The holiday season is fast approaching, and retailers have begun working on marketing ideas for generating more interest in their holiday sales and promotions. Shoppers have also started to think about gift buying and are heading online to do their research. The COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing mean more people than ever will choose to buy from retailers with an online business in 2020. If you don’t want to miss out on lucrative holiday sales this year, it’s time to get the ball rolling on your holiday marketing campaigns.
Numbers from the National Retail Federation should help provide some inspiration:
40% of consumers have started planning their holiday shopping by the time November rolls around
18% started even earlier in September
91% of consumers plan on celebrating the winter holidays.
One strategy retailers often use to drum up new business is to create holiday gift guides. Here’s how a 2020 personalized holiday gift guide can help boost seasonal sales for your e-commerce.
Engage with Consumers Earlier
Mentioning your sales early on can attract the right customers who are interested in purchasing your products. With 40% of consumers starting their gift buying in November and a good portion even earlier than that, it makes sense to start engaging with them as early as possible. When asked about their early gift buying habits, consumers reply with a variety of reasons, including:
Having more choice
Avoiding the last-minute rush
Ensuring the items are in stock
Online gift guides allow you to connect with these shoppers in a meaningful way, helping them find the perfect gifts early in the season.
Use Data for Creating Personalized Holiday Gift Guides 2020
Are you keeping track of seasonal trends with your sales data? If you are, you have a valuable resource for creating a personalized holiday gift guide to increase sales. Grow your customer traffic and look at key insights to what your customers are looking for. You can pinpoint popular products that provide the most profit margin, trending products, and products popular with various demographics. Year end is always a special season that can bring in a lot of sales and marketing opportunities, so be sure to explore your insights.
Rich Product Content will Boost Holiday Sales
Image collection by melpomen.
Your customers are price-conscious, but the price doesn’t count for everything. Descriptions, feature lists, videos, and images are all vitally important to the buying decision. A Salsify survey discovered that an incredible 88% of consumers put the quality of content over everything else when it came to making a purchase decision.
Use high-quality images and create detailed, rich descriptions to enhance the online shopping experience. Stock image sites are the perfect place to find pictures in just about every category under the sun if you haven’t the time to edit your own images.
Increase Holiday Sales By Helping Shoppers Make a Decision
The holidays are a mad rush for most families, and anything that helps them choose the perfect gift will always be appreciated. We’ve all been there; no time to shop, but not wanting to get something that won’t be appreciated.
A personalized holiday gift guide will be the perfect tool for these busy shoppers. Give your online shoppers the gift of choice (but not too much), with different categories, price ranges, and suggested audiences (kids, moms, dads, golfers, and grandparents, for instance).
Consequently, if you want to boost seasonal sales, then don’t give your shoppers an endless list of ideas, because that will only confuse them. Targeting your visitors with a personalized gift guide will make their shopping more convenient, while also helping them find the perfect gift for everyone in their life.
All photos by melpomen on 123RF.