Guest Post by Jennifer Lutz
The winter holidays are by far the biggest spending time of the year so it’s best to maximize this season of giving. By encouraging customers to add unique, inexpensive items into their shopping carts, you can drive up your sales numbers in no time. Follow some of these creative strategies that encourage buyers to purchase more items before checking out.
1. Make a “Stocking Stuffer” Category
Many holiday shoppers seek for the perfect small Christmas gifts they could stuff into stockings. Save them time by offering a selection of small and budget-friendly items. Promote this new category by featuring it on your front page or sidebar.
2. Have a “Stocking Stuffer” Special
Entice customers to purchase multiple products from your site with a stocking stuffer special. Shoppers get to receive discounts they can use for other items if they buy a certain number of products under the stocking stuffer category. Consider offering more incentives for bulk purchases such as bigger instant discounts, gift certificates, or rebate codes for next purchases.
3. Suggest Gifts
Take the burden off time-strapped holiday shoppers by providing gift suggestions for people on their Christmas list. Use this as an opportunity to promote products as the perfect presents for different personalities, including the hardest-to-buy-for recipients. Be sure to showcase affordable products that would make good stocking stuffers.
4. Create gift baskets
Increase the size of your order by bundling related items together into a gift basket. This reduces the need to list individual prices that encourage comparison shopping. Offer a gift basket that combines best-sellers with less popular products at a discounted rate, and you will most likely sell more of both.
5. Give Out Freebies
Shoppers love to get something for nothing. Lure customers into buying more by offering a free item for a specific amount of purchase. Freebies are always popular, and people are willing to spread the word if you give them something nice. A great way to stay in the minds of your customers even after the purchase is by giving out premiums or any useful item that has your shop’s name and logo.
6. Link Related Products
Enhance your customers’ shopping experience by recommending complementary products. Linking related products is proven effective, especially for those shoppers browsing at home. In fact, studies show that these consumers are more likely to make impulse purchases. Showing related products at the bottom of the product page will keep the customer in the store without distracting him or her from the main product being viewed.
7. Promote Additional Products at Pre-Checkout
Increase the revenue you get from a single customer by presenting targeted upsell offers at the point of checkout based on the items in the shopping cart. Promoting new products that add value to the current offer, via bundle discount for instance, is effective if done at the right moment, which is when the customer has already decided to complete the purchase.
8. Offer Free Shipping
Free shipping offers pay dividends. Persuade your customers to spend more in your store by offering free standard shipping deals for orders reaching a specific amount. You can also attach some type of promotional shipping to bundle offers, such as “Free Shipping for your Entire Order,” to encourage shoppers to buy in sets. Also consider discounted expedited shipping to make your online store more competitive. Highlight this special offer by adding a promo strip below the top navigation of your site.
9. Offer Free or Discounted Gift Wrap
Show customers you care by providing the value-added service of gift wrapping. Place an ad violator on the product page and a cross-sell on the shopping cart page in case they missed it. Consider offering the service for free or at a discount rate if your customers reach the target order amount.
10. Enable Wish Lists and Sharing
Consider having a Christmas wish list in your store, and make sure visitors have a way to share their wish list with friends directly from your store either via email or social media. This will not only help gift buyers find the correct item, but also promote your products, increasing your chances of better sales.
Christmas is known as a shopping season. Rock the holidays by luring your customers to buy more from your online store!
Jennifer Lutz is the home décor expert at www.christmastreemarket.com. She often writes on Christmas and holiday topics, including this recent article on DIY Christmas decorations with kids: http://blog.christmastreemarket.com/2013/11/diy-christmas-decorations/.
