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5 tips for optimizing your online store before the holidays

5-tips-for-optimizing-your-online-store-before-the-holidays

The holiday season is approaching fast. With many customers planning to skip in-store shopping this year, online purchasing is expected to be bigger than ever. It’s important to make sure your site has all the bells and whistles it needs to stand out from the competition.

If you’re looking for some last minute inspiration to get your online store optimized for the holiday season, you’ve come to the right place. Here are five quick tips to get your site into the festive spirit!

1. Create a holiday landing page that houses your best deals

Image via: wesellmats

What better way to showcase your special products and deals than creating a holiday landing page? This gives your team the ability to showcase the products you want to move the most during the holiday season. This can also be the one stop shop for all your marketing efforts!   

2. Make sure critical shipping dates are easily found

red and green graphic showing holiday shipping deadlines

Image via: stylinonline

Now more than ever, it’s important to make your shipping information known to customers. Updating your shipping page to reflect this year’s shipping deadlines for Christmas will help get those final sales in and keep your customers happy. Try showing this information in a sitewide banner as you get closer to the deadline so that everyone gets the memo. 

3. Show off your subscription products and offerings

example of Chaeban Ice Cream subscription offering

Image via: chaebanicecream

Remember, holiday shoppers aren’t only buying gifts for other people. They are also looking to spoil themselves during this time of year! As customers browse your store, make sure they find out about your great subscription offerings. These are the kind of deals that will get customers to return to your store later, and hopefully sign up for an offer that brings in valuable recurring revenue. A few tips for making your subscriptions stand out: 

  • Show off your subscription offers on a header, hero image, landing page, or popup.
  • Use “free shipping” or 10% off with subscription to entice shoppers to spend a little extra to save.
  • Consider your subscription onboarding flow. Get customers filling out a fun survey or answering personalization questions to guide them towards a subscription option.
  • If you offer an enticing subscription deal (save 20% and get free shipping when you subscribe for 6 months etc.) customers might buy the holiday gift they need and treat themselves all in one purchase.

Subscriptions can be more than just a monthly/quarterly mystery box. Your business can offer an abundance of different items to fill that customer need. Who doesn’t love a recurring coffee order or new sunglasses now and again? 

4. Product descriptions and reviews are key

Screenshot from Amazon of Christmas tree with product description and customer reviews

Image via: Amazon

One of the most important aspects of your site are your products. When it comes to making that sale, you want to ensure your customers have all their questions answered up front so they feel confident enough in their purchase to click through to the checkout. 

Optimizing your product descriptions to include detailed points like product dimensions, fiber content. ingredients, and special features can go a long way for customers. Additional photography can also have a big impact. Lifestyle images can show the product in a completely different light and help the customer better visualize them using the product.

One of the other impactful additions to your site are product reviews. Hearing what others say about a product gives a customer a great understanding of what their experience could be. Some ecommerce platforms such as BigCommerce have reviews included, but for more robust features, you might need to look at additional third-party options.

5. Small graphics and banners go a long way

Screen shot of smokedmeats.com home page

Image via: smokedmeats

Tis the season! It’s the perfect time to go the extra mile and add a little festive spirit to your website. The graphics aren’t just to spread a little joy, they’re a great asset to your marketing efforts. Having holiday graphics that also reflect what is on your website creates a cohesive message across the web that will give your customers an easy understanding of your holiday offerings. 

Need a hand this holiday season?

We hope you'll be able to apply these tips to your online store in time for the holiday shopping rush. If you need a hand optimizing your store, our team at EY Studios would be happy to help. We've crafted custom solutions for a wide-range of successful ecommerce brands, and we'd like to add yours to our list!

Happy holidays! 

Special thanks to our friends at Bold Commerce for their insights on this topic.

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