Getting Your Ecommerce Website Ready for Christmas

The ‘C’ word is almost here. Get your mind out of the gutter! Not that ‘C’ word – we are, of course, talking about Christmas.

There are two types of people out there when it comes to Christmas:

1. You go full on Ebenezer Scrooge, donning a night cap and shouting “Humbug” at anyone showing even the slightest hint of merriment. Or,
2. You act like Will Ferrell in Elf, fuelling yourself purely on festive joy.

Whichever applies to you – we won’t judge – it’s an undeniable fact that the Christmas season is a fantastic opportunity for ecommerce businesses to boost their online sales. But bear in mind, people have limited budgets around Christmas time; they can only afford to spend a certain amount on friends and family. And with so much competition out there, you need to make sure your business is directly in front of them, ready and waiting when your potential customers are looking to make their purchases.

Deck the halls with festive web design

Even if you’re a bit of a Scrooge at heart, don’t let on. Convince your customers otherwise and show them how much you, as a businesss, love Christmas. Add some festive features to your website by dotting a few snowflakes here and there. Customise your social platforms by creating a festive cover photo. Not only will this convey to people that you care about Christmas, it will also show that you update your content on a regular basis to match seasonal changes. As web design experts in Shropshire, we can certainly help to add a little festive spirit to your website.

Show you care with social media

Remember, Christmas isn’t all about the big sales pitch. Yes, you want people to buy from you, but wouldn’t it be even better if they kept coming back for more, even after the Christmas period is over? By using social media to develop a relationship with your followers, you’re showing you care. Carry out a little brand building during this time period by offering something exclusive to your current followers, ask them questions, listen to their answers and, ultimately, show you’re a real person who cares.

Boost sales and traffic with a PPC campaign

If you’ve accumulated quite a profit throughout the year, meaning you have a few pennies to spare, why not put them to good use? Consider carrying out a paid advertising campaign to boost sales during this period. We know it’s a difficult one; you’ve worked hard through the year to earn that extra money and putting it towards your marketing costs is probably the last thing you wanted to do with it. But, if carried out successfully, an advertising campaign could provide you with a great return on your investment. PPC is a fantastic way to increase your website’s visibility in the search engines, especially for seasonal promotions, as ads and targeting can be tailored to meet the season and can be implemented very quickly. They only need to run for the desired season and the great thing about running an ad campaign nowadays is that the options are endless. With Facebook and Twitter also jumping on the “Ad-wagon”, you can now put your business in front of a different audience. So even if you’re already doing a great job on social media, boost your self-esteem a little more and gain even more followers and sales before the end of the year’s even through.

Send out a festive email campaign

In the build up to Christmas, everyone’s looking for a bargain. Findings show that the open rate of an email campaign is actually higher around this time of year. Use this opportunity to your advantage by sending an email with a compelling subject line and reasons why your customers should choose your business to make their purchases; what makes you different to your competitors? What offers do you have on at the moment? By carrying out an email marketing campaign, you’re immediately putting your products in front of people before they even have chance to go searching around for them elsewhere.

Make sure your website is up to scratch

We all know how stressful Christmas shopping can be and your potential customers need as little hassle as possible this time of year. So make sure their experience with your business runs smoothly. Take the time to review your website; are you able to access it on a mobile device? Is your product catalogue easy to navigate? Is the purchase process simple and straightforward? Does your website load quickly? By double checking your website is up to scratch, you’re making every effort to ensure your customers have a great experience. And you never know, even after the Christmas period, they could convert to returning customers or referral customers by recommending your business to their friends and family.

From our offices in Shropshire, we offer bespoke web design and a wide range of other internet marketing services. So get in touch today if you want an expert digital marketing company to help boost your ecommerce business sales. But hurry – it’s only seven weeks until Christmas!