How to Prepare for the 2023 Holiday Shopping Season Now

How to Prepare for the 2023 Holiday Shopping Season Now

Prepare for the 2023 Holiday Shopping Season

Prepare for the 2023  Holiday Shopping Season

How Was Your  2022 Holiday Season Sales?

Did You 
Did You Break Even 
Did  You Hit Your Goals 
Loose Money 
?

The pandemic shifted everything, and consumers adopted new behaviors that have become more fixed. During a post-pandemic reality, 60% of shoppers have shifted to online shopping, changing the consumer paradigm. So, harnessing that fact can be a game-changer. You know the holiday season of 2023 will be here before you know it. Now as an e-commerce store owner, you know that the holiday season is a great time to make a lot of sales if you are ready. After all, people are in the giving spirit and searching for gifts for family and friends. But, if you want to capitalize on the consumer shopping shift and all the holiday shopping this coming season, you need to start preparing now. 

To make sure you’re ready when the holiday shopping rush hits this year, here are some tips and tricks to get you started.  Before that, keep the following information in mind:

How many times does it take a customer to see your marketing before they actually buy your product or service?
The Rule of 7 states that a customer needs to “see” the advertiser’s message at least 7 times before they’ll take action to buy that product or service.  They are now saying that in today’s ever changing market it may take up to 16 times.  Recently, the push is to reach Millennials’ and business owners are realizing  they are a tough nut to crack.  I am working on a comprehensive article about Millennial and Gen “Z” group and we will delve into some deeper details about both of these groups.  The short story is that they take longer to warm up because they are less trusting.  It takes about 3-6 months before they decide on doing business with you.  Marketers find it difficult to connect, because they are not brand driven.  Once they connect with a brand, they are almost 60% more apt to stay with a brand, but be honest with them or they will drop you like a hot potato.  So if this is a market you want to tap, do you homework. Note that Millenials make up 72.6 million (22.6%) and Gen “Z” make up 65 million (20.07%) of the consumer market share.  In a nut shell, you have some work to do, if you want to hit it out of the park this next holiday season.

How long does it take for a marketing strategy to work?
How long, then, should you expect to wait before seeing concrete results from various marketing activities? In our experience, it takes customers 6 to 12 months to start seeing a positive ROI from a marketing strategy, after which the returns keep increasing.  So planning for year end sales needs to start today.  Nurture your customers and gingerly remind they your brand is trustworthy.  So let’s get cracking on some helpful steps. 🙂 

Table of Contents

1) Start Planning  & Budgeting for Your Promotions Now

You don’t want to wait until the last minute to figure out your promotions and your budget. Get ahead of the game and start planning your promotions now so that they’re ready when shoppers start looking. This includes any discounts or deals that you plan on offering during Black Friday, Cyber Monday and other popular holidays like Christmas and Hanukkah. By getting ahead of the game, you can make sure that your customers are aware of everything that’s available and get them excited about shopping with your store this holiday season.  Also, plan your advertising budget and don’t wait until the last minute.  You want to make sure you maximize your ad dollars during the busiest time of the year.  Keep in mind that overall holiday sales in November and December have averaged about 19% of total retail sales over the last five years and may even be higher for some savvy retailers. 

2) Update  Your Website

Your website should be running smoothly, up-to-date, and optimized for mobile devices before the holidays arrive. Make sure all your product descriptions are accurate, images are clear, and payment processing is secure. If there are any issues with your website or checkout process, shoppers may not complete their purchase or return later because they don’t feel comfortable entering their information online. It’s also important to include plenty of helpful information about shipping times and order tracking so customers know what to expect from their purchase once it leaves your store.

3) Optimize  Your Website

Spend some time optimizing your website for search engines like Google and Bing. This will help ensure that customers can easily find your store online during their holiday shopping spree. Another effective feature is creating bundles.  It’s an extremely great way to catch your shoppers as they head to the checkout.  A study done by McKinsey reports that 34% of purchases made on Amazon come from a recommendations and bundles approach, so it’s a very effective strategy.  Additionally, consider adding a loyalty program so customers can earn rewards as they shop with you throughout the year leading up to the holidays – this will encourage them to come back again during peak shopping times!

4) Boost  Your Inventory

Make sure you have enough inventory on hand for the upcoming holiday season by ordering stock now. This is especially important if you’re offering products that take longer to produce or ship out, such as custom items or limited-edition products. By ordering stock now, you can avoid any last-minute problems that could delay shipments during the holiday rush.

5) Get Ready for  Social Media Ads

Social media advertising is one of the best ways to reach potential customers during the holidays (and throughout the year). Most platforms offer targeting options so you can reach people who would be interested in buying from your store based on interests or demographic information. Investing in social media ads now will help ensure that you’re able to reach as many potential customers as possible during peak shopping times this holiday season.  Have fun with it, and create holiday videos, funny gifs, and content ads to drive traffic to your site.

Final Thoughts

Taking some time now to prepare for the 2023 holiday shopping season will pay off in spades come December 25th! Start planning promotions, update your website, get ready for social media ads – these steps will help ensure that shoppers have a positive experience when they visit your ecommerce store this holiday season! Don’t wait until November – take care of these tasks now so you can focus solely on selling come December!

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