10 tips for pulling a cracker of a Christmas online

Christmas underpins profitability for the whole year for most shops. When it comes to preparing for the festive season online, “the early bird catches the worm”. Before you know it, the rush to service orders has replaced any consideration for how to optimise sales. Here are some seasonal tips from some e-store owners to help you get ready.

1 Prepare your marketing ideas early

Whatever your Christmas marketing plans, run some small-scale tests months in advance. Find out what works and refine it. If search engines matter to you, optimise in plenty of time. Keith Milsom of www.AnythingLeft-handed.co.uk comments: “We plan ahead for promo emails to various customer groups, because they take a while to prepare. We also boost PR with a press release in September.”

2 Make sure you can handle the extra traffic

If there is anything worse than having no orders, it’s having more than you can handle. This just produces dissatisfied customers. The average e-tailer gets 30 per cent more orders in November/December. Make sure you can cope with the increase. This includes web hosting and extra staff for packing.

Bill Stevenson of www.spicesofindia.co.uk advises ordering extra stock and advertising for temporary staff in September. “Last December, our visitors fell, but conversion rates tripled. We ran out of many Christmas gift sets and could not get new stock. This year we will order a lot more.”

3 Sort out your logistics

If applicable, make sure your logistics supplier can cope. To avoid missed deliveries, let customers select delivery to their work address. Robert Johnston of www.gentlemans-shop.com adds: “We email customers their parcel tracking details and confirmation of delivery date. This dramatically reduces calls about deliveries.”

4 Get in the Christmas spirit

“Don’t be a bah-humbug! Decorate your site and get into the Christmas spirit,” says James Auckland of www.lunaspas.com. Find creative ways to mark the season. Put gift ideas on your home page and stock Christmas-themed items. Remember to change the pages on Boxing Day.

5 Think about last minute shoppers

Cite a final ordering date for Christmas delivery on every page. Highlight when the deadline has passed. You’ll need different dates for home and overseas orders. Drop customers a reminder email (eg “You must order by end of tomorrow for delivery outside the UK”).

6 Help customers in a rush

Most online shoppers are in a hurry, particularly at Christmas. Help them out with a search capability that can match by category and price. Text-based searching is no help when you want a gift for less than £10 for your eight-year-old niece. Another aid for rushed buyers is a gift-wrapping service. It can also increase your margin.

7 Upsell to maximise the opportunity

Where gifts need additional items such as batteries, ensure they can be ordered together. Suggest similar gifts and incentivise extra purchases with offers such as ‘buy two and get one free’.

8 Thank valued customers and suppliers

James Auckland again: “Thank your suppliers, as well as your regular customers.” Good supplier relationships can help resolve problems. Consider offering discount during January to suppliers and good customers.

9 Maintain a sense of humour

Robert Johnston once had an irate customer repeatedly phoning on Christmas Eve “about the delivery of his father’s missing present. He accused me of ’ruining his Christmas‘. Just as we closed, he called to apologise. His sister had signed for the parcel – and dad’s present was already wrapped and under the tree.”

10 Advertise your January sales

Plan your January sale early. It gives ‘value shoppers’ a chance to clear all that dead stock for you.

Finally, book a well-earned rest for February. You will probably need it. Just beware of tour-operators trying to up-sell you to something more expensive.