E-commerce: How to Boost Sales This Holiday Season

It’s that time of year when every store is bombarding customers with ads. Sponsored social posts, commercials, promotional emails – the ads are reaching you one way or another, with big box retailers being the primary source. As a small business, this may have you wondering, how do I stand out when the crowd is packed with such large competitors? The answer: e-commerce optimization. Taking the time to optimize your e-commerce, especially for mobile shopping is crucial.

As with any industry, major retail trends come and go. Currently, online shopping is at its peak. Seasonal shopping itself has started to shift toward mobile, due to the fact that consumers enjoy the luxury of shopping at their leisure – whenever, wherever. On Black Friday mobile revenue hit more than $1.2 million, up 33% from last year. As mobile shopping continues to grow in popularity it’s essential that your business adapts to best meet the needs of your customers.

Make sure your website is up to par
First things first, we must call attention to the fact that while e-commerce continues to thrive, the world is full of people who abandon their online shopping carts for various reasons. For you, this means taking the necessary measures to decrease “abandoners” and increase your sales.

The first thing to consider is your website speed. 57% of consumers will abandon a website that fails to load after three seconds, meaning if your site takes longer to load than it does for you to read this sentence – you’ve lost more than half of your visitors. Consumers have high expectations for technology and the demand for responsive websites is higher than ever before, especially when we’re talking about online shopping.

Deliver an quality experience
Once that issue in conquered, it’s time to consider the shopping experience you’re creating for your customers. Everything from in-store branding to social media content, website to email promotions, needs to be cohesive. Customers should have a clear understanding of your brand based on the experiences created within these mediums. They should also feel knowledgeable about your products, further encouraging them to feel confident in their decision to buy.

In the past, retailers were often hesitant about e-commerce sites for fear of “showrooming” – consumers checking out a product in-store, then purchasing online for a better deal – but things have changed. Now customers are “webrooming” – researching products online, then heading to physical locations to further investigate and purchase. By providing a quality experience and exceptional information throughout your branding materials and e-commerce site, you have the potential to sway webrooming customers to complete their purchase from the comfort of their own homes.

Don’t complicate the purchase process
And don’t forget to streamline your ordering process. A speedy website and stellar user experience are all for not if your checkout process is lengthy and complicated, especially for mobile shoppers. Once a customer decides to make an online purchase they want to check out, get their order confirmation, and wait for delivery. They don’t want to tell you their mother’s maiden name, select a “title” such as Missus or Ambassador from a list, or enter their address six times. A few examples of things you can do to speed things up include:

– Allow customers to check a box deeming their shipping address and billing address as the same.
– Auto-detect city and state using a zip code.
– Clearly label required fields.

The easier it is for a customer to complete their purchase, the more likely they are to return. Plus, a pleasant shopping experience will also lead to referrals.

As we continue the journey through the holiday season, and shopping season for that matter, e-commerce has the potential to make a huge impact for your business. If you haven’t been taking your online store or mobile website into consideration, it’s time to make a change. If you need help optimizing your site for e-commerce, or to make it more mobile-friendly, we’d love to help. Contact us here on our website or give us a call to discuss your needs.