Important Online Shopping Dates

Here are the busy times again. Many businesses must have already started preparing for the hectic days ahead to increase their shares in the increasing shopping volume during the holiday shopping period. Hurry up! There is a lot of promotion and marketing to do.

Here are a couple of days that you should keep in mind when planning for the holiday season.

Black Friday
One of the crazy shopping days is Black Friday. This is the day after Thanksgiving when retailers have extraordinary deals for shoppers who don’t mind freezing online in the early morning. No matter what type of business you have, brick and mortar or online, you should do your best to benefit from the consumers that are highly motivated to buy.

If you have an online business show your customers that they can get great deals at your store as well. If you can do better than other retailers and your competitors, don’t forget to show price comparisons. Even if your prices are not good enough, the convenience of shopping online instead of waiting outside the store can be worth paying some more. Remind them that they will not have to wake up early and go out in the cold. Convince them not to be a part of the madness. No risk of being knocked down or stomped on by the insane crowd. Tell them.

If you have a brick and mortar retail business, make sure that you promote your deals online to attract the bargain hunters to your store. They will definitely be searching for deals on the internet and planning where they will show up Black Friday morning. Use Facebook, Twitter or email marketing to inform people that there will be deals at your store worth waking up early.

Cyber Monday
Then comes Cyber Monday, which is the Monday immediately following Black Friday. It is the kick-off of the holiday online shopping season. Online retailers have enjoyed the highest revenues on Cyber Monday, so it is an important day which you would not want to miss. Plan your deals and promotional efforts well in advance in order to drive as much traffic to your online store as you can. A good start will give momentum to your sales over the holiday season. Utilize your social media channels to the fullest.

After Cyber Monday
After Cyber Monday you need to stay on top of your game to make sure that you get a share of the hefty e-commerce pie throughout the holiday season. Shoppers will be looking for deals so you should be ready with your best prices. Coupons and free shipping are the main things consumers will be searching online. Coupons will work for your brick and mortar business, too.

As you get close to the end of the holiday shopping period, being able to deliver on time will become more crucial. Make sure you know the guaranteed delivery deadlines of your shipping providers. Let your customers know, so they can order and receive their orders before it is too late.

Also prepare for shoppers who will be frantically looking for gifts at the last minute. Online gift certificates your customers can print or email will work great for them.

Don’t Forget
While putting a lot of effort in marketing to increase your sales, never forget that you will have to deliver what you sell. Check your inventory and make sure that you have enough supply for increased demand. Expect your customers to knock your door for returns. Plan and have your procedures in place for painless returns. Painless both for yourself and your customers. Don’t forget that customers will not be happy if they experience problems with your delivery and return departments. And this may impact your business severely.

Best of Luck and Happy Holidays!