We may only be heading into the end of October but how many of us have already started our Christmas shopping? Lots. Exactly. So, it really is vital that you ensure your ecommerce website is ‘Christmas ready,’ if you don’t, you run the serious risk of losing customers over the busy festive period.
If you’re an online retailer, you likely find that your number of sales increases as the festive season approaches, and you also likely know that the busier your site gets, the harder it has to work. We’ve got some great tips below to help you ensure your site doesn’t crash and lose you sales this winter!
Check your speed & responsiveness – customers want websites to load quick, if your site takes longer than a couple of seconds to load up, then they are likely to hit the back button. You must test the speed and responsiveness of your website regularly over busier periods- across all platforms and devices. There really is no point in spending loads of your hard-earned money on marketing campaigns if your website is letting you down at the last minute!
Offer device options – remember, not all customers shop the same. Some shop from their PC or laptop, others shop from their phone or tablet. It’s really important to make sure your website is compatible with all devices and that it is set to adjust to fit the screen size properly. This is something your web developer should be able to do for you, and really is important. So many people shop on their phones nowadays, so if your site doesn’t work properly on your customers phone, then they will leave your site and go elsewhere.
Take advantage of images – images are great! Not only do they fill up space that we don’t have the text for, but they also catch the customer’s eye before any of your written content does. Ensure you are using crisp and clear images to advertise your products, and why not make your site a little more inviting by adding a bit of a festive feel? The majority of people love the Christmas period, and so a website that’s decorated with festive images really will be attractive to them.
Offer gift suggestions and help – not everyone is a great shopper, in fact some people find the idea of selecting gifts for their family & friends quite daunting. So why not offer a personal service and help them? Creating gift sections on your website such as ‘gifts for him’ or ‘gifts for her’ really do help those people struggling with their shopping. You can even have ‘novelty gifts’ and ‘home gifts’ sections. This type of service will be appreciated by these customers, and therefore they will keep your website in mind when they need to purchase shopping online again. Also, if you can, a gift-wrapping service is always a huge hit when people are buying gifts, so why not offer this as part of your Christmas theme?
Inform of shipping dates – remember, the chances are people are buying from your site because they intend to use the items as Christmas presents. This is why it is so important to inform your customers of when their last date is to order in time for delivery before Christmas; you really don’t want to start 2020 off with a long line of unhappy customers wanting refunds, do you?!
These are just a few tips to get your ecommerce website ready for the Christmas period. If you have any concerns about your website’s performance, speed or effectiveness then you should speak to your web developer ASAP. Or, failing that, get in touch with us to see how we could be helping you and your business!
Recent Comments