This holiday season will again be a shift from previous years. The way consumers shop and brands position themselves has become more relevant than ever. With a shift to predominantly online shopping and buy online pickup in store, being the norm last year during the throes of a pandemic, this year is set to be more of a combination of online and in store shopping. However the online shopping will still be much more prominent than years prior to 2020. Meaning brands should still be focused on ensuring websites are optimized to provide the best online user experience possible, marketing efforts are dialed in and relevant, and branding stands out amongst the masses.

To jump start the holiday season and get your brand off on the right foot here are some additional tips and recommendations for eCommerce companies to make it the best holiday season yet.

Here are some important factors to consider when positioning your brand and products to your customer base.

Website functions that will help with user experience:

• Page speed: ensure website page speed is as fast as possible. This is critical to user experience and ensuring customers are able to browse and place orders quickly and efficiently. (Page speed can be checked here.)
• Ensure the messaging and imagery on site matches messaging being presented in all marketing efforts in store, online, etc.
• Make sure any promos or deals running are front and center on the site and any promo codes are easily accessible.
• Have an online chat feature that is easy to access for customers who have questions, or complaints. Customer service is crucial during the holidays.
• Product pages should have all relevant product data, specs, images of multiple angles, reviews, etc. easily viewable.

Online promotion:

• Use your loyal customers and influencers to promote products and encourage people to buy. This shows brand loyalty and confidence and will instill those sentiments among other potential buyers.
• Start promoting in store and online sales early. Consumers love deals and anything that will save them money. If a customer is loyal to a brand and they see a sale for that brand, they are more likely to buy, and buy more if they can get more for less.
• Promote of offers of free shipping or free expedited shipping for the holidays if ordered by a certain date as applicable.
• Create gift guides promoting similar products often purchased together, or products that are in a certain price range. This will encourage consumers to purchase more items and will help with gift ideas if they are struggling to find gifts or are needing to shop on a budget.
• Use influencers to help get your product in front of audiences on social media that are potentially unreachable through other channels. Consumers tend to take recommendations from people they are familiar with and trust.

Both organic and paid digital marketing efforts are important, and all factors listed above play a role in both, but paid ads often require a little more strategy and specific requirements. Here are holiday advertising from both Facebook and Instagram to help fuel your social media holiday ad strategy.

Holidays should be and enjoyable time for consumers, and the better their experiences are with companies and purchases the more likely they are to have an enjoyable experience. Tap into the emotional and tonal aspects wherever possible to promote comfortability and trust amongst consumers.

Here are some resources Anvil media has provided in previous years many of which are still applicable in this new state of normal. Contact us we can help implement your organic and paid media marketing strategy!