TOP 5 WAYS TO ENHANCE ECOMMERCE STORE PERFORMANCE FOR THE HOLIDAYS AND BEYOND
Thursday, December 18, 2014Global Administrator
Excitement is in the air as Christmas is just around the corner! The malls are packed with large crowds of shoppers trying to finish – or start – their shopping. However, there are also people who have decided to avoid malls altogether and chosen to shop online from the comfort of their home. What last minute things can you, as an eCommerce retailer, do to attract these shoppers? Fear not, I will be outlining several tactics that can be used in order to enhance your web store’s performance for the holidays…. and beyond!
Let’s get started!
1. Mobile Optimization
This point cannot be stressed enough! In today’s digital age, everyone has a mobile device and uses it for just about everything. If your eCommerce platform is not optimized for mobile performance, you risk losing a considerable amount of traffic to your site. Make sure your website is optimized for mobile and tablet usage, making it easier for shoppers to browse around the site on these devices.
2. Free Shipping and Extended Return Policies
In order to attract shoppers to purchase products from your site, consider offering free shipping as an incentive during peak shopping seasons, such as pre and post-Christmas. Additionally, as consumers purchase gifts, there’s a general fear of defective items or worse, the fear that the recipient won’t like the item. Thus, you may want to simplify and extend return policies as a means of persuading shoppers to choose you over other retailers!
3. Server Performance
Delay in site load time can reduce conversion rates by a significant amount. To accommodate high traffic volume to your site during the holiday season, check to see if your site is fully optimized to handle the changes in traffic. If not, make the necessary changes, such as upgrading your hosting plan or server hardware.
4. Promote Popular Products
Research your sales metrics on the products that are being sold and determine the return you’re generating on each product. Focus on promoting products that are popular amongst shoppers and have a healthy profit margin. This will help drive your bottom line immediately and moving forward!
5. Secure Site
You’ll need your customers trust in your site in order for your eCommerce activities to succeed during the holiday season. Make sure your site is fully secure in terms of customer data not being hacked or breached.
Utilizing some of these approaches will help engage consumers on your site and convert traffic to sales. What other tactics have you implemented to your site that have proven to be successful? Feel free to share them in the comments!