Semalt Recommends How To Increase December Sales And Prepare Your E-shop For This Hot Period 


Online sales and the e-commerce industry have been growing steadily for years. In 2019, online shoppers spent over $ 1 trillion online, 3.7% more than a year ago, and the most in e-commerce history. Currently, the COVID-19 pandemic has depleted many wallets, so this result may not repeat itself, but as online store owners we still have something to fight for. Still, 60% of French internet users shop in nearly 30,000 French e-stores. How to increase December sales and start preparing your e-shop for this hot period? Let Semalt show you the way☺

How to increase December sales? Everyone will have promotions - how will you stand out?

The first thing you thought about was probably relevant promotions and discounts. Everyone will have it - nothing new. Think about your USP, i.e., a Unique Selling Proposition. What unique can you offer your recipients? What packages, products, or services?

How to increase Christmas sales in the online store? 15 tips

Here are 15 tips that Semalt can give you to help you with an amazing selling in December:

1. SEO

In addition to the USP, you will also need a thorough SEO audit and diagnosis of what can be improved in the positioning of your store. If your online store has not had any SEO processes done so far and it just happened, start your strategy from the very beginning:
  • choose key phrases for you that you want to position yourself for, i.e., be more visible on Google for specific words and phrases,
  • specify the industry in which you operate - for each of them, SEO activities may be different or focused on different goals,
  • analyze the structure of the website and its content (e.g., thanks to the Semalt Powerful SEO Tools ),
  • … And optimize!
Remember that improving SEO comes after many months of diligent and regular work. First of all, the visibility of the website increases, then organic traffic, and only at the very end, sales increase. If you want to know more about how to position your online store, check out our Semalt E-Commerce SEO.

Improvement and optimization of product sheets

A well-optimized product sheet should answer any doubts or objections of a potential buyer. Simply lead it and encourage them to buy it. Check if your product tabs cover all customer questions - put yourself in their shoes and see if you would like to buy this product yourself.

The product card is primarily:
  • accurate photos of the product from different perspectives, preferably when used by the model or previous customers,
  • product description adapted to Google standards and current UX trends,
  • social proof (opinions, reviews, testimonials),
  • encouraging CTAs to act, with a description of the benefits of the purchase,
  • Q&A about the product - the most popular questions and answers about the product, supporting SEO, facilitating the customer's purchasing and decision-making process.
If you want your product to reach more potential online passers-by, do an audit of product descriptions, and check if they are in line with today's SEO standards. Are there relevant keywords and phrases based on which similar products are searched? Does the description meet all the requirements and answer all users' doubts, or maybe some questions in customer service are constantly repeated? Do you use the language of benefits appropriately in them? Maybe the dimensions are not displayed or the product is not added to any category and is not displayed to anyone at all?

In addition to product descriptions of your daily marketing activities before the grand finale in December, it is worth using various forms of content marketing.

2. System of promotions and discounts

After all, you will need a system of promotions and discounts to plan your pricing policy and any online and offline marketing campaigns by the end of the year. Determine what and how much you can overestimate so that this sale is still profitable for you. Offer your customers packages and free shipping for orders over a certain amount. Maybe the way of increased traffic, try to use it to increase newsletter subscribers base and within the marketing automation send a voucher with a value of 20-30 dollars in the first purchase for newsletter signup?

Cross-selling and up-selling

If you have not yet implemented solutions related to complementary or complementary sales, this is the last call for you. You can read more about cross-selling and up-selling on our blog.

3. Omnichannel - standards in communication

If you haven't done it yet, plan and set standards for multi-channel communication of your brand or e-store now. You never know what the first meeting of the user with your brand will look like and where it will go to the store - the sources can be social media, organic traffic on Google, or paid online advertising. You should present clearly and legibly one and the most important offer in a similar form in every place. Communication chaos, little and irregular activity on social media, and the lack of brand responsiveness allow the customer to escape to the competition, which will inspire his trust and sense of security.

4. Creative for Google / FB Ads

A few months before the campaign, there is enough time to prepare all the creations, texts, and graphics for advertising campaigns on Google and Facebook that you will carry out in the fourth quarter. Remember that each ad takes days or weeks to test the target group and polish the details. If you want to see the clear effects of PPC activities, you better start your campaigns in October / November so that you have time to optimize them accordingly.
  • You can create graphics for social media, including Facebook Ads, for free in Canva. There you have a lot of formats at your disposal, prepared for a specific place in social media, e.g. ready-made Stories patterns and background photos for your fan-page. However, remember that this is a popular tool, so avoid ready-made diagrams.
Remarketing
Remarketing is an opportunity to attract users to your store who have already been to your store and, for example, have abandoned their cart. Ads tailored to selected products and customer expectations, following them in various corners of the Google or Facebook advertising system, are an additional decision-making stimulus that is difficult to resist.

5. Scheduling posts on social media

If you already have established communication standards, promotions, and discounts, as well as the first graphic creations, maybe it is worth planning the publication of posts in social media related to your campaigns now? After that, there may not be time for that in the throes of increased sales. You will need Creator Studio or Buffer for this. A good social media strategy can also help in positioning the store's website.

The Buffer app is especially noteworthy. In a few moments, you can connect and plan posts for many months ahead. In the free version, you can schedule up to 10 publications.

6. Google business card

If you provide your customers with the option of a personal collection or run an online and stationery store at the same time, take care of a Google business card. Good store marking on Google will make it easier for customers to reach your point of sale. Current working hours, offers and promotions, product photos, a chat where we can ask a question directly through Google Maps - all this and more will make you stand out from other stores that forget about this important medium. Good reviews on Google can work wonders.

7. Analysis of competitors' offers

Now is a good time to browse through your competitors' store catalogs. What are they selling? What have they added to the store? Do they have better prices, shipping, and payment methods, or more convenient customer service than yours?

8. UX fixes on the online store website

This is the last moment to make any UX corrections. Speed up the operation of the website, simplify the interface for users, and ultimately improve the positioning of the website with Semalt Website Analytics.
A page that loads even 2-3 seconds longer than any other page in the competition may lose this match. No one wants to wait for reloads, especially on mobile devices. Together with your IT specialist or UX specialist, optimize the conversion as much as possible with Semalt FullSEO-an advanced way to Google TOP.

9. Mobile version of the website

Google focuses on Mobile-First today, so the key to success in e-commerce may be the optimized mobile version of your store and the appropriate Mobile SEO strategy. If you don't have them, this is a red alert for you - it's time to implement them. Even 65% of all purchases during Black Friday are made on mobile. Don't let such sales opportunities pass you by. If you have a mobile version of the website, check if it is indeed still easily scalable and responsive on different devices.

10. Server replacement

If you are considering switching to a faster and cheaper server and hosting that will allow for more bandwidth and faster operation of your store, then this is the last call to implement everything before December and test it enough to make sure nothing "crashes". Replacing the server with a better one also affects the SEO of the store. On days like the November and December "golden arrows", your online store may get up to 30-50% more visits than usual. Prepare well for this siege.

11. Logistics

Have you been complaining about your courier company for a long time, your customers returned with complaints, and you never had time to take care of it? Imagine how many problems you have at the moment when there are several dozen orders a day. Think of how many there will be when several hundred "full baskets" are sent, flowing to you during the day. Now is the best time to verify the offers available on the market and choose the right, better delivery operator for your products.

Delivery time matters

Today, as customers, we have gotten used to the fact that we receive our order the following day or in a maximum of two working days. Of course, in the pre-holiday season, it is understandable that delivery times will be extended. Everyone does understand that but after all, waiting for a package for a week or two is a bit of an exaggeration.

Logistics outsourcing in e-commerce

If you feel that you cannot handle the logistics of such a large number of orders, you can outsource the shipping services in your online store, as well as the entire warehouse to an external company. The individual sales profit will be smaller, but you will take the burden off your shoulders resulting from hiring and verifying the tasks of employees for packing and sending parcels, and you will only deal with the promotion of the store and invoicing.

More delivery options

For this, consider other forms of delivery than those you have offered so far. There are several courier companies - let the customer choose what is most convenient for him and do not make this decision for him. It is very easy to lose a customer in e-commerce, even in such detail as delivery options. Acquiring… much harder.

International logistics

If you feel that your products or the entire online store can be successful abroad and you have already gained your first experience in this area, take care in advance of better foreign store positioning, optimization of product descriptions in the appropriate language, and as many forms of possible cheap international shipments of products outside Poland.

12. Gift wrapping for free or for a nominal fee

Think about whether you can technologically and logistically add such a service to the portfolio of your online store. This is related to IT improvements in the store, as well as the involvement of additional people to pack orders.
We are becoming lazier and lazier every year. Besides, #Coronavirus made it difficult for us to shop and leave home. It may turn out that many customers will choose your e-shop, and not a competitor's if you offer packaging for a gift at no price or a symbolic 5 dollars.

13. Countdown timer for same-day shipment

Statistics show that we most often shop online between 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. At this time, customers mainly choose online stores that will provide them with delivery for the next working day within 24 hours. A great solution is a clock displayed above the purchases, which counts down the time until the paid order is shipped the same day in the afternoon.

14. Additional forms of payment

PayPal, traditional transfers, payments on delivery, and with more expensive products - easy payment in installments - remember that customers use various forms of payment. If someone else gives them the option of the most appropriate payment method for them, they will go to him. Don't get overlooked.

15. Recruitment and training of additional people for customer service

Perhaps in such an important sales period for you as the fourth quarter of the year, it pays to hire an additional person for telephone and e-mail customer service? If so, it is high time to start recruiting and training a new employee.

Conclusion: Christmas is just around the corner

Coca-Cola trucks will soon appear on our television, which means that Christmas is coming. The biggest harvest time for entrepreneurs in the e-commerce sector. On Black Friday alone, an average of 650 dollars can be spent in each pocket. How to increase Christmas sales in the online store? Don't miss your chance and get ready for the fourth quarter in terms of SEO, product descriptions, offer diversity, and the preparation of all human resources and logistics - another such opportunity only in three quarters.

FAQ

1. When to start the SEO process?

As soon as possible! There is no perfect time to start the SEO process. Remember, however, that its effects are visible only after a minimum of 3-4 months, so be patient, and you will see the results of consistently conducted SEO activities throughout the year.

2. When is the highest turnover in e-commerce?

The best period for online stores is the fourth quarter of each year. That's when we have Christmas, Santa Claus, Halloween, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. This is the time when the first post-holiday sales begin. This is the moment when everyone buys everything. Get the most attention and strength in your online store from October to December each year.

3. How can I increase Christmas sales in the online store?

There are many steps you can take to increase your Christmas sales in your online store. Among them we can distinguish, among others:
  • SEO activities (with an emphasis on optimization of product cards),
  • UX corrections,
  • advertising campaigns on Google and Facebook,
  • omnichannel strategy.
Important! Think about your USP (Unique Selling Proposition) and offer your potential customers something special that will make you stand out from other e-sellers.

4. Will the coronavirus destroy the e-commerce industry?

Surely all kinds of trade backfire because as a society we simply have less money. There are more unemployed people on the market, and the turnover of many companies, including one-person ones, has dropped significantly. On the other hand, we go to stores and malls much less often, and we shop online more often. Already 73% of us do this. Coronavirus and the related lockdown may therefore turn out to be an opportunity, and not a threat, for Polish online stores.