How to capitalise on the holidays

Have a clear concise message! There is so much advice floating around on the internet to up your sales for the holidays but we are going to give you some hints and tips that will better any e-commerce site to increase conversions. So start prepping now!

Get your online shoppers in the holiday spirit from the word go by tweaking your homepage or by adding some holiday cheer to your landing pages. Create a Christmas landing page with touches of the traditional festive colours or consider using a themed background. Depending on how much holiday spirit you want to show, you can add interactive features like a Christmas playlist, Christmas trivia, or not... It is your website. So take the time now, so that you aren't pressed later.

If you are wondering how to make these changes without affecting your current design and rolling out Christmas in August, remember at emyspot, you can have multiple themes.  By creating a copy of your existing theme you can make the edits now and enable the theme when you are ready. To do so head to the Settings > Design > Themes menu, and select My themes. Then head to the Current theme section, at the top, which displays the name of the theme variant you’re currently using on your website. Save a backup copy to reuse for your holiday themes, you can apply it to your website at any time, by clicking the Use this theme button. So feel free to make a holiday theme without sacrificing the existing design and jumping the gun.

One warning we give is to not overuse the word “Christmas”. While this may seem contradictory, remember that online shoppers can come from everywhere, and Christmas is not celebrated everywhere. We recommend words like "Seasonal" or "holiday" to avoid losing a large part of your customer base. Or if you want to distance yourself from often used Christmas marketing altogether, E-commerce websites have had success when mixing humor and cheek to combat. Cater to Grinches - those who want a Christmas free winter experience with success by having a clear message, choosing to offer Christmas free content, or offers based around nonseasonal products allows you to up sales.

Regardless of any holdiay strategy - We cannot stress enough the importance of delivery around the holidays. Online shoppers will be deterred immediately if there is no guarantee of delivery, tracking, and a good customer support system in place. It is the difference between people browsing and buying products or leaving your site right away. Remind your online shoppers constantly, on the product page, at the check-out page, and in a confirmation mail when the product will arrive. Don't hesitate to display the last order date on your homepage, to let your online shoppers know when they need to place orders to guarantee arrival when they need it.

Display the return policy, online shoppers will want to know how returns are handled. Is it easy to exchange sizes or colours? The holiday season is known for high sales, but also high levels of returns to e-commerce. Clearly state in your returns policy, where you stand on returns, refunds and exchanges. The more concise and transparent you are about these details, the more an online shopper will trust you. This trust and confidence will transfer to completing their sales, safe in the knowledge that if they need to return an item everything is clearly explained.

Highlight the gift wrapping options that are available at checkout, as this is a bonus you can offer to those who are all thumbs with wrapping (we all know someone who struggles) and for those who wrap this method works wonders. Broadcast the perk of gift wrapping, online shoppers appreciate the offer and could be the difference between a shopper choosing your product or going to another website.

Display your contact details, this may seem obvious, but don't forget as some online shoppers prefer to call for questions about products. You could even display a holiday number that online shoppers can call if the need arises. Yet, as we all know phonecalls demand time and staff, so the clearer you are in displaying shipping, returns, arrival date, refund policy, the volume of calls you receive will go down.

We recommend that you do not put all the focus on up to Christmas day, but focus on directly after as well. Online shoppers tend to shop on Christmas or the days that follow to avoid missing further reductions or to get products they wanted but were not gifted to them. Avoid missing out on any sales and continue your offers after Christmas.

Another key factor to success is site stability. Online shoppers are never patient, and even less so during the holidays. This leads to less tolerance to poor navigation, crashes, misdirects, and can lead to losing a potential online shopper. Be sure to test for any bugs or other issues that could cause online shoppers to leave your site dissatisfied with the way it operates, and your site will be sent to the island of misfit toys..

Don't forget to save the data and stats so that you can create solid marketing plans for the future. Take the opportunity to convert a one-time purchaser into a loyal customer and create connections.

The best time of the year to increase sales is Christmas. With some modifications to your website you can cash in on your festive online shoppers.