Don’t kid yourself, online sellers: you know that the holidays are right around the corner. You also know that you have a limited time to get your store ready before the sales rush hits and you have zero time to do anything else. You may fool everyone else, but you can’t kid yourself! So why are you fighting it?
Is it because you’re not sure how to even begin to prepare your store for the season? While it’s easy to talk about and get excited for the busy rush, it’s just as easy to get psyched out by all the pressure to perform and just… not do anything at all. Check out the following tips for a little jump-start to prepping your online store for the “most wonderful time of the year.”
Figure Out Your “Features”
Every holiday season has its big hits: Tickle Me Elmo, Pet Rocks, etc, they all had their day in the winter sun. You must figure out what’s in your stock that could potentially be a big hit with your audience so you can feature it.
It doesn’t necessarily have to be a rockstar item like a Tickle Me Elmo doll. It can just be something you know sells well and will still be a hit come November/December when things get really hairy.
Figuring out may take some work. Sometimes you can just check your recent sales sheets to see what’s been moving. Other times, though, it’s more helpful to gauge the landscape and see what others have been moving so you’re ahead of the curve.
Site Redesigns
No, you don’t have to have a total overhaul of your entire site. That can be costly and may not be ready in time for the season anyway. But a few simple changes can give you the boost you need.
For example, throw up a dedicated “Holiday sales” section on your website and point people that way as soon as they enter your page. Not only does this show them the cool stuff you want to feature, it also gives you opportunities to offer discounts and coupons.
Another simple touch-up you can do is to add a few decorations. One website I used to write for would put animated snow all over the website – that was a bit much. But one year they decided to just put Santa hats on all the pictures of the site mascot. It was simple yet showed we were in the holiday spirit.
Also, while you’re at it, why not add a WePay payment button to easy accept payments online?
Figure Out Where You Stand
Speaking of discounts and coupons, it may be a good idea to go ahead and get an accurate view of your online store. After all, how are you supposed to offer free shipping to all customers if you’re operating in the red?
Pull your records and figure out your profits and loss over the last few months and see what your growth pattern is. Hopefully you get a pleasant surprise and realize you can afford a better promotion for the holidays than you thought! Either way, it’s always helpful to know where your store stands so you can better prepare for the winter months ahead.
