In this episode, host Matt Edmundson, talks to four returning guests to understand how we can ready our eCommerce websites for Christmas 2020. The episode is jam packed with practical tips and helpful nuggets of information.
Shopify expert, Elle McCann
Think about and plan what kind of promotion you're going to do as far in advance as possible. You can then begin to create assets for social media runs and email marketing so that everything is in place and ready to go.
Avoid simply offering big discounts off products because you will quickly end up in a race to the bottom with price cuts for the holiday season. Instead consider having something a little bit more specialised so that you're giving a free gift or free personalization or specialty gift wrapping. A lot of those take a little bit extra infrastructure to build out so give yourself plenty of time to plan.
Begin to highlight your upcoming offers and promotions on your website. Let your customers and prospects know how and when they can buy your products on special offers. Let them know what cool stuff you’ve got planned. Build the momentum and the hype in the run up to Christmas so that you have plenty of people already waiting to convert.
Elle previously featured on Ep 33. You can connect with Elle on her website.
Globally recognised eCommerce marketing problem solver, Chloe Thomas
Prepare your weekly promotional calendars of content and offers and have a plan in place but be ready to pivot. In an unpredictable year like we’ve had, things change very very quickly and we must be prepared for any eventuality.
Offer gift wrapping as a service and increase the span of your customers and later use the data to segment your gift buying customers. Be aware though that gift wrapping comes with it’s challenges. You need to have a dedicated table in the warehouse for gift wrapping and you need to have someone on the team who is a gifted wrapper (see what I did there!?).
Gift wrapping will also change your pack picking and packing process as products will need to be wrapped first.
Chloe previously featured on Ep 20 and Ep 38. You can connect with Chloe on her website.
Digital marketing and eCommerce expert, Joanna Steele
Brands and eCommerce businesses can really maximise on the increased traffic on their sites. Stats are showing that up to 75% of consumers are still willing to spend a significant amount for the Christmas season despite unemployment and people being furloughed.
From a marketing campaign perspective, it's about being authentic and being understanding of where customers are coming from at the moment. Be authentic about the current climate in your marketing communications.
Joanna previously featured on Ep 29. You can connect with Joanna in a variety of ways - Linkedin, her website, Instagram and Twitter.
Owner and formulator at UXB a natural skincare company, Simon Driscoll
This Christmas season Simon has moved from participating in Christmas markets and instead has launched a Christmas box on his website. The Christmas box is made up of his best selling products. He has used influencer marketing to create awareness as well as some google ads.
Simon previously featured on a Coaching Call. You can connect with Simon on his website.