Once you have figured out what your (potential) customers want, bring your shop in line with the requirements of your peer group. Take your time examining everything closely:
• Which of your products are best suited as gifts?
Think different age groups and gender, and consider a variety of professions and hobbies. Maybe you should create a landing page on your website with the best gift ideas – and use links to the products in your shop.
• Do you make finding gifts easy for customers by creating categories or an inspiration bar?
Please read our shop training on the blog.
• Did you place your bestselling products or those having gained the most likes on Facebook or Pinterest first-line?
On your website or landing pages, in your shop or your newsletter – always put your top sellers first to use them as a drawing card to attract attention to the whole of your product line.
• Do your product descriptions work individually? And are they fitting?
If possible, add an individual description to every article with Christmas gift potential. But avoid being monotonous in your descriptions, nothing worse than harping on the same theme. It will make you lose your credibility, if you describe every product with e.g. ‘the perfect gift for everyone’. Be authentic and incorporate the results from your customer analysis. If you know your clientele, you could for example include a recommendation for an age group or type (gender, hobies etc). Also, take care of using all relevant key¬words. For Christmas this means ‘gifts’, ‘gift idea(s)’ and ‘Christmas wishes‘.
• Are you offering enough products that are actually on demand?
Combine your bestsellers with products that are on demand in Christmas season (scarf, woolly hat, hoodie…). In this season, t-shirts are not necessarily the number one product. Please also consider that people buying gifts like getting bigger sized accessories such as bags, phone & tablet cases, drinking bottles or umbrellas. These products also make sure that the gift recipients won’t face a disappointment about a present that doesn’t fit. NB – another reason for promoting the accessories in your shop properly 🙂
• Did your customers give you an idea?
Fantastic! Put it into practice and let your followers vote, e.g. on Facebook. This way you can find out which design or product your customers like best. You could e.g. put a vote on your best doomsday theme or the question ‘What’s the best gift for constantly whinging carpers and sticklers?’
To make the best of your Christmas sales, you need to align your marketing with those looking for gifts, and adjust your shop accordingly. Your effort – doing research, using social media channels and aligning your shop – is an on-going process that should not stop with an order deadline. Keep exchanging ideas with your customers and those to be. Be active and ready to react to your customers’ wishes quickly.
We would love to hear from your experience, and you could impart tips or strategies for us and other users, so that the festive period to come turns into a success for all of us!
I need to get started with my shop – thanks for the useful ideas. I like the idea of getting everyone to vote on facebook, at least it will help get some activity going.