Ways to Keep Sales High right after the holiday
Every year, something horrible happens to most e-commerce sites. After the spike in holiday sales, just around the first weeks of January — everything comes spiraling downward. Worse, people start returning things to the store.
This is not the most wonderful time of the year for a store owner. It is the most unpleasant time of the year and one that could leave an e-commerce site reeling for months.
Is there a way to avoid this?
Thankfully, there is. Yes, you’ll experience a slump. However, by putting the following practices in place, you will be able to recover from the slump more quickly and get back into big-time sales mode.
1. Start another sale
Just after you have offered all the promos, discounts, freebies, coupons, and free shipping you can take in, get ready to do it all over again.
Shoppers buy from you not only because it’s the holiday season, but because of what you are offering them (discounts). So, when you continue to provide them with what they want, then you might just win your customers back for a second round of bargain-basement prices.
You may be tired of the sale, but your customers aren’t. You don’t have to provide quite the same level of sale, but a sale alone is powerful enough to get you back on track.
Here are a few ideas of post-holiday sales:
Winter clearance: Dispense with your winter inventory, and label it as a clearance. People love clearance sales.
Throw in a gift: Freebies are always winners.
Bulk-buy discounts: Sometimes, you’ll win through bulk purchases. The free shipping trick is also helpful, as long as you set thresholds for a minimum purchase size.
Incentivize your loyalty program: Once a customer buys from you, invite them into your loyalty program. This is especially crucial for first-time buyers. Market back to them, but this time, provide a perk for joining your mailing list or becoming a member.
2. Market to the New Year attitude
A consumer’s mindset changes drastically once the New Year hits. Right until the final minutes of December 31, they are enjoying good food and drinks, spending money, acquiring stuff, and gaining weight.
Something magical happens on January 1st. They transform. Instantly, consumers possess high levels of self-control, steely resolve, and a determination to “be a better person.” This is your chance to make a marketing pounce.
Amazon knows how to snag these shoppers. Well before the end of the year, they prime their site with ways to attract shoppers in the coming year.
Few things are off-limits for New Year promotions.
It’s time to cater to those better instincts. People will not buy junk food, indulge in expensive wardrobe purchases, or buy pricey toys. But they will buy items that promise to enhance their New Year’s resolutions.
Here’s what people are willing to spend money on in the New Year:
- Products that provide organization and productivity. After January 1st, people are looking for ways to fix their life up.
- Products that enhance health.
- Products that facilitate cleanliness.
- Products that promote safety and protection.
Anything that can be logically tied into a New Year’s resolution is a fair game for your marketing prowess.
3. Release a new product
Just as most marketers are settling down for their long winter’s nap, it’s time for you to step up the game. Many marketers and e-commerce sites focus on analyzing their sales or restocking their inventory. You can do something different. You can release a new product.
The New Year is the perfect time to do this. From a psychological standpoint, customers are in the “new” mindset. New Year, a new you, new resolutions, new everything. So why not a new product? Mentally, the building blocks are in place. Consumers want new. Consumers are ready to convert on new. Use the new-saturated mentality to sell a new product.
4. Market to those email addresses
Right after the holidays, you should have a gleaming pile of awesomeness just waiting for you.
Email addresses have an expiration date. Some people will forget that they purchased from you. While their memories of holiday purchases are still fresh, you can start delivering content and information that will keep them alive and active.
5. Retarget
The holiday season is the most active online shopping season of the year. With the vast amount of shoppers coming and going on your website, you should be remarketing to them.
According to the statistics, remarketing has incredible power. 30% of consumers have a positive reaction to retargeted ads. The average CTR for retargeted ads is ten times that of display ads
Visitors who see retargeted ads are 70% more likely to convert on your site
Remarketing is just as likely to work in the New Year as in the holiday season. Rather than let your website languish in the doldrums of people’s holiday forgetfulness, give them the re-targeting attention that will pull them back and compel them to purchase.
6. Don’t go quiet
After the holiday season, retailers are exhausted. We assume that the customers are, too. But they’re listening. They’re still there. If you can get loud when everyone else is quiet, you’ll be the voice that people listen to more. Business must go on. Heck, the business must get better. It’s a new year, after all!
Conclusion
This year, rather than succumb to the holiday slump, you can ratchet things up to a whole new high. Just imagine. You can start the New Year off with kick-ass sales rather than starting things off with a nosedive. Think about the impact that will have on the rest of the year.
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