In two months, the world will celebrate Christmas, but September had actually marked the start of the busiest sales period of the year. Many online sellers have started preparing their inventory last month to ensure they don’t run out of stock when shoppers start stopping by their stores in the run-up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This year’s Black Friday is expected to be a week-long profit-generating event if you didn’t know yet.
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As early as November 21, shoppers will be busy on the Net, looking not only for quality products but those that give value for their money. You sure want to be around when that happens, promoting your best offers, lest another seller benefits from a potential sale. With that said, here are five steps to preparing your eCommerce business for the most profitable season of the year.
Step 1. Bring in your Key Products
Stock up on your key products, or your best sellers, which you are confident will sell before, during, and after the Christmas season. Aside from having those in your inventory, research on potential gifts that people are looking up. Google Trends comes in handy as it displays the search volume of keywords. It makes identifying in-demand products much easier.
Step 2. Spread the Word
Let out the news on your cool products and best offers through personalized emails. Visitors to your website would definitely want to know your Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. If you’re offering gift wrapping and shipping, it’s worth telling them these too. Come up with a strong subject line, the kind that compels anyone to click and read it. Aside from sending out an effective promotional email, tell the social networking community of your cool deals on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Step 3. Stock up on Holiday Packaging
You must invest in packaging materials that are appropriate for the holidays. You’re less likely to have repeat customers if you deliver dull-looking parcels at this time of the year. On the other hand, holiday-themed packaging never fails to infect people with holiday cheer, and it says a lot about how your company regards its customers. Whilst it is important that you stock up on holiday packing, there’s also a need to have them in different sizes.
Step 4. Partner with a Fulfilment Company
Expect your orders to double as the days get closer to Black Friday, which actually kicks off the holiday shopping season. Having said that, putting an order fulfillment plan in place is crucial to prevent late deliveries. It’s worth noting that the success of your business lies in the overall experience of your customers. If you can fulfill their orders quicker than other online stores could, you give them a reason to be loyal to you. If you’re unsure how to handle the influx of orders, you would want to consider a third-party company offering fulfillment services.
Step 5. Have a Reliable Customer Support
Never make them – your customers – wait. You should have reliable customer support in place. If you haven’t worked on this yet, outsource the task or, better yet, hire someone as you’ll need help in this area for the long term. It is also crucial that your website’s Contact Us page specifies the hours you provide customer support aside from your contact details. With these five simple and doable steps, you can surely turn your business into success not only in the upcoming holidays but in the many years to come.
Ho ho ho!
Online sellers don’t be left behind. Multichannel marketing is the quickest route to reach your customers. Understanding would love to have you join us in our discussions on Magento, M2E Pro, Magmi, and other eCommerce tools which you can use to sell on Amazon, eBay, and other marketplaces.
