It’s that time of the year again! Halloween is just around the corner, and immediately after that comes the biggest shopping month. Between Thanksgiving Eve, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, many companies rely on the next couple of months to generate enough sales to sustain their businesses. And, holiday shoppers are getting an earlier start. According to recent comScore data, retail spending is at its greatest from Thanksgiving to “Cyber Tuesday.”
To remain competitive for the holiday season, here are a few ways to make your website festive, fun and ready for extra customers.
Talk to Your Hosting Provider
The first step is to speak with your hosting provider and make sure that your website has the capacity to handle more customers. If you need extra resources, you can do this before November shopping starts. You may need to upgrade your hosting plan, increase website security and add space. Now is also a great time to add more payment options such as PayPal.
Add Decorative Elements
Adding decorative elements lets customers know that you’re celebrating the holidays with special offers and promotions. A festive banner image, holiday-themed language and red and green color schemes are all ways to brighten up your website. Be careful not to get carried away, though. You don’t want to slow down your site or clutter it with visual noise. If you’re not sure what branding is best, use A/B testing or solicit customer feedback.
Send Out Emails to Your Subscribers
The best way to let customers know that your website is updated for the holidays is by sending them an email. Give them a good reason to visit your site – beyond festive candy canes and snowflakes. Discount codes are easiest and usually enough to entice users to pay a visit. Stick to easy discount codes with a festive flair like “Merry40” for a 40% off discount.
Put Together a Holiday Package
Another way to get your website into the holiday spirit is by putting together a holiday package. Pair a couple of your products together and offer them at a discounted price. This is a great way to upsell and cross sell your products, especially extra inventory that you want to get rid of. For added festive flair, offer holiday gift wrapping.
Give Back to Customers
The holidays are a great time to give back to your customers. Many are loyal throughout the year, so find creative ways to reward them and keep their loyalty strong. There are endless ways you can do this, such as by running a contest, giving away free items through the month of December or donating a certain portion of each sale to a charitable organization.
Need help getting your website ready for the holiday shopping season? Contact Magna Technology for a free site evaluation.
