Simon / Published on October 29, 2013
Christmas is just under two months away, with many businesses already having strategies in place to sell goods online over the festive period.
British consumers reportedly spent £86bn during the Christmas period last year, showing the huge amount of money your business could potentially make.
There are certain things you should focus on in the run-up to Christmas to increase the likelihood of online sales.
Site Design & Speed
Today’s consumer is easily frustrated and very impatient. If your site speed is not up to scratch, you will easily lose out on customers who will look elsewhere for goods online.
Once you have your site optimized for speed, the second most important aspect is the design.
How does your site look? Is it visually appealing, or hard to read?
Promote Relevant Products
In the countdown to Christmas, make sure you prioritise the visibility of seasonally relevant products.
Items that are relevant as the weather gets colder should be highlighted on the homepage and other main areas of the site.
Make the Buying Process Easy and Quick
You want to make the buying process as easy as possible when you sell goods online.
Make the process hassle-free and streamline it so they don’t have fill out endless forms. Always give an option for consumers to buy something as a guest – reducing the time needed to buy something off your site.
Offer Free Delivery & Free Returns
You should always offer free delivery and free returns before and during Christmas. You want to increase the number of people who buy from you and this is the number 1 incentive for doing so!
Gift-wrap all Christmas Gifts – free of charge
Finally as a little extra, you should gift-wrap all of your items. Ask customers if it is Christmas gift and then offer gift- wrapping free of charge.
This is a nice little touch and should gain you some loyal advocates online – after all, nothing spreads faster than word of mouth!
If you follow these guidelines, then your business will be one step ahead of the competition!
Have you prepared your business for selling goods online in anticipation of Christmas?
