The ecommerce market is already booming and Christmas is just around the corner to sweeten the deal. India is a country that loves to celebrate culture and tradition. The festive season in the country starts in September and continues on till January. Making this period the most lucrative for online sellers.

Now that Diwali is over it’s time for the next big celebration, that’s Christmas and New Year. If you haven’t already prepped for the festive season, it’s better late than never. The Christmas shopping boom stretches from November to January. This gives you enough time to tweak your e-store’s appearance, stock up and get your head in the game with effective marketing strategies.

Festivals are an exciting time for customers and their families looking forward to splurge on gifts, apparel and accessories. So it won’t be a just a self indulgent season but much more. Bare in mind the Indian consumer’s purchase decisions are mainly driven by emotion. And the celebratory season of Christmas and New Year gives you the opportunity to use this emotion to connect with your customers.

If you plan on using the same old designs and strategies from last year; that is a no go! You won’t be eating last year’s Christmas pudding this year, right? So, why make your customers? It’s time to reinvent and consider something different.

Your Guide to a Holly Jolly Ecommerce Season

1. Learn From the Past

Look through your performance reports of the last couple of years. Review the steps, campaigns and strategies you used then. Identify which components worked well for you and which ones got in the way of your success. If you happen to be a new e-seller, look at what your competitors are up to and what they did in the past. Studying the past activities of other players in the same industry will help you avoid the unnecessary risks they took, the mistakes they made and what helped boost their sales. As a result you can take a more formidable approach.

 

2. Offers and Discounts are a Must 

During the festive season consumers are definitely going to make purchases. What you need to do is, make sure they buy from you. Attractive discounts and offers can aid you in this regard. Provide free delivery to all customers who purchase up to a particular limit. Say Rs.1999/- or Rs.2999/-. It will encouraging them to buy more. Early purchase incentives are affective as well, claims Zest Business Consulting’s head consultant – Jennifer Martin. Offer incentives on mega purchases during the Christmas week or gift cards at a lower rate till the 25 December or 31 December.

 

3. Create the Need to Purchase 

An innovative way to increase your conversion rates is by adding a time limit on particular offers. The time limit will not only attract shoppers, it will also tempt them. If they don’t act now, they will lose the chance to acquire your low priced products forever. Time restraints can even make the most undeceive customers more resolute.

 

4. Replenish Your Stock

Inventory planning is an essential part of online selling, especially during festive season sales. Running out of stock can cost you new customers and a profitable part of the rising sales. Get a reliable forecast of the products with the highest demand during the Christmas and New Year time. You must allow just the right amount of lead time without forgetting to factor in the delays. Because the goods that arrive late will affect your back end operations and postpone shipping.

5. Get Your Mobile App Working

Life is hectic as it is. Add a celebration to the equation and there is little to no free time at all. Don’t mistake this as an absence in demand. Like we’ve already seen, people want to buy during the festive seasons. The catch is they want to do it quickly. Most consumers don’t have the time to fire up their laptops and browse for products. For consumers with busy lives that extend beyond the standard 9 to 5, a mobile app is a God sent. Make sure your app is not just a copy of your web store site. It should facilitate features that one won’t get on the website, like quick and easy shopping, multiple suggestions and feature highlights.

6. Looks Matter

Change your e-store color scheme to match the cheerful appeal of the Christmas and New Year season. Use Christmas imagery, themes and banners to ensure your customers that, just like them you believe in the joyful festive spirit. It will help you build that emotional connection we spoke about. Changing the look of store your will take a bit of time so it is advisable for you to get your Christmas web designs completed in advance.

To make sure your Christmas and New Year elements are in place, get in touch with Browntape. We are India’s leading ecommerce solutions experts, and we are always happy to help!