Dettmann Media

Halloween is Oct. 31. That means it is time to prepare for the holiday shopping season.

Wait. What?

That is right. Yes, it sounds cliché, but it is never too early to prepare for the holiday shopping season, especially if you’re an e-commerce business. If you aren’t preparing for the holiday shopping, your competition is.

So, the next question is: How do you do that?

To help you begin to formulate a strategy, here are some holiday marketing stats to consider (source: https://keywordseverywhere.com/blog/holiday-marketing-stats/):

• 80% of shoppers are influenced by online content.
• 30% start shopping as early as October.
• 56% plan to finish holiday shopping before December.
• 39% start shopping earlier to avoid delivery delays.

You see, it’s not too early to plan for holiday shopping. You might be behind. The time is now.

Having a well-thought-out marketing strategy will help you accomplish your holiday season goals. Thankfully, that success is attainable.

Here is a checklist for your holiday shopping season digital marketing strategy:

• Highlight holiday specials and offers. For example, any holiday promo codes that shoppers can use on your website.
• Regularly remind shoppers of store hours. (Reminder to do that as well with your Google Business Profile, too)
• Highlight new offerings or products, especially if they’re exclusive for the holiday season.
• Holiday countdown content often has high-performing engagement.
• Make sure your website is capable of handling an increase in traffic. Nothing frustrates an online shopper more than a slow webpage.
• Update images on website.
• Have easy-to-find holiday-themed landing pages. Make sure the page’s URL hits keywords such as “holiday” and “shopping.”
• Check your page titles and meta descriptions.
• Create messaging that enhances urgency; incite FOMO (fear of missing out).
• If you have loyal customers or newsletter subscribers, offer them exclusive discounts.

Preparation is key. Good luck this holiday season!