A record number of shoppers will make purchases online this holiday season and, according to recent industry estimates, they'll spend more than $39 billion. Unfortunately, many small businesses will lose out on their share of this spending because their e-commerce sites aren't up to snuff.

1. Dangle A Carrot
   Don't be shy. Point out how consumers can use your site features to make their shopping easier or show how the gift they purchase from you will suit its recipient. This small edit to your Web site will greatly increase impulse purchases, said Presseau.
   Prepackaged gift items are popular with consumers during the holidays. Don't just display these items on your homepage or in a simple product listing. Give consumers creative ideas about how your packaged gift can help them quickly cross people off their shopping list.
   For example, rather than just showing a basket of nicely arranged holiday-themed candles, wrap a message around it, like, "Don't forget to thank teachers and coaches with this lovely candle gift basket."
   Here's another idea. Package your gift card with a small-dollar item and a nice box. It makes giving your gift card more alluring for those who like to put packages under the tree, she said.

2. Optimize Your Site to Grab Free Traffic
   Presseau said she is surprised that more small online businesses do not take advantage of search engine optimization because it's virtually free and it is highly effective. She said SEO is one of the most important quick fixes you can make to your Web site to increase holiday sales.
   Most e-commerce stores are database-driven and are difficult for search engines to index, said Presseau, but many e-tailers don't even cover the basics. She said to choose appropriate keywords and put them into the URLs, page titles and content of your Web pages to move you up in search listings.
   "It's also important to use the terminology that people use when searching, not what you call the product," said Presseau. "For example, you might call a hat a cap at your site, but when people are online shopping, they'll search for a hat. It's small things like that, thinking like your shoppers that can help rankings." She also said that it takes some time for search engines to index your site, so "doing this a few months before Christmas can help a great deal, doing it a few weeks before won't."

3. Countdown Shipping Days
   As mid-December rolls around there is only one thing on the mind of a last-minute online shopper, "Will I get it in time?" This anxiety easily accounts for a significant number of abandoned online shopping carts, said Presseau.
   She recommends that you add simple notes to your home, product and cart pages to remind shoppers how many shopping days remain and when they need to order from you in order to get their gifts on time. This will both jolt them into action and reassure them that the gift will arrive in time — if they buy now.

4. Guide Consumers to Jump Back Onboard — Not Overboard
   If a shopper cannot complete a transaction on your Web site for some reason — and don't kid yourself that it doesn't happen — try to persuade him or her to call a customer service representative to place their order, or to buy at your brick-and-mortar store if you have one, rather than jump ship and start shopping online somewhere else, said Presseau.
   Strategic placement and graphical emphasis of customer service numbers, store locator tools, shipping and return policies within the pages of your shopping cart are proven techniques that salvage sales from online shoppers who are about to abandon ship.
   "A lot of site have a 'contact us' button, but it's not easy to find, and if your shopper has some anxiety about the purchase, he or she is not going to go digging for the contact info," said Presseau. As an example, she said if you sell childrens' furniture or toys, you could put a box with a contact number on each page that says, "Have safety concerns? Call us." This would go a long way in closing a sale and decreasing cart abandonment, she said.

5. Add Promotions to Receipt and Confirmation Pages
   Most online retailers know by now that e-mail receipts and order confirmation pages are absolute musts, said Presseau. But she added that most businesses only use these pages for customer service purposes and ignore their potential as an easy and inexpensive marketing tool.
   She said even if you do not have the Web site capability to integrate promotions to upsell products that complement those your customer just purchased (and that's obviously the recommended, most-effective way), you still can promote universal products or seasonal items that will result in additional sales.
   Finally, the receipt and confirmation pages are the most printed and saved from any e-commerce Web site, said Presseau, so why not take advantage of this with either text or HTML add-on promotions?
   "You can easily add some text to a receipt e-mail for, say, a scarf that complements a sweater someone just purchased," said Presseau. "Or if they bought a candle, send a promotional description for the gift basket that contains it, or even add text for one signature or generic gift that everyone would love to all your confirmation messaging. These automated customer notifications can become the gift that keeps on giving — to you."