In the ever-evolving landscape of ecommerce, businesses must adapt and innovate to capitalise on seasonal trends and holidays. With the first major gifting holiday of the year coming up - Valentine’s Day - we take a look at how stores harness these occasions and deploy various methods to attract new customers and drive online sales.
Personalisations
Tailored shopping experiences significantly enhance customer engagement. Online stores may use browsing history, past purchases, and demographic data to curate personalised product suggestions.
Promotions
Curating seasonal campaigns and offering special promotions tailored to specific holidays can boost sales. These can include limited-time offers, discounts or bundle deals to incentivise purchases during gifting seasons. The below example from Shaws Department Store shows perfumes, a popular Valentine's gifting choice. Some of these perfumes show discounted price.
Social Media Engagement
Leveraging social media platforms to enhance the visibility of promotions is integral to the overall strategy. Stores can actively engage with their target markets through posts and adverts. Some may even offer competitions at this time to increase engagement and amplify brand visibility.
Gift Guides and Curated Collections
Gift guides curated for different categories such as gender, budget or interests can simplify the shopping journey for customers, especially for those struggling to think of gift ideas. Additionally, featuring top-selling products or new collections around these gifting seasons can influence purchasing decisions and increase up selling opportunities. The below example demonstrates curated collections based on collections, product type, and gender
Curated Collection for Valentine’s Day from www.shaws.ie
Online stores will use high-quality images and videos to capture customer attention. They may also incorporate user-generated content such as reviews or testimonials to build trust and credibility.
Stores with bigger catalogues can also implement a product recommendation questionnaire. Typically, it starts by asking questions about what kind of product the customer is looking for. It may also ask questions about customer preferences, such as the occasion they are shopping for or their budget. It then creates a list of recommended products that best match the answers and customers to this.
Example of a curated collection for Valentine’s Day from www.mccabespharmacy.ie
E-Gift Vouchers
For every holiday there is always a need for instant presents, especially for those last minute shoppers. E-Gift cards have been growing increasingly popular over the last number of years, especially for last-minute shoppers. With just a few clicks the buyer can choose from a variety of options to suit their budget and choose to have to have it sent to the recipient's inbox or via SMS.
By prioritising the above strategies, your business can maximise on these busy shopping periods. Whether you are looking to personalise the customer journey, or boost marketing effectiveness, reach out to StudioForty9 and we’ll help you achieve your goals.
