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Getting your Christmas promotions right: When’s the best time to discount?
27th Nov 2014
Every year, Christmas promotions by retailers seem to start earlier and earlier. In the US, the Christmas shopping kick-off has traditionally been Black Friday – the Friday after Thanksgiving – but research is showing that the best deals can be found on the Monday before Thanksgiving. The reason for this shift is partially due to the fact that on-line shopping is increasing and shipping delays are occurring during the weeks leading up to Christmas. So, retailers are trying to lengthen the Christmas shopping season to avoid shipping delays. Nothing will be more disappointing than receiving a gift after Christmas!
The internet makes it easier for consumers to track prices and savvy shoppers will track prices of specific products to get the best deals for Christmas. Many on-line shoppers will be looking to find good deals on Cyber Monday, the Monday after Thanksgiving. On-line retailers should therefore gear up for discounts on Cyber Monday, which is quickly becoming a major web-shopping day; not only in the US, but globally. In fact, shoppers are increasingly turning to the internet for their Christmas shopping and online retailers can benefit from this trend.
Rewarding existing and loyal customers should be an important aspect of Christmas promotions. Shoppers are more likely to purchase from websites they are familiar with and trust, since Christmas shopping is a time-sensitive matter. Because on-time delivery is imperative for Christmas, it is important for online retailers to clearly highlight shipping options and delivery times. Also, to not disappoint shoppers, clearly display inventory levels on popular merchandise.
When you register your business with Yazoomer you can edit your seasonal promotions and discounts as often as necessary. Once you have registered and posted your advert, you can log in and update your offer on a daily basis. See our FAQs section (http://www.yazoomer.com/faq/) for our common client queries.
Retailers: Is your business ready for Black Friday? – 28th November
21st Nov 2014
Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving and is traditionally known as the first day of Christmas shopping. However, over the years Black Friday has become the premier shopping day for consumers, with retailers offering crazy discounts to attract huge crowds of shoppers!
Usually, shoppers are lined up before shops are open to grab the best deals. But with the advent of online shopping, the shape of Black Friday shopping is changing. There is no longer a need to stand in line at the crack of dawn and consumers are becoming increasingly aware of this. This means that online retailers are in a great place to benefit and need to be ready to not only attract shoppers with online discounts, but also have the structure in place to deal with larger than usual orders.
Preparing discounts for Black Friday
Now it’s not only about shopping on Black Friday itself, but many shoppers are already looking for online discounts prior to Black Friday. This means that online retailers need to be ready with email offers and website offers the week leading up to Black Friday.
Offering online discounts early on, is also a way to attract shoppers who are not eager to wait until Black Friday to shop or want to avoid the crowds at shops. However, although attracting more orders is important, the ability to be able to fulfil these orders is just as important. Online retailers need to be ready with additional staff to handle increased order volume and have more inventory on hand for featured products. Shoppers tend to be fickle and one upset customer can quickly spread via social networking. This means the last thing online retailers want to do is to disappoint shoppers.
To increase your business’s online reach, take advantage of Yazoomer’s free directory listing over the holiday period. Just register (http://www.yazoomer.com/accounts/register/) with us today and we can help you promote your business in the run up to Black Friday.
Top tips to ensure your customers are happy in the run up to Christmas
19th Nov 2014
After Thanksgiving, consumers will continue to shop for Christmas presents, both online and directly at shops. For those that missed or were not able to buy their Christmas goodies on Black Friday (the Friday after Thanksgiving), they will continue to shop leading up to the Christmas holidays. This is an important opportunity for online retailers, not only in terms of increasing sales, but also keeping customers happy.
Top tips to ensure customers are happy are:
- Sending out special offers in a timely manner
- Clearly highlight availability and delivery timing
- Have enough resources to meet increased customer demand
The run-up to Christmas is traditionally the busiest time for retailers and it is essential to maximise sales and that means sending out online discount emails and highlighting feature products on their website in a timely manner.
However, as an online retailer, it is also important to maximise customer satisfaction as well. Since most customers will be shopping online for Christmas presents, it is important to clearly highlight what the inventory levels are and what the delivery timeline is – avoiding misunderstandings is important. The last thing shoppers want are gifts not arriving in time for Christmas!
Online retailers need to be prepared for larger than usual volumes of orders in the run up to Christmas. This means potentially hiring more staff to process orders and answer queries from customers. It may also mean increasing inventory of featured or popular products. Online retailers need to think about offering additional services such as express and/or international shipping and gift wrapping, if these are not already on offer.
During this time, online retailers should look to capitalise on customer satisfaction, as nothing is more powerful than a positive review, from a satisfied customer; and of course the flip side is also true, a dis-satisfied customer can wreak havoc with a brand with tales of poor customer service going viral on their social media accounts.
You can increase your business’s online exposure by advertising your business with Yazoomer. See our FAQs (http://www.yazoomer.com/faq/) to see how our online directory works.