October is a busy month for marketers and ecommerce business owners around the world. If you’re asking why – you’re in the right place.
(And if you haven’t started planning your marketing for November & December, you’re also in the right place.)
Three of the biggest online shopping days of the year
are on their way.
Black Friday – 26 November 2021
Small Business Saturday – 27 November 2021
Cyber Monday – 29 November 2021
Oh and let’s not forget Thanksgiving which kicks off this three day shopping extravaganza on the 25th November. And of course, Christmas is just around the corner! And it’s not too late for a spooky Halloween sale either.
Some stats to remind you of why a holiday
marketing strategy is a must have…
Hustling to prepare for shopping dates like Black Friday can feel like a lot of work when you’re already doing everything you can to attract customers and boost sales. But these statistics might just help you to see that putting in the time and effort now to prepare, can be so worth it.
According to data from Adobe Analytics, the last holiday season saw two years’ worth of growth in a single year, increasing by a whopping 32% from 2019 to reach a total of $188.2 billion.
But of course we’re talking about 2020 – the year of the pandemic.
This year, people are hoping to get back to some normality and spend holidays together. But forecasters are predicting that won’t lead to a slowing down of online sales. Shopping online is something consumers have been embracing for years – long before Covid-19 changed the way we shop.
If you’ve got a well-oiled festive marketing machine in place, you’re good to go.
But if you don’t have one or ecommerce marketing could do with a tweak, so you’re attracting customers ready to hand over their dollars – keep reading.
3 things you can do now to prepare for holiday sales
Coming up are three things that you can do right now to get yourself ready
for a wave of customers and ecommerce sales.
For a full list of our marketing ideas for October make sure to download our super awesome Marketing Calendar.
In it you’ll find marketing ideas and prompts for every month of the year + key marketing/promotional dates so you can prepare well in advance of special dates that might resonate with your customers; such as, #dessertday on the 14th of October. Or how about, #cleanyourfridgeday on 15th November.
Tip #1
What’s in Stock?
Check your stock levels! Do you have enough stock on hand to satisfy demand? Do you need to order or manufacture more stock or adjust shipping timeframes to allow for possible delays in fulfillment, because of increased demand? Take some time now to do a stocktake and adjust the information on your website accordingly. This will help you to delight your future customers even if things get ‘crazy’!
Tip #2
How’s Your Website Looking?
Let’s stay with your website.
Have you scheduled changes to promotional banners for your website?
(you should do this for your Facebook page too!).
Tip #3
Holiday Marketing Emails Written, Automated & Scheduled?
Let’s not forget your email marketing. Do you have flows in place for your BFCM promos? Ideally your promotional campaigns will include at least 3 emails.
Shake things up creatively
Here’s one final tip. Get creative with your marketing. Whilst big shopping days like Black Friday attract big crowds, standing out from your competitors might be as simple as aligning your brand and sales initiatives with a fun promotional day that no one has ever heard of before.
Did you know that there’s a national Bubble Bath Day? You will if you grab our Marketing Calendar.
