Posted on July 8th, 2010
The Christmas season ends and next thing we know, Christmas advertisements are showing on television, in the newspaper and on the internet. As an internet merchant, it’s always best to be prepared; even months in advance.
Since the Christmas season is the biggest and most profitable shopping season each year, e-commerce stores must cater to the customer by presenting the products with a holiday spirit. By creating a festive and friendly store, it gives the consumer the same warm feeling of walking in to a brick-and-mortar establishment.
There are a few improvements internet store owners can make including;
- Don’t over decorate
- Ensure an accurate seasonal delivery schedule
- Offer clear and direct contact information
- Utilize customer feedback
- Place the best sellers up front
It’s a nice touch to decorate the online store in a Christmas motif as this leaves the consumer feeling warm and in the spirit to spend. However, don’t overdo it by blocking products with stockings or Santa’s sleigh. The primary goal to e-commerce is presenting the product to the consumer in a manner that’s appealing to their tastes. Also, keep your brand image alive by allowing the customer to see the full name of the store.
Christmas is also the busiest shipping time of the year. Ensure the seasonal delivery schedule is accurate. A sad child on Christmas morning because mom didn’t receive the package in time is not good business. Product shipping problems during this time of year can make or break customer retention.
Always be accessible or having someone available to respond to phone calls or emails. Also, ensure that the contact information is easily found on the site and accurate to address any issues that may arise. Additionally, post business hours of when customer service will be available to answer emails or phone calls.
Customer feedback and reviews are gold. If a customer didn’t like a specific aspect of the web store, listen to them and fix the issue. Make sure to get all the kinks out before the Christmas season begins.
Finally it’s favorable to place the best selling products on the first page. Many make the mistake of burying the consumers in pages of product when they are simply looking for the most popular good of the season. Customers want fast and convenient service, so provide it to them.
The basic premise to remember is; give the customer what they want. Make the site easy to navigate, position the most popular products where they can easily be found, offer excellent customer service and accurate shipping times. Following these easy tips can improve a web store’s profit and customer retention rate.