We are 10 days out from Christmas. TEN.
You may be thinking that it is too late to get your store ready for the Christmas shopping season. That since you haven't even STARTED yet because you have been too busy with all the OTHER tasks involved with running an e-commerce store that you might as well just not bother. You have LOST OUT on this shopping season.
WRONG!
In this super busy life that we ALL find ourselves in you have 10 shopping days left. That is 10 days of last minute shoppers, procrastinators, and just plain busy people that are so busy trying to MAINTAIN their lives that HOW DARE something like a holiday come and turn it on its ear?!?!?! - And you should love every one of them because that means ten days of sales opportunities.
Here are some quick and easy things you can do to optimize your site for these last minute sales - bless those procrastinators out there!
1. Make it easy for your customers to shop with you.
Make customer service a priority. Install programs or services that will help you provide great customer service. One of my personal favorites that works with Shopify is LincCare. This app install sends your customer an email receipt after their purchase that allows them to track their purchase, message your customer service department or return the item all from a link inside the email. It's quick, easy and convenient.
2. Offer multiple shipping options
One of the reasons that carts are abandoned the most is shipping. Either it's too expensive or it isn't fast enough. Take care of the problem by offering ground for the those who just want something cheap and don't mind slow, overnight for those who are in a rush, and something in between to make sure you have all your bases covered.
3. Have an easy returns policy.
Besides the Home Page, the About Page and the Returns Page are the two most often visited pages on a website. Make your returns policy easy to find- and make sure you have a good returns policy. When shopping online customers want to know that if they receive a damaged item or if the item wasn't quite what they expected they will have no issue returning it.
4. Limit distractions.
From outside links to ads on the site- limit the number of distractions or items "getting in the way" of the customer to complete their purchase.
5. Upsell
Instead of offering ads all over the site or pop-up ads that encourage them to purchase an item or sign up for a list, recommend complimentary items through your sites software right on the product page.
Another way to do this is to create packages or bundles to sell like the brick and mortar retailers do. Package a couple of items together and offer them at a discount. Include the option for gift wrap if you really want to top the customer service charts.
There it is. 5 easy things you can do to your site to take advantage of any site browsers between now and the holiday!
Merry Christmas!