6. Don't just be Christmas- and/or Hanukkah-centric. As marketing guru and author Shel Horowitz noted, by acknowledging other holidays besides the big two, such as Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice, Boxing Day and New Year's, "you'll get noticed… because almost no one else will do it, and those people who do celebrate these holidays will feel very warm toward you." However, Horowitz cautioned that this approach is not necessarily right for all sites, particularly those with a strong religious tone or bent whose customers might take offense or be turned off.
7. Offer free gift wrapping or free wrapping with purchases over a certain amount. "The reason people buy online instead of going to a store is because it's 'stupid easy,'" stated Michael Michalowicz, author of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur. By offering customers free gift wrapping (or free with a minimum purchase), including a gift card, you are fulfilling customers' expectations and needs. Never underestimate what people will do for convenience.
8. Offer free shipping. According to the e-tailing group survey, of the 36 features customers identified as important when shopping online this holiday season, free shipping was number one — and the high cost of shipping was cited as the number one reason customers don't buy more online. If you are unable to offer free shipping, which some smaller businesses can't do, consider discounted shipping, say free or reduced shipping on purchases over $25 or $50 or $100 (whatever number works for your bottom line).
9. Provide terrific customer service. Be prepared when your customers ask for or need help. Make sure you have an 800 or toll-free number and customer service e-mail address right on your home page, as well as on all your landing/product pages and at checkout. If possible, also offer live help via a chat window.
10. Allow people to create wish lists — and recommend gifts. Efficiency and speed are high priorities for today's online shoppers. And wish lists and a list of recommended gifts (based on age or gender or previous purchases) definitely help shoppers save time by getting the right gift(s) quickly.
11. Keep 'em coming back for more by including a freebie or future discount with each shipped order. Customers love free samples — and freebies and coupons in general. In addition to offering free shipping, JCearrings.com is giving customers a free one-week pass to an affordable nationwide fitness center with each purchase. Music equipment and audio retailer Sweetwater.com includes free candy with each shipment. And many online stores are sending customers coupons for 10 or 20 percent off their next purchase this holiday season, which not only gives shoppers that feel-good feeling now but gets them coming back for more.
12. Share the e-commerce love. "Form agreements with other [complementary] e-commerce stores that offer discounts and incentives with links to you (and vice versa) when purchases are made," said Michalowicz. As people tend to do their buying in groups, by having links to other sites where they may want to shop (and vice versa), you are increasing the chance of a sale. And this kind of cross-marketing costs nothing except the time it takes to add a link and a little bit of copy.
Another great money-saving holiday tip for smaller e-commerce businesses, although it doesn't have to do with marketing, is to consider temporarily reassigning staff from other departments/areas to help out with fulfillment and shipping during the busy holiday season, instead of hiring temporary staff, said Brian Combs, the senior vice president and chief futurist a Apogee Search.
"Even seasonal employees have real costs," he pointed out. And by rotating employees into fulfillment duties, say, one or two days a week, you minimize hiring and maximize efficiency. The result: employees often welcome and feel invigorated by a temporary change in their day-to-day duties — and happier employees lead to happier customers and increased sales.
As to when you should start implementing these suggestions, the experts all agreed, there's no time like the present. Consumers are shopping earlier than ever (before the traditional post-Thanksgiving Cyber Monday), and they are looking for value, convenience and ease. Give them what they want, and they'll not only buy from you now but there's a good chance they will return to your site in the future.
Jennifer Lonoff Schiff is a regular contributor to Ecommerce-Guide.com and runs a blog for and about small businesses.
IE 7
Firefox 2.0
