Even if you’re not an online retailer, getting prepared for the Christmas season should start early.
- Opening Hours – Whether a shop, restaurant, or online-only business, having clear opening hours on your site really helps potential customers. And don’t forget opening dates, especially for the awkward time between Christmas and New Year, or for any late-night opening events.
- Last Delivery Dates – With the likelihood of a large increase in the amount of parcels going through couriers this year, knowing the last guaranteed delivery date is going to be important and, again, make sure it’s clearly published on the site to avoid disappointed/angry customers.
- Changing Product Trends? – With more home working, fewer holidays abroad, and likely less households getting together over Christmas are your best sellers going to change compared to last year?
- Customer Services – Are there better ways you can communicate with your customers – live chat maybe, or even using WhatsApp?
- Black Friday / Cyber Monday – This really isn’t an American trend I’m a fan of, but are your competitors likely to be running a BF/CM offer to bag some extra sales? And if so how can you compete? Store wide discounts aren’t always the most engaging unless it’s a massive offer, so could you set a threshold that people need to spend before offering a discount, or a different offer each day to keep things fresh?
- Engage Existing Customers – Inboxes will be awash with newsletters, and social media full of tempting offers in November and December. Start planning your marketing efforts now so you can hit the ground running.
- A Customer’s for Life, Not Just For Christmas – Can you continue to engage customers into the new year via newsletters, social media or retargeting them via online ads?.
It’s a stressful time for everyone, but this is just a small reminder to get ahead of the game and make the most of it.
