4 Tips to Prep Your eCommerce Business For the Holidays

According to some research from Adobe Analytics, the 2020 holiday season saw two years’ worth of growth in a single year, increasing by 32% from 2019 to reach a total of $188.2 billion.

Even though people’s gathering habits may look different for this year’s holidays, the trend of online shopping isn’t going anywhere. Making sure your shop is prepped and ready to go for a serious increase in traffic is absolutely imperative to keep customers happy and returning! Here are a few tips for making sure your shop is Cyber Week ready. 

PREPARE FOR INCOMING TRAFFIC

Speed and security are two extremely important components of web traffic. Your site should have the scalability and stability to handle increased demands. 

Make sure any third-party integrations are up-to-date and check with your providers to make sure you are covered for anything unexpected.

CREATE A SEAMLESS CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

When it comes to holiday shopping, customer experience is an often looked over, but very important element of revenue. Because the eCommerce market is becoming increasingly competitive, the experience the customer receives from your business is what will make you stand out above the crowd.

Site Speed - 70% of consumers said page speed affects their decision to buy from an online retailer. Now is the time to have your team check page load times for every element on your site. Technology providers can help you perform load tests to determine visit numbers and traffic patterns. 

Spruce Up Your Storefront - Bring your brand to life with new themes or elements that stand out for the holidays, but make sure to keep it easy to navigate. And of course, mobile-friendly sites are a must. 

Enable Cart Abandonment Notifications - There are many reasons a customer might leave your website with a shopping cart full of items. Sending them a push notification will remind them of the products they left behind, with the goal of convincing them to make the purchase. Abandoned cart emails have a 10.7% conversion rate so they are worth the investment!

Personalize the Experience - 89% of marketers reported that using personalization resulted in increased revenue. Analyze available customer data to encourage customers to buy products relevant to them.

Optimize Checkout - Your customer has already decided they want to buy your product so you want to make that as simple as possible. When 21% of shoppers abandon their cart due to a long, complicated checkout process, you’ll want to make a seamless checkout with one checkout page, enabling guest checkout, and offering several payment and shipping options. 

GIVE ATTENTION TO DETAIL

Consider multiple sales channels like online marketplaces, social media eCommerce, or brick-and-mortar options. Consider creating memorable packaging and unboxing experiences and always have a clear return policy. One survey found that 96% of consumers will go back to companies that made returns and exchanges as seamless as possible.

RAMP UP CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SUPPORT

Support for your online business can make or break your success. Make sure your platform offers 24/7 support and high-quality security features. Your contact information should be easy to find and asking for feedback from customers increases the chance of conversion. 

Have dedicated support and respond to inquiries quickly. Even when something goes wrong, a positive customer support experience can lead to a loyal customer. You should have dedicated support for phone, email, and social media — and be sure to respond to all inquiries within 24–48 hours.

Whether your business is large or small, these 4 tips will help make your holiday sales season a success! And AirTank is here to help. Whether you need a more robust platform or help with your eCommerce marketing efforts, our team of experts can help your business soar.