Why Ecommerce Businesses Need to Plan for Christmas 2017

1. Make a note of your key dates

Do you know the exact date and time your last Christmas sales kicked in? If so, was this around the same time in 2015? By using historical data you can predict when sales are likely to spike and what date they are likely to slow down; which will probably fall between November payday and the last possible delivery date before Christmas.

2. Do you know what’s your most popular product?

Thinking about Christmas 2016, do you know what your top three most popular products were and is this likely to be the same again this year? If so, could you negotiate a better deal from your supplier by contacting them at this time of year rather than trying to work out a deal closer to Christmas? Or maybe even use this time to try out a new provider, as you may be able to structure a better deal for a very similar product.

3. What can you do better this Christmas?

Now a few months have passed you can constructively reflect on what went really well logistics wise over the Christmas period and what didn’t. So to avoid any unnecessary stress, maybe this year consider order fulfilment or hiring extra staff, but whatever problem you are looking to resolve, consider the implications on your customers as well as your business.

4. What can you do to set yourself apart from your competitors?

By utilising social media or even reaching out to a popular blogger, you’ll be able to create cost effective campaigns or even launch a competition which will can drive customer engagement. Then once you’ve got a plan in place, maybe speak to your preferred supplier about supporting you with the promotion in order to secure special pricing.

5. How to keep sales going in January

Why not include a redeemable “January only”, promotion or voucher with your Christmas deliveries? Plus you could ask your customers to sign up to a special newsletter in order to qualify for the voucher, which will also help you build a valuable email marketing database.

6. Promote a clear and concise returns policy

Make sure your returns policy features clearly on your product and transaction pages. As a straight forward returns policy can be one of the key reasons a customer chooses you over a competitor, especially in the run up to Christmas.

7. Go back and check if any of your online reviews mention Christmas 2016

Customers don’t have much time over Christmas to make online review, but that does not mean they won’t go back later to vent. So keep an eye on review sites and address any issues which could have any bearing on this Christmas.

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