The holiday season seems to come faster and faster every year. But how do you plan for the holidays with an e-commerce store? To get in front of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday start of the holiday season, launching your e-commerce holiday planning as early as possible is the way to go. So, get your marketing and content calendars ready as we explore how to get your Shopify store ready for the holiday season.
How Much Does Online Shopping Increase During the Holidays?
According to Adobe Analytics, the November 1st through December 31st, 2023 holiday season saw an increase in online shopping of 4.9% year over year, with a total of $222.1 billion, a new record for e-commerce.
A strong cyber week, from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday, really kicked online sales into gear. This five-day streak saw an increase of $38 billion in online sales, almost 8% more than in 2022. Many e-commerce businesses start sales and promotions at the beginning of November, so keep that in mind if you are considering joining the fun this holiday season.
Preparing Your Shopify Store for the Holiday Season
Ready to get your Shopify store in the spirit of the season? Here are several tips to consider for your holiday e-commerce strategy.
Check Website Performance
Check your site speed to make sure your Shopify store is running smoothly and at the optimal level for your customers. There is nothing worse than losing out on sales because your website isn’t loading quickly or it is lagging. You also want to make sure your store works appropriately on mobile devices since upward to 73% of online sales were from mobile devices in 2022.
Keep your SEO strategy in mind as well. Make a list of holiday-related keywords to use for ads, social media posts, blog posts, etc. For example, “best Christmas gifts for moms. ” You can also write gift or holiday planning guides using these keywords to bring potential customers to your Shopify store.
Optimize the Online Shopping Experience
You want to make your customer’s online shopping experience as easy and painless as possible. This will include making sure that your website navigation is intuitive and easy to use and testing the checkout process to ensure that everything works properly.
Get or create new pictures of your products, and ensure that the product descriptions and copy are up to date. Show bestselling products and holiday promotions on your Shopify store’s homepage so customers can clearly see them no matter what device they are using.
Marketing Ideas for the Holiday Season
Here are some marketing ideas for e-commerce holiday readiness at your Shopify store.
Develop Holiday-Specific Products
This is easy if you offer print-on-demand or drop shipping. Create new designs specific to the holiday season and post them on your store. Even if you handmake products, you can probably come up with some ideas quickly and easily.
Or you can always just change out the packaging or branding on products you already have. It makes customers think the product is new. For example, if you sell candles, you can change the label on several different ones for the holiday season.
Offer Digital Gift Cards
You can easily add digital gift cards to your Shopify store. They make great last-minute gifts, and your customers don’t have to wait for them to come in the mail. You can keep them in your store year-round, and you can easily change the design to match the holiday coming up.
For gift cards, feature them on your homepage and at the top of gift collections. You can even promote them on your social media accounts.
Promote Holiday Sales and Products on Social Media
Post and promote holiday sales and new product drops for the holiday season on your social media accounts. This is your time to get creative. You don’t want to copy what everyone else is doing. Do something unique to catch the attention of your followers.
You could even download a discount app to create special promotions for your followers. Another smart idea would be to allow pre-orders. With the PreOrder Now app from Website on Demand, you can easily set up pre-orders for products on your Shopify store with just a few clicks.
Email List Discount Code
Another e-commerce holiday planning idea is to send a special discount code to those who subscribe to your email list. This code would be exclusive to your email list. It is a great way to reward customers who are loyal to your store. However, remember that email inboxes tend to fill up around the holidays, so get creative with your headlines.
Swap Out Standard Images for Festive Ones
A great way to make customers feel that your store offers gift options is to change standard product photos with festive ones. You can do this pretty easily in Canva, or you can find images on free stock photo sites like Unsplash or Pixabay.
Customer Experience and Support
Free shipping is often expected around the holidays. However, you can go one step further and offer shipping insurance to your customers. By providing insurance in case their purchase gets lost, damaged, or stolen, they will know that you care for them and their purchase.
You can also implement a customer loyalty rewards program for your store. As part of your loyalty program, you can offer return customers special discounts, early access to pre-launch products, or gift subscriptions.
Also, remember that customer service is extremely important at all times, but especially so during the holidays. People tend to be more stressed around the holidays, so approaching questions and concerns calmly can make all the difference.
If you have a team to help you with customer service, refresh them on how you expect customers to be cared for. Make sure they know and understand your return policies, shipping timeframes, post-holiday services, and how to manage argumentative customers.
Get E-Commerce Holiday Planning Help With StayTuned Digital
As long as you plan accordingly, getting your Shopify store ready for the holiday season can be fun and exciting. Online shopping has boomed over the past few years, and e-commerce stores should get it while the getting is good. With these tips for e-commerce holiday planning, you can get a jump on your holiday sales strategy and start preparing your Shopify store. If you have questions or are looking for apps to help with your holiday extravaganza, try our apps today.