As the holiday season approaches, businesses across the country are gearing up for another busy shopping season. Experts predict record sales this holiday season despite the economic headwinds and shrinking disposable income.
Businesses will look to the holiday period to help them recover lost revenue or slow sales. This includes both traditional brick-and-mortar stores and online-only companies.
Increased sales and turnover are dependent on consumers. On the other hand, digital marketers are working hard to expand eCommerce retailers’ reach and convert more customers.
Online shopping is still the majority during the holiday season. According to The State Of Influencer Marketing, Social eCommerce Sales will surpass $958 billion by 2022 according to Influencer Marketing Hub.
Online merchants must be creative to grab customers’ attention in an age where they are less concerned with spending habits.
Since the pandemic, the holiday shopping habits of consumers have changed. JLL found that 63% plan to shop in stores at most minuscule for holiday shopping. This is 58% more than in 2021. 55% of respondents plan to shop exclusively online. This is more than half the total. This will ensure that their businesses can continue to thrive during the holiday season.
Online shoppers are smaller and more competitive. Marketers and business owners must develop innovative marketing strategies to win customers this year.
Attracting customers away from brick-and-mortar stores and toward the competition can be difficult. These seven strategies can help you turn first-time customers into loyal customers.
It is possible to plan and execute your tasks.
Every year, the holiday shopping season is different. It usually begins on Halloween and ends on Cyber Monday. Businesses want to reach a wider consumer audience than their competitors, which is why we see holiday decor rising earlier each year.
While offering Christmas savings or deals in October might not be a good idea, many people still want to celebrate other important holidays. It is, therefore, a brilliant idea to start planning your marketing strategy.
Research current trends to determine which keywords you should use in your content. You can also research the interests of online consumers in the current year. To create a strategy focusing on consumer behavior, you can use data from social media and digital marketing platforms.
Once you know what to expect, you can plan, compile and execute your strategy to maximize its effectiveness. There is plenty of time for adjustments if you make mistakes or find gaps.
Social Commerce
Social commerce is selling products or services through social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Online businesses can now be run and maintained by social media without needing a website.
Although much of the marketing noise is hidden, social media can make a huge difference in getting the support of clients and finding new ones.
Explore how to increase social media visibility through paid ads and influencer marketing. You can improve your visibility on social media platforms such as Facebook and Google My Business by keeping your customers informed with holiday-related promotions and keeping your profile current.
A Salesforce study found that 4% of global online sales were made through social media apps. Social media accounts account for 10% of all mobile traffic. This opportunity is yours!
Create Relevant Messaging
You can create holiday personas that align with your online audience by knowing who they are and how you can find them online. Online businesses must ensure that their ads and messaging are relevant to current trends and consumers’ needs.
Being unique and personal in the digital world and online shopping is difficult. This is, however, one way to increase web visitors.
Customers are more likely to follow your business’s message if it is relevant to their needs.
Accenture’s recent surveys have shown that 91% of customers are more inclined to shop with brands and businesses that offer relevant advice and messages online. Over the holiday season, you can increase your website traffic by 91%
Utilize Web Pop-Ups
Pop-up ads will appear on any website you visit, especially during holidays. These pop-ups, also known as lightboxes, help convert first-time customers into returning ones.
Pop-ups often display information about special discounts or promotions that the business offers. These promotional offers may not be available to first-time customers and are usually only valid for a short time.
SumoMe, an application that helps businesses increase their online traffic, has reported that pop-ups can convert visitors by as high as 9%. Pop-ups can be created and integrated quickly and easily modified and adjusted at any moment.
These ads will direct the customer’s attention and provide a more personal experience. Lightboxes can make customers feel that you are talking to them.
See the Work of the Competitors
It can feel like a lot of copy and paste during the holiday season. Every business wants to make the holiday season memorable, but it’s the same message.
You can stand out by targeting the right customers and shoppers and drawing them to your website. This won’t work if you do it the same as your competitors.
It is challenging to be unique in an increasingly tech-savvy and digitally-savvy market. Before creating your marketing strategy, it is essential to examine competitors’ strategies.
You might have noticed something that they did not do well with. It might be possible to turn it to your advantage or move in the opposite direction to help clients convert.
You should tailor your methods to stand out from the competition, even if they’re not significantly different. Don’t copy other businesses’ methods. Instead, think about your target audience and their needs. Then, consider how you can meet them.
Establish solid, lasting link-building strategies
Online and offline SEO is essential for websites. This will improve your page ranking on search engines. Many people don’t realize how vital external and internal links can be at this time of the year. Some people may underestimate their importance in the bigger scheme.
These links will not boost website traffic by thousands or percentiles but can bring traffic to your site and increase page authority. They also provide the most relevant pages for users searching online.
Use relevant, festive-specific text as anchor text for your campaigns. Black Friday deals require keyword research. Both long-tail and shorter-tail keywords should be considered. Once you start moving towards Christmas, you can modify your anchor text and keywords to adapt to the new shopping trends.
Visit the Website
Imagine that you can increase website traffic using digital marketing such as affiliate links or social media. It is crucial to assess the ability of your website to handle this increased traffic.
If you have regular visitors to your website or domain, they could put pressure on it. Visitors may add products to their shopping carts and check out promotional products.
Your website’s performance, “health,” and other aspects must be monitored. If your website crashes during peak holiday periods or increases in loading times, it may not function properly.
Your website can quickly become overwhelming. You should use performance monitoring tools such as Lighthouse or page speed insights. Google provides both of these programs.
Check for any issues, and make sure you do regular maintenance. Before leaving on holiday, ensure your website is in good working order.
To finish off
Online businesses still have an excellent opportunity to grow sales and convert long-term clients into customers.
It can be challenging for businesses to stand apart from the crowd in a sea of competition, especially when big-box retailers now dominate online retail.
If you have a great product, you will know your target audience. It is important to start researching and planning well in advance if you want your customers to support you this holiday season. Customers will be more likely to buy if you have the proper messaging. Give your customers a unique experience. You can also think outside the box to find creative ways to spread holiday cheer.