Our Managing Director, Guy Levine, recently spoke at a UK Fast Webinar, discussing how to prepare your eCommerce site for Christmas. Hosted by Arlene Bulfin of UK Fast, and joined by fellow experts Billy Evans, Pete Robertshaw and Melanie McKay, the panel talked in depth about what to do to make your business a success during the Christmas sales period. So if you’re wanting to exceed your previous year’s sales (who doesn’t!?) then watch the full webinar, or read our key take outs from the discussion below…
1. Test your checkout experience.
To try and minimise checkout abandonment at this crucial time of year, test your journey to the nth degree. The checkout experience is key, simplify it as much as possible to minimise bounce rate and test for any potential bugs that may stop your customers from checking out.
2. Install a heatmap tool.
Heatmap tools can assist you in visualising exactly how customers are using your website. Tools such as Hotjar and SessionCam can help you to identify any issues with your customer journey. To get a more in depth analysis of exactly how users are interacting with your site, a Biometric User Test will allow you to understand the emotions and actions which are driving your conversion rates. We use the latest technology in eye tracking, facial expression decoding and skin conductivity measurement to analyse user activity with our client’s sites.
3. Optimise your content for mobile.
An obvious one for most, but still something that is occasionally overlooked by eCommerce sites. In 2018, 58% of site visits were from mobile devices, and this statistic is only growing. During the months leading up to Christmas you will undoubtedly see the highest amount of traffic of the whole year. With most of those sessions coming from mobile users, it’s more important than ever to optimise your content.
4. Segment your customer database.
Start segmenting your customers into groups you want to market to. Top tip for retailers: Segment customers who have a high returns rate, and reduce your marketing spend on them. With CPC rates higher than ever during the Christmas period, you should be considering where to make savings.
5. Prepare for problems.
With the increased amount of traffic you’re going to see, have an action plan in place for any issues that may arise. For example, if your site does go down, have an effective site down page at the ready. Turn these disasters into opportunities, create a site down email capture page to send customers a discount code or other incentive to entice them back to your site once you’re back up and running.
6. Finally, speak to the experts.
Have regular contact with your hosting company, development agency and digital marketing agency. We’re here to help!
Take a look at our services page for more information on how we can help you during the Christmas period. And don’t hesitate to get in touch, we’d love to hear from you.