your ecommerce guide to the holiday season
TRANSCRIPT
Your eCommerce Guide to the Holiday Season
The Holiday Season is upon us!
The Holiday Season is upon us!
While shoppers are preparing to spend to their
hearts’ content, you should be preparing to get them
to spend their money at your store.
The Holiday Season is upon us!
While shoppers are preparing to spend to their
hearts’ content, you should be preparing to get them
to spend their money at your store.
This time of year is by far the most profitable for
retail companies.
The Holiday Season is upon us!
While shoppers are preparing to spend to their
hearts’ content, you should be preparing to get them
to spend their money at your store.
This time of year is by far the most profitable for
retail companies.
How profitable??
20%-40% of all retail sales happen
during the last two months of the
year
The average value per online
purchase was up by over 10% in
2013 from 2012
According to Shop.Org’s
predictions there will be an 8%-11%
growth in online sales in 2014
20%-40% of all retail sales happen
during the last two months of the
year
The average value per online
purchase was up by over 10% in
2013 from 2012
According to Shop.Org’s
predictions there will be an 8%-11%
growth in online sales in 2014
20%-40% of all retail sales happen
during the last two months of the
year
The average value per online
purchase was up by over 10% in
2013 from 2012
According to Shop.Org’s
predictions there will be an 8%-11%
growth in online sales in 2014
Ok, great so the holiday season is a profitable time
Ok, great so the holiday season is a profitable time,
but the real question is, how can YOU take
advantage of this season?
To answer that
we bring you
StoreYa’s
6 Tips to
Boost Your Sales
This Holiday
Season
To be successful over the holidays you’re going to
need to create a holiday themed design for your
website and marketing campaigns.
To be successful over the holidays you’re going to
need to create a holiday themed design for your
website and marketing campaigns.
Your theme is very important because it will be the
base of your entire Holiday Season campaign.
To be successful over the holidays you’re going to
need to create a holiday themed design for your
website and marketing campaigns.
Your theme is very important because it will be the
base of your entire Holiday Season campaign.
You will use the same design (or design theme) on
your website, in your emails, on social media, and in
your advertisements.
Check out this email from Bed Bath and Beyond as an
example:
Check out this email from Bed Bath and Beyond as an
example:
And look at the landing page it leads to. The same
exact design!
The Holiday Season is a perfect time for you to break
out all of your most creative incentives.
The Holiday Season is a perfect time for you to break
out all of your most creative incentives.
People expect deals so you have to deliver.
The Holiday Season is a perfect time for you to break
out all of your most creative incentives.
People expect deals so you have to deliver.
But it’s not enough to just offer discounts, you need
to make sure your deals are better than your
competitors’!
The Holiday Season is a perfect time for you to break
out all of your most creative incentives.
People expect deals so you have to deliver.
But it’s not enough to just offer discounts, you need
to make sure your deals are better than your
competitors’!
Here are a few ideas that you can use…
Discounts and sales are a simple and effective way to
get people to shop at your eCommerce store
Discounts and sales are a simple and effective way to
get people to shop at your eCommerce store
But you have to really “sell” your discount. Show
that your sale is better than your competitor’s sale!
Discounts and sales are a simple and effective way to
get people to shop at your eCommerce store
But you have to really “sell” your discount. Show
that your sale is better than your competitor’s sale!
For example:
Discounts and sales are a simple and effective way to
get people to shop at your eCommerce store
But you have to really “sell” your discount. Show
that your sale is better than your competitor’s sale!
For example:
Make your sales into a game by having a deal of the
day. You can take this to the next level by posting
exclusive deals every hour or so on your site and
social networks.
Discounts and sales are a simple and effective way to
get people to shop at your eCommerce store
But you have to really “sell” your discount. Show
that your sale is better than your competitor’s sale!
Or you could
Discounts and sales are a simple and effective way to
get people to shop at your eCommerce store
But you have to really “sell” your discount. Show
that your sale is better than your competitor’s sale!
Or you could
Offer great discounts on great products! If you can
give a discount on a hot product to undercut the
competition you will definitely bring in more sales.
According to Deloitte, 66% of people are more likely
to shop in an online store if there is an offer of free
shipping.
According to Deloitte, 66% of people are more likely
to shop in an online store if there is an offer of free
shipping.
That is a lot of people!
According to Deloitte, 66% of people are more likely
to shop in an online store if there is an offer of free
shipping.
That is a lot of people!
Maybe you offer free shipping year round, maybe you
don’t. Either way, free shipping is a great thing to
stress in your holiday time marketing.
Target, a major discount retail chain, knows this,
which is why it recently announced that it will
provide free shipping through the end of the Holiday
Season!
Target, a major discount retail chain, knows this,
which is why it recently announced that it will
provide free shipping through the end of the Holiday
Season!
The holidays are a great time for games and
competitions.
The holidays are a great time for games and
competitions.
You can use the excitement of holiday shopping to
boost your competitions to a whole new level.
The holidays are a great time for games and
competitions.
You can use the excitement of holiday shopping to
boost your competitions to a whole new level.
Some competition ideas:
The holidays are a great time for games and
competitions.
You can use the excitement of holiday shopping to
boost your competitions to a whole new level.
Some competition ideas:
• Enter to win sweepstakes
The holidays are a great time for games and
competitions.
You can use the excitement of holiday shopping to
boost your competitions to a whole new level.
Some competition ideas:
• Enter to win sweepstakes
• Wish list based sweepstakes
The holidays are a great time for games and
competitions.
You can use the excitement of holiday shopping to
boost your competitions to a whole new level.
Some competition ideas:
• Enter to win sweepstakes
• Wish list based sweepstakes
• Photo competition
The holidays are a great time for games and
competitions.
You can use the excitement of holiday shopping to
boost your competitions to a whole new level.
Some competition ideas:
• Enter to win sweepstakes
• Wish list based sweepstakes
• Photo competition
• Best holiday _______ ideas
Take a look at this competition that PayPal is
running as an example:
Now that you know what you’d like to offer, it’s
time to figure out how to implement your strategy
by thinking about the Holiday Season in terms of a
“Holiday Season Sales Funnel.”
Now that you know what you’d like to offer, it’s
time to figure out how to implement your strategy
by thinking about the Holiday Season in terms of a
“Holiday Season Sales Funnel.”
Now that you know what you’d like to offer, it’s
time to figure out how to implement your strategy
by thinking about the Holiday Season in terms of a
“Holiday Season Sales Funnel.”
And now some best practices for how to use your
marketing channels to create a holiday funnel.
You should use at least one of your social media
accounts to get your holiday marketing rolling.
You should use at least one of your social media
accounts to get your holiday marketing rolling.
Think about the Holiday Funnel -- social media is the
perfect place to begin setting the mood for the
holiday season and getting your customers into the
buying mode.
You should use at least one of your social media
accounts to get your holiday marketing rolling.
Think about the Holiday Funnel -- social media is the
perfect place to begin setting the mood for the
holiday season and getting your customers into the
buying mode.
After setting the mood you should post about your
products in the framework of the holidays - “Check
out our new line of sweaters – the perfect
Christmas/Hanukkah gift.”
As the season progresses, you should use social media
to bolster your campaigns.
As the season progresses, you should use social media
to bolster your campaigns.
If you are running a competition, then you should be
posting about it on social media.
As the season progresses, you should use social media
to bolster your campaigns.
If you are running a competition, then you should be
posting about it on social media. If you have a sale –
social media.
As the season progresses, you should use social media
to bolster your campaigns.
If you are running a competition, then you should be
posting about it on social media. If you have a sale –
social media. Free shipping – social media.
As the season progresses, you should use social media
to bolster your campaigns.
If you are running a competition, then you should be
posting about it on social media. If you have a sale –
social media. Free shipping – social media. Any
campaign you take up, use social media to promote it.
As the season progresses, you should use social media
to bolster your campaigns.
If you are running a competition, then you should be
posting about it on social media. If you have a sale –
social media. Free shipping – social media. Any
campaign you take up, use social media to promote it.
Throughout the Holiday Season you should use social
media to maintain the mood of the season, while
directly boosting your products, campaigns, and sales
in order to set your store apart from the rest.
Email marketing is key to your holiday season
success.
Email marketing is key to your holiday season
success.
First things first, you should be sure to build your
mailing list up in preparation for the Holiday Season.
A great way of doing this is by using our
Holiday Themed Coupon Pops!
Email marketing is key to your holiday season
success.
First things first, you should be sure to build your
mailing list up in preparation for the Holiday Season.
A great way of doing this is by using our
Holiday Themed Coupon Pops! Click Here!
Email marketing is key to your holiday season
success.
First things first, you should be sure to build your
mailing list up in preparation for the Holiday Season.
A great way of doing this is by using our
Holiday Themed Coupon Pops!
These pop ups can definitely help you boost your
sales, while building your email list.
Once you have your list built, you should focus on
generating direct sales from your emails.
Once you have your list built, you should focus on
generating direct sales from your emails.
Create a few automated email workflows, some
general and some specific, that will lead people
through your sales funnel, and result in a purchase.
A general flow would promote your offers. If you’re
promoting your new line of computers with special
sales, then you should create a holiday themed email
workflow that will show not only how good the
computers are, but also how good the sale is.
A general flow would promote your offers. If you’re
promoting your new line of computers with special
sales, then you should create a holiday themed email
workflow that will show not only how good the
computers are, but also how good the sale is.
You can also set up workflows that will target
specific customers or types of customers – one time
buyers, frequent buyers, people who are highly
engaged with your blog -- whatever you think will be
helpful in order to draw these customers in.
Paid ads provide you with opportunities to catch
new customers that your email marketing does not
give you.
Paid ads provide you with opportunities to catch
new customers that your email marketing does not
give you.
The two main platforms you should consider are
Google Adwords and Facebook Ads.
Adwords is a great platform to reach new people and
catch the “low hanging fruit” – aka the people that
are already interested in the products that you sell,
but just need to find you.
Adwords is a great platform to reach new people and
catch the “low hanging fruit” – aka the people that
are already interested in the products that you sell,
but just need to find you.
Since the Holiday Season is such a big time for online
shopping related searches you should consider
bidding more aggressively in order to get better
placement on your keywords.
Notice the clear spikes in search volume around the holiday season!
By using Facebook’s targeting settings, your
Facebook Ads can be used to reach new and relevant
customers.
By using Facebook’s targeting settings, your
Facebook Ads can be used to reach new and relevant
customers.
Another amazing option Facebook provides is
retargeting.
By using Facebook’s targeting settings, your
Facebook Ads can be used to reach new and relevant
customers.
Another amazing option Facebook provides is
retargeting.
Using Custom Audiences you can create an audience
of people who have visited your website, or even
visited a specific page on your site. This information
can be used to create a super specific retargeted ad!
Finally you can use your blog to promote specific
products, campaigns, and sales taking place in your
store.
Finally you can use your blog to promote specific
products, campaigns, and sales taking place in your
store.
You can also use it to add value to your customer’s
experience.
Finally you can use your blog to promote specific
products, campaigns, and sales taking place in your
store.
You can also use it to add value to your customer’s
experience.
For example, you could write up a post about how to
use one of your sale products, or a post about how to
best do holiday shopping.
You should use email and social media to promote
your blog.
You should use email and social media to promote
your blog. For example, take look at the email from
Bed Bath and Beyond that we mentioned earlier:
Ideally you should use all of your different channels
together in order to promote a specific campaign and
get your customers to go through your sales funnel.
Ideally you should use all of your different channels
together in order to promote a specific campaign and
get your customers to go through your sales funnel.
For example, you can announce a competition that you
are hosting on your blog, promote that post on social
media and send it out via email, encourage people to
sign up during the competition through a combined
effort of social media, paid ads, and email.
Ideally you should use all of your different channels
together in order to promote a specific campaign and
get your customers to go through your sales funnel.
For example, you can announce a competition that you
are hosting on your blog, promote that post on social
media and send it out via email, encourage people to
sign up during the competition through a combined
effort of social media, paid ads, and email.
What you end up with in this case is a full picture.
Once you’ve got your marketing plan put together
you have to keep it organized by mapping it out.
Once you’ve got your marketing plan put together
you have to keep it organized by mapping it out.
You should know exactly when each blog post or
email blast will be sent out.
Once you’ve got your marketing plan put together
you have to keep it organized by mapping it out.
You should know exactly when each blog post or
email blast will be sent out.
This way you can be sure that you or your marketing
team will have everything together in time, and that
your campaign will run as smoothly as possible.
Next it’s time to implement your Holiday Season
campaigns! Set everything in motion, update your
website’s theme, and get the sales rolling.
Next it’s time to implement your Holiday Season
campaigns! Set everything in motion, update your
website’s theme, and get the sales rolling.
At this point it is important to keep track of your
holiday campaign, because you want to know if you
can attribute your sales to it or if they are just
ordinary sales.
For that reason you
should set up set up
“Conversion Goals” in
your Google
Analytics,
For that reason you
should set up set up
“Conversion Goals” in
your Google
Analytics, and use the
Google URL Builder
to create trackable
and specific links so
that you can
determine where
your conversions are
coming from.
As you begin to see results you will be able to see
which marketing channels are working best and
which could use improvement.
As you begin to see results you will be able to see
which marketing channels are working best and
which could use improvement.
Keep an eye on this so that you will be able to
optimize your campaigns as you go.
Last, but certainly not least, you have to think
towards the future!
Last, but certainly not least, you have to think
towards the future!
Keep track of all your holiday customers so that you
can try to convert them into returning customers
after the Holiday Season.
Last, but certainly not least, you have to think
towards the future!
Keep track of all your holiday customers so that you
can try to convert them into returning customers
after the Holiday Season.
Here are a few ideas you could try out…
Send a thank you email to everyone who purchased
from you during the season, and include a “thank
you gift” as well.
Send a thank you email to everyone who purchased
from you during the season, and include a “thank
you gift” as well.
The email could be something along the lines of:
Send a thank you email to everyone who purchased
from you during the season, and include a “thank
you gift” as well.
The email could be something along the lines of:
“Thank you for choosing ____ for all your holiday
shopping needs! As a little thank you gift we wanted
to offer you a discount on your next purchase.
Wishing you a happy holiday.”
After the holidays you will notice that there will be
A LOT of abandoned shopping carts.
After the holidays you will notice that there will be
A LOT of abandoned shopping carts.
Of course many of the people who filled a cart and
didn’t purchase might have found what they were
looking for elsewhere, but you never know! They
might just need a second incentive to actually finish
the purchase.
After the holidays you will notice that there will be
A LOT of abandoned shopping carts.
Of course many of the people who filled a cart and
didn’t purchase might have found what they were
looking for elsewhere, but you never know! They
might just need a second incentive to actually finish
the purchase.
Try offering a “post-holiday discount” on
abandoned items.
In the months of January and February you should
try to gently encourage upsells from customers who
made purchases during the holidays.
In the months of January and February you should
try to gently encourage upsells from customers who
made purchases during the holidays.
We say gently, because most of your customers
probably just spent a lot of money, and you don’t
want to frustrate them by pushing too hard.
In the months of January and February you should
try to gently encourage upsells from customers who
made purchases during the holidays.
We say gently, because most of your customers
probably just spent a lot of money, and you don’t
want to frustrate them by pushing too hard.
None the less, there will definitely be customers
that can be drawn in by a good upsell flow, and the
right discount or incentive.
The holidays might be right around the corner, but
it’s not too late to get started with your holiday
campaign!
The holidays might be right around the corner, but
it’s not too late to get started with your holiday
campaign!
Just remember:
The holidays might be right around the corner, but
it’s not too late to get started with your holiday
campaign!
Just remember:
1. Design a holiday theme
2. Decide on your holiday specials
3. Determine your marketing strategy
4. Create a marketing schedule
5. Implement, track, and optimize your campaign
6. Think about post-holiday sales
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