Tips for boosting your holiday sales in 2023 ??

Cyber Week is THE time for online stores to shine. Last year, it drove over $211B , making it the most profitable period for online store owners.

With Cyber Week right around the corner, it’s time to fine-tune your marketing strategy to capitalize on those holiday sales!

In this edition of POD Profit Playbook by Printful , you’ll find some practical tips that will help drive traffic to your website and convert customers this holiday season.

?? Key ecommerce marketing dates in Q4

The weeks ahead are packed with shopping holidays that present plenty of opportunities. As you jumpstart your holiday preparations for Black Friday Cyber Monday, remember that there are plenty of other spending events.

• 23 November: Thanksgiving (US)
• 24 November: Black Friday
• 25 November: Small Business Saturday
• 27 November: Cyber Monday
• 13 December: Green Monday
• 14 December: Free Shipping Day
• 24 December: Christmas Eve
• 25 December: Christmas Day
• 26 December: Boxing Day (UK, Canada, Australia)
• 26 December–1 January: Kwanzaa
• 31 December: New Year’s Eve

To help you get ready for the most wonderful time of the year, we’ve prepared some actionable tips that will help you boost your sales.

Choose what works best for your store depending on your goals and how much time you have before the sales event you’re preparing for! ??

??? Create a compelling offer

The overall success of the holiday season boils down to how good your offer is. Keep in mind that most Black Friday Cyber Monday shoppers will be looking for at least 20% off, so you want your deal to be competitive.

• Add pop-up windows with coupon codes. Research shows that coupons make people happier . Try welcoming your visitors with a discount for their first purchase or add a holiday coupon code to exit intent pop-ups.
• Offer free shipping or conditional free shipping for orders over a specific value. Make sure to protect your profit margins though—include the shipping cost in your retail price.
• Add a gift card your customers can redeem with the next purchase.

Depending on the platform you’re using, you can create a separate landing page with all your offers that your ads and emails will direct back to. The layout of this landing page should be intuitive and attractive. The less friction your potential customer encounters, the better the chance of converting them. ??

?? Optimize your product photos and descriptions

When someone clicks on your product it doesn’t guarantee they’ll add it to cart—but they’re on their way! Your task now is to convince your visitors to make a purchase, and your product photos and descriptions are the key to closing the deal.

• Update your product descriptions, mentioning that they make the perfect gift. Include the keywords Black Friday and Cyber Monday in the descriptions so the shoppers could find your offer with ease.
• Do a winter-themed product shoot. If you don’t have products on hand for a photoshoot, create mockups for new designs using Printful’s free Design Maker.
• Add product videos. Customers are up to 85% more likely to buy after watching a product video, and the vast majority of consumers prefer videos that are under 60 seconds.??

?? Provide clear info on shipping policies and deadlines

Many of your website visitors will be looking for products to be delivered before Christmas Eve, so be very upfront about your shipping cut-off dates.

• Run a site-wide banner with your shipping deadlines. It will be easy for customers to see, no matter where they are in their shopping journey.

• Promote expedited shipping options. Many last-minute shoppers will be willing to pay a little more to get their gifts on time, so make the most of this opportunity.

? Create a sense of urgency

Help those last-minute shoppers make decisions by giving them clear deadlines, rather than launching a never-ending sale.

• Add a countdown timer to build excitement. Countdown Timer by POWr lets you add one in the blink of an eye.

?? Connect with your email subscribers

If you already have an email list filled with previous buyers and leads, start communicating with them asap.

• Send out a teaser email a couple of days in advance, reminding that Black Friday is almost here, and promote your offers.

If you don’t have an email list , start building it now and add on to it next year, so that you could retarget your customers with your 2023 promotions and cross-sell to them.

We have a couple more suggestions. Find the rest of our actionable tips here !