As you read this blog, there are countless Canadians currently surfing the internet in an effort to find the perfect gifts. Online shopping is popular all year round. However, during the always-busy holiday shopping season, e-commerce sales go through the roof.
On the Retail Insider website, Mario Toneguzzi reveals that Field Agent Canada surveyed 2,104 Canadians about their initial thoughts on holiday shopping for 2023. 81 percent of the respondents said they would seek out online retailers when buying holiday gifts. Obviously, there are many online stores to choose from. What are your plans to get online shoppers to hit up your site e-commerce over others?
Make the checkout process quick and easy.
Be mindful that many holiday shoppers want “get in and get out” shopping experiences. Even though they are avoiding the hustle and bustle that comes with in-person shopping, online shoppers still want to make purchases that are quick and easy. Avoid insisting that your site’s visitors register accounts. Allow them to shop as guests and only have one checkout page. Many shoppers get turned off when the checkout process is a long one.
“Customize and simplify checkout fields,” insists Sonya Andrews on Woo.com, “Asking shoppers to confirm their email addresses or including fields that aren’t absolutely required may annoy customers to the point of abandoning their cart. Keep your checkout fields to a minimum, but don’t forget to also include useful custom fields for the holiday season like a gift message.”
Fill your website with festive imagery.
Your brick and mortar store shouldn’t be the only decorated location associated with your business. The simplest way to redesign your company website for the holidays is to add festive imagery all throughout. Doing so makes clear that your online store is a go-to shopping destination during this time of year. Be sure to clearly highlight the special deals and savings you offer as part of the website spruce up.
“You don’t have to overhaul your website, but consider updating your main banner image to something better suited to the holiday season,” suggests Natalie Brownell on Domain.com, “Coca-Cola is a great example of a company that updates its look and feel for the holidays. Before the holidays last year, they updated their site to highlight a seasonal product, Coca-Cola Cinnamon, and their banner image had also been updated to support that.”
Post testimonials all over your site.
There’s a reason that Amazon allows for customer reviews on their product pages. Simply put, consumers trust them. When reading the words of other customers, shoppers gain greater insight into the products they’re interested in. If you want to make a good impression on your site’s visitors, post testimonials from the customers who love you the most. There is nothing quite like word of mouth promotion.
“Power up your trust signals with testimonials,” insists Erin Rodrigue on HubSpot.com, “Unlike reviews, these typically involve broader statements about your brand rather than a specific product. We recommend reaching out to customers from your email list, since this is where your most loyal customers live. Then, display the testimonials in multiple spots — and on multiple pages — of your website to get the most mileage.”
Do you allow your customers to make online purchases?
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