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E-Commerce Site Prep for Special Sales Sales – Checklist

E-Commerce Site Prep for Special Sales Sales – Checklist

The festive season may have already passed, but there is always some sort of promotion running, whether it be Valentine’s day, Back to School – the list is endless. All through the year, retailers prepare for big sales and promotions. This is especially true of e-commerce businesses, which need to anticipate an influx of website traffic during these special sale days. 

As a small online retailer, your website needs to be in tip-top shape for the season, to help you keep up with your larger competitors.

Beyond ensuring fast, efficient website performance, there are a few other things you should keep in mind when prepping your e-commerce website for increased holiday traffic. 

 

How to Prepare Your E-Commerce Site for Special Sales

1. Mobile Responsiveness

Not set up for mobile shopping? Your customers will go elsewhere. Projections say 30-35% of shoppers will complete their purchases on mobile devices.

       2. Site Speed 

If your site takes more than three seconds to load, you could lose up to 40% of your buyers. Check your site speed and streamline whatever you can.

       3. Plan, Plan, Plan

Nothing is more embarrassing than launching a sale with the wrong prices and products. Even more embarrassing is losing so much money with your accidental sales that you have to revoke specials. Plan early and pay attention to every single detail. Keep a spread-sheet with all information so you can come back to double-check.

       4. Promoted items need planning , too

Don’t leave all the design work until the last minute, or you might not have a graphic designer on staff for much longer. Get all your graphics ready to go—and there will be a lot—well before you’re ready to use them. Emails, website banners, CTAs – have all your bases covered. 

       5. Get your cart abandonment campaign setup

Start planning early for those who’ll inevitably leave your site without making a purchase. Keep in mind that 75% of those deserters do plan to buy; they may just need a little nudge.

       6. Go social

With paid options extending to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and even Instagram, you need to determine the best outlet for your paid ads. Then make sure your message fits your outlet and audience.

7. Fulfill your fulfillment obligations

If you want to offer some shipping deals this season, start planning now. You’ll need to adjust your checkout page so that everyone gets the shipping plan they need. Remember that shipping prices are the number one reason for cart abandonment.

      8. Anticipate – and plan for returns

With a higher purchase rate during the holidays, you also have to be prepared for a higher rate of returns. Sometimes people will make gift purchases that just don’t work out. Are you ready to accept those products back and process refunds or exchanges?

     9. Is your customer support up to scratch?

Are you ready to field all questions and complaints? Someone should be alert at all hours to keep an eye on social channels, answer the phone, or respond to emails. Keeping buyers satisfied is one of the most important tasks you’ll tackle.

    10. Checkouts

Read our full article on why e-commerce checkouts are so important to maintain; in short – if you make it hard to buy your product, people won’t buy it.

Don’t wait up until the last minute to put these strategies in place. Preparing ahead of time will ensure that you maintain your smooth operations, and provide customer satisfaction. As a result, it will help you achieve a more successful special sales season.

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