For most ecommerce businesses, Christmas often means a significant increase in sales compared to the rest of the year, with 2017 being no different. The likelihood is you’re probably about to hit the busiest time of year, meaning it’s important that your website is working as well as it can be, in order to provide the best experience for customers.
From speeding up your checkout process to offering seasonal extras, there’s a number of ways you can optimise your shopping experience in the run-up to Christmas.
Test Website Speed
With Christmas often resulting in more people visiting or purchasing from your website, it’s crucial that your website as well as your checkout, are able to handle the Christmas rush. The last thing you want to do is leave your Christmas shoppers frustrated with a slow and unresponsive site, that doesn’t allow you to purchase anything, make sure to test your site speed and performance ahead of the Christmas rush!
Extend Your Returns Policy
During Christmas, there are likely to be more people buying gifts online and while most people are content with what they receive, it’s possible that there will be others looking to return gifts after the 25th of December. By extending your return policy into January, it means that if needed people can return their gifts after Christmas, giving people plenty of time to return or exchange unwanted presents.
Offer Gift Wrapping
If you don’t offer gift wrapping throughout the year then it’s a good idea to include this option for customers during the Christmas period. These days people want convenience and there’s nothing more convenient than knowing you’ve ordered a gift that is already boxed up and wrapped ready for Christmas day. By offering gift wrapping, gift receipts or even the option to include a personalised not, you are not only helping your customers but showing that you care.
Free Shipping
Christmas is an expensive time of year, with the cost of gifts, food and decorations adding up over the festive period. This is why it’s a good idea to offer free shipping if possible at Christmas time, not only does this work as an act of goodwill during an expensive time, but it can also be an effective way of encouraging audiences to come back another time.
Ensure Your Inventory Is Stocked
With more visitors and sales it’s vital that during the Christmas period your inventory is constantly stocked. If you run out of products during such a busy time, you’re likely to annoy customers looking to buy there and then, instead of waiting, they’re going to shop elsewhere, meaning you miss out on the sale. By planning ahead and keeping your inventory stocked, you’ll not miss out this Christmas.
If you’re looking to make the most out of the Christmas season you need to be prepared, by considering the most important elements of running your ecommerce business, thinking about what might go wrong and by having a backup plan you can be generating more sales and keeping your customers happy!
