Website Marketing, Optimization Create or update holiday landing pages. Holiday-related customer testimonials. Promote under-performing products, showcase bestsellers, or even test new arrivals. Inventory Mix, Packaging Stock your store throughout the year with upcoming holidays in mind. Then create products accordingly. Thoughtfully chosen items will make your shoppers feel appreciated and will encourage them to return. Shipping, Returns, Service Buy online, return in store. Customer retention, however, should be a priority during the holiday season. Promote holiday gift guides, videos, and posts with proven influencers. Abandoned cart recovery emails should have product images as well as holiday specials, such as free shipping, gift wrapping, and anything else to save the sale.
When should holiday marketing begin?
To me, holiday marketing should never stop. If that’s not feasible, finalize a holiday marketing plan as early as possible. It should address inventory, packaging, and preparing the website and physical location(s). It should also include plans for customer acquisition and retention, with calendars, promotions, and creatives.
Here is my holiday marketing to-do list for fashion and lifestyle merchants.
Website Marketing, Optimization
Create or update holiday landing pages. An online merchant should have holiday-related pages all year. The more you update them, the higher they show in search results year after year.
Generate holiday-related content.
- Downloadable guides and ebooks. For example, holiday wardrobe ideas, recipes, and decoration tips. Consider information that shoppers would otherwise pay for, but you provide for free, such as how to become your own stylist or fitness trainer. The key is to publish content that consumers want and need.
- Holiday-themed how-to videos.
- Holiday-related customer testimonials.
- Holiday gift guides. Promote under-performing products, showcase bestsellers, or even test new arrivals. If you mix all those products with holiday-themed merchandise, you could meet holiday profit goals and also gain an understanding for the next year.
What should a gift guide look like? In my experience, use graphics, infographics (the most shareable type of content and helpful for search engine optimization), lookbooks, and PDFs.
Use holiday-themed designs. During the holidays, your website should provide the look and feel that triggers nostalgic, childhood emotions. This is one reason why consumers buy from one site and not the other.
Inventory Mix, Packaging
Stock your store throughout the year with upcoming holidays in mind. Here is an inventory checklist.
Holiday product lines. These are items that you sell exclusively during the holidays….
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