By Marina Lehmann

With Christmas just around the corner, eCommerce stores and Online Retailers should rethink their strategy for the upcoming holiday season. We at WebDesigns-Studio.com would like to kick-off the holiday season and have collected a number of tips that should not only boost your holiday sales, but also make long-time and loyal customers - even for the time when Christmas is long gone.

1. Customer LOVE Coupons!
Yes, they really do! So our suggestion is that you rethink your discount strategy a little bit. Who are you targeting? New customers? Your existing clients? Especially for the holiday season, coupons might turn out to be surprisingly effective. Who or your customers really like driving around from store to store, trying to find the right gift, if they could have it right there, shopping from home, delivered to their door – delivered to their door FOR FREE. Right – free. “Free Shipping” works great, let’s look at Amazon.com for a minute. Amazon.com offers free shipping on orders $25 and up. Have you ever caught yourself adding an item to your shopping cart that you do not really need but will qualify you for free shipping? It works similar for eCommerce shops that send their customers a gift if they made a purchase for more than $50. Not few of your customers would be willing to buy another item just to receive a gift. Also, we recommend setting a date on which your coupon will expire – this creates a sense of urgency in your customers, knowing, they only have a few days left to get this “one-time offer, lowest price ever, best deal in a lifetime” deal.

2. Give your Home Page a New Look!
This should work pretty well – especially for your existing clientele! Draw their attention by adding your “On Sale” items and “Xmas Specials” on your Home Page. Consider a Home Page Make-over just for the holiday season. I caught myself checking out a certain Web Site more often than usual during the holiday season, just because their Home Page had a new look every day (ok, I also made some purchases from that site, but that is what we want, right?). Just take Google.com for example. Remember they change the look of their logo on special occasions such as Halloween, Thanksgiving, the Olympic Games, and Christmas? Especially your existing customers who got used to the way your web site looks like will realize “Wow – something has changed! This looks different than the last time I checked their web site – let’s look around and see what else is new”. In the end, your web site visitors might not only look around – eventually they will do their holiday shopping with you. The great thing about it: This strategy does not cost you a fortune and has been proven highly effective!

3. “Dear Marina, …”
No, we do not like spam, mass mailing, viruses. Neither do your customers. Don’t you hate it when you constantly get newsletters from the same sender, every day? Your customers are no less different than you are. Think your newsletter will end up in the “Junk” Folder or deleted right away? This is only partially true. Try to personalize your eMails and do not use boring subjects and headlines. Draw attention! If I’d get an eMail that starts with “Dear Marina, you as our preferred customer could benefit from this and that, etc.” I will NEVER delete it. I also would never mark it “spam” or put in my Junk Folder. I would read it. Just because the sender actually knows my name, and I feel flattered for being a “Preferred Customer”.
Wow. Try to do the same thing – personalize your newsletter as much as possible, mention their last order, wish them a happy holiday. Don’t underestimate mass mailing – as long as you personalize it and make your customer feel special and appreciated.

Yes. We love online shopping. Now it is your turn to try some of our tips and put them into action. The upcoming holiday season can put your store in an excellent position to earn a good reputation and loyal customers. It might require some planning and some changes on your web site and strategy – but it’s all worthwhile! You can do so much to improve your sales, long after Christmas has gone. We at WebDesigns-Studio.com wish you all the best, and if you need more detailed and customized strategic planning or a new look for your web site, call us at (323) 207-9924 today or eMail us


Yours in Success,

Marina Lehmann

WebDesigns-Studio.com
291 S. La Cienega #311
Beverly Hills, CA 90211

(323) 207-9924
Marina@webdesigns-studio.com