Digital World
Two of the most important days for holiday shopping is approaching, even though it’s a bit to late to start now. Marketers will be feeling the pressure to increase sales. Planning for Black Friday and Cyber Monday should have started months ago. But there is still hope. Follow these holiday marketing tips to save your summer.
Although some shoppers have already made their initial holiday purchases.
- Send out emails
Nearly half of shoppers will learn about Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals from email. Armed with a couple of freshly Black Friday and Cyber Monday discounts, plan to start emailing immediately.
- Offer smart discounts to shoppers
The best Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers are planned. Do not make crazy offers. Instead, offer smart discounts. Find overstock items, things you would likely close out in January, and offer those closeout prices.
Or make a general offer, like R100 off of any R500 purchase. If your shopper spent exactly R500, you’d be giving a 20 % discount, but don’t be surprised if the average order value is as much as R800, making the discount percentage much less.
If you sell gift cards, another option is to offer a free gift card with purchase, such as a free R250 gift card with every R1000 purchase.
Free shipping is a must.
- Be active on social media
You have two goals for your last minute social media marketing.
Without completely annoying your followers and social media friends, post about your offers.
Respond to customer posts. It is that simple.
- Send a message to top customers
Using purchase history, select your top customers. Send a special shopping invitation with a great offer. Keep this in mind. The special offer really needs to be special. It should be better than the offer you are sharing with the masses via email and social media.
Personalize this message. Rather than just sending another email, consider sending a card or handwritten note via mail. If you start scribbling now, you’ll still have time.
- Buy ads
If you can afford it, buy online ads. Black Friday and Cyber Monday shoppers are going to be looking for sales and offers. In many cases, they will search for those deals on search engines or on social media.
You want your Black Friday and Cyber Monday ads to show up when they search.
More tips for Black Friday/Cyber Monday.
- Get the word out early.
Make sure shoppers know how you’ve improved the in-store experience this year. Digital marketing can help get the word out and showcase what deals you’re offering and how you are offering superior customer service that can’t be matched online. Offer price matching and exclusive doorbuster deals they can’t get online.
- Condition employees to expect increased customer volume.Train employees to multitask with customers.
During less intense times on the job, you can practice in training groups how to handle the increased number of shoppers. Employees need to know how to keep their cool and also who to call when different situations arise. Make e-commerce a tie-in to your store experience in times of high volume.
There is definitely a nuance to serving multiple customers. Employees should be trained to make sure that each customer is acknowledged, gets their questions answered, and gets through the checkout as smoothly as possible. They should also know which manager to reach out to for different situations. Training for crowd control also helps, so that one employee can direct shoppers to other available employees and help lines move faster.
- Maximise add-ons and make customers want to return.
Suggestive selling is one of the best skills for sales associates to master. When done right, it can increase basket size and sales, but mainly it allows customers to discover things they actually need and helps them get the most out of their purchases. This, in turn, increases customer satisfaction, enables retailers to build trust, and makes shoppers want to keep coming back.
- Make a slideshow of your products
During the hectic holiday season, the convenience of doing all of your shopping in one place becomes more appealing than ever. If your store is having a big sale, show off the variety of products you’re offering to draw in those one-stop shoppers. A slideshow ad is a dynamic way to show off all of your products quickly.
- Launch a giveaway
Everyone loves freebies, especially at a time of year when spending is high. Timing a product giveaway around Black Friday will make customers love you.
- Unbox your stock
Unboxing videos work so well for e-commerce businesses because they capture the anticipation and excitement of getting a gift.
If you follow these tips, you should see improved sales and happier customers this Black Friday/Cyber Monday. The time to start doing is now. Every retailer needs to take advantage of the Black Friday/Cyber Monday. It is a great opportunity to earn repeat customers and gain new ones.
On big sales days like Black Friday, it’s easy to stick with what’s worked before. But it’s also a great time to take some risks with your marketing and win big with your customers.