How to jumpstart your holiday preparations ??

This will be a holiday season like no other. With more people shifting to online shopping, it’s predicted that global ecommerce growth will reach 10.4% in 2023 . As an ecommerce store owner, this means new potential customers and the opportunity to grow your online business this holiday season.

It also means a lot of competition and that can be stressful. The secret for making it happen—planning ahead.

Early planning will not only reduce the pressure of getting everything done in time, but it will also help you reach the 42% of holiday shoppers who plan on buying gifts earlier than last year.

?? Find the dates to target

First, mark down the important dates in your calendar so you can plan your campaigns. Think about the events that are important to your customers and focusing your efforts on those.

While Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the stars of the season, there are other shopping occasions you shouldn’t miss. Download our ecommerce holiday calendar here !

When finalizing your marketing plan for the holidays, think about the information you need to include in your campaigns, like order deadlines, shipping information, return policies, and so on.

?? Plan your marketing campaigns

Next on your to-do list—deciding what deals you’ll offer this holiday season. Pick one or mix and match to find what works for your audience:

• % or $ discount
• Free shipping
• Quantity discounts?
• Buy one, get one free
• Flash sale
• Giveaway or contest
• Promo code
• Loyal customer discount

Think about your buyer when deciding which deals to offer—sometimes the way you offer it is more important than the deal itself.

?? Set up the tech in your store

It’s easy to get distracted when making an online purchase, so make your customers stay focused before, during, and after shopping.

The good news is that there are loads of functionalities to help you out. Research and try:

• Abandoned cart recovery emails
• Retargeting ads
• Exit pop-ups
• Web push notifications
• Customer loyalty programs
• Coupon codes
• Chatbots

?? Run store maintenance

Your email campaigns, social media posts, blogs, and videos will direct your audience to one place—your website. To make it smooth sailing for your customers from there, run store maintenance now.

Here’s what you should pay extra attention to:

• Website speed. A single second delay in your website loading time can result in a 7% loss in conversion . Use GTmetrix to test how fast your website appears in all its glory—it shouldn’t take longer than 3 seconds .?
• Navigation. Well-thought-out website navigation lets customers find what they need and find it fast. Ask your friends and family to browse your store to check how user-friendly it is. Use their feedback to improve the navigation or layout of the website.?
• Checkout process. The most important part of your website is your checkout page because it’s where your store visitors become customers. Go through the checkout process yourself to make sure it’s quick and intuitive.
• User experience on mobile. Mobile shopping is steadily taking over ecommerce. Check out our article on making your store more mobile-friendly .

If you notice anything that needs improvement, make the necessary changes right away to avoid having your customers inform you about the malfunctions of the store, or even losing potential sales.

?? Pro tip: Find time to go over the tools and plugins you’re currently using on your website. If you stumble upon something that you haven’t used in a while—uninstall it. Any implemented software, even when it’s not in use, can slow down your website or cause downtime.

A word of advice from Karilynn Fulbright , Marketing Director at Snow Commerce, Inc :

Get more actionable holiday marketing tips here ????