Holiday eCommerce Business Planning – Head Start – Part 3 of 3
By Debbie Gregory.
Recap:
In Part 2 of our holiday preparation series we went over planning deals for your past customers, putting together your holiday messaging, preparing your inventory and packing materials and getting your site prepared for the holiday rush. In Part 3, we will finish out the series with the graphics you will need to create, your PPC (Pay Per Click) campaigns, updating your holiday policies, and readying your site for buyers.
Create All of the Holiday Graphics & Imagery You Will Need:
It is best to create all needed graphics and imagery well in advance of the holiday season. Adding cute little holiday touches really helps people feel festive when shopping with you. Take the time to update your website, logo, headers, and social channels with fun holiday touches. You will also want to create fun graphics to go with all your promotions, deals, and bundles. Make them eye-catching, colorful, festive, and fun!
Plan, Write & Review Your Holiday PPC Campaigns (Pay Per Click):
If you utilize Pay Per Click (PPC) campaigns, you will want to make sure that they reflect the same promotions, deals, and discounts that you are planning to push on your website and social channels. These campaigns are also best run during the peak buying days mentioned earlier. Typically you want to focus holiday campaigns from December 14th-24th.
Review & Update Any Policies & Procedures That Can BE Affected During the Holidays:
Since we are specifically talking about eCommerce businesses you will want to make sure that your holiday shipping time frames and procedures are front and center on your site. You may want to consider creating a holiday FAQ page that covers typical questions your customers may have during the holiday season so they know what they can expect. Items such as:
- Special hours
- Last days to order to ensure delivery by December 24th
- Dates certain types of shipping will no longer be available
Test & Update Your Website Security & Performance:
Security is always a concern for consumers when shopping online. Make sure that your site is ready for the holiday spending season by:
- Having an SSL certificate installed and configured or update the one you have
- Make sure that your hosting package can handle the holiday traffic
- Make sure your site is totally up to date
- Make sure your site is running properly and as fast as possible
- Make sure that your site looks proper both on a computer and on mobile
If you plan accordingly, tackle any possible issues, you will have a lower stress, more profitable, and more productive holiday eCommerce season.
Happy holidays and we hope this is your biggest holiday season ever!
