? If you’re not keeping up with your customers during the year, don’t expect them to knock down your door during the holidays. Create rapport and capture emails before the holidays with lead magnets like pop-ups, downloadable PDFs, and gift guides.
Step 2: Know What Your Customers Need (Even If They Don’t Know)
Preliminary Research
Just as you should be nurturing relationships with your customers throughout the year, it’s important to stay up-to-date with industry trends and insights. Do your homework on what your audience will be looking for this holiday season. Identify what pain points you overcome for your customer and position yourself as the solution.
Retargeting Campaigns
Implement retargeting campaigns to provide a personalized shopping experience for customers who have interacted with your site but did not make a purchase. With retargeting, you can display product-specific ads to audiences and engage them to buy, especially in light of holiday deals and promotions. Be sure to avoid cross-contaminating different campaigns by excluding retargeting audiences from any prospecting initiatives.
A/B Testing
For eCommerce holiday marketing that cuts through the noise, spend time crafting offers that not only grab your audience’s attention but add value to their lives. Perform A/B testing throughout the year to see how customers respond to different discounts (percentage vs. dollar amount, FREE shipping, gift with purchase, etc.).
Step 3: Make the Process Easy for Your Customers
Online Presence
Make the consumer purchase journey seamless from start to finish by improving your online presence. During the holidays, your customers are already in the mindset to buy. SEO puts you in the right place at the right time, boosting traffic to your site during the busiest time of the year. Our eCommerce SEO services employ industry-leading strategies to optimize your shop.
Website Layout
In addition to online visibility, the user experience of your website is instrumental to successful eCommerce holiday marketing. Slow, confusing, or unorganized websites won’t just cause you to lose out on a sale, but likely a customer for life. Ensure your site is clearly laid out with a mobile-friendly design to provide a premium customer experience.
Copy That Converts
Another key component to eCommerce holiday marketing is copy that converts. It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but it’s also the busiest – keep your message short and sweet. Using clear, actionable copy to guide your customer to your CTA, you can break through the noise of the holiday season and increase conversion rates.
Make the Most of eCommerce Holiday Marketing
Wrap up 2023 the right way with our eCommerce holiday marketing tips and make this your best season yet! With industry-leading SEO and PPC practices, you can boost revenue and sleigh your competition.
Want to make your marketing merry and bright? Schedule a FREE discovery call today!