Winter Is Coming
Generally, when launching a campaign, it’s always good to know how to prepare in advance so you can make the most of it and avoid any unfortunate surprises. That doubly applies to winter as December is often the peak of the eCommerce year. You need to have everything in place beforehand so that when the busy Christmas season rolls around you’re able to manage the increased workload and keep up with all the orders and customers.
This time of the year is a good opportunity for you to look at the timing of your own online activities. Which strategies can help you sell more? What are the most important factors worth keeping an eye on? How do you keep track of everything your numbers are telling you?
The 3 key elements of a successful campaign are:
- PREPARATION
- TIMING
- ADVANCED KNOWLEDGE OF THE MARKET
These three factors enable a company to gain a competitive advantage over its competitors who may invest much more into their advertising. The goal is to be in the right place at the right time, to spend less, and to attract the right customers. Nowadays, the calendar year is full of special occasions and bank holidays. Therefore, it’s necessary to do your homework in order to act accordingly and to be able to take advantage of rising demands. Some of these holidays can increase sales by upwards of double-digit percentage points. Some, on the other hand, may cause a sudden drop in sales and website visits.
Knowing as many important eCommerce days, bank holidays or upcoming events related to your business as possible is, of course, a key component of all of this. Let’s take a look at the most important eCommerce days in winter to get you prepared.
St. Nicholas / Sinterklaas
- Heavily commercialized in Christian countries. Every year on December 5th / 6th.
- Preparation: a month in advance
- Anticipated growth in sales: first week of December
- People mostly buy: sweets, decorations, food, small gifts
- Note: As of 2015 and 2016, the revenue of online retail during the Sinterklaas period in the Netherlands amounted to roughly 187 million euros.
Green Monday
- Green Monday gets its name as it’s environmentally friendlier than brick-and-mortar shopping + green means revenue! Celebrated on the second Monday in December, this year on December 11th.
- Preparation: a week in advance
- Anticipated growth in sales: on the exact day
- People mostly buy: electronics, home equipment, clothes
- Note: In 2016, Green Monday online retail sales were $1.621 billion.
Free Shipping Day
- One-day event held annually in mid-December. Consumers can shop from merchants that offer free shipping with guaranteed delivery by Christmas Eve. This year on December 15th.
- Preparation: a week in advance
- Anticipated growth in sales: on the exact day
- People mostly buy: electronics, clothes, books
Christmas
- Related to the birth of Jesus Christ — families gather together, giving each other gifts by the Christmas tree. Every year on December 24th and 25th.
- Preparation: from September
- Anticipated growth in sales: from November
- People mostly buy: electronics, books, toys, vouchers, sweets, decorations, food, trees
- Note: Let’s not forget to mention post-Christmas shopping, from December 25th onwards (including Boxing Day in North America).
New Year’s Day
- This is probably the most celebrated public holiday, often observed with fireworks at the stroke of midnight as the new year starts in each time zone. Celebrated on January 1st.
- Preparation: a week in advance
- Anticipated growth in sales: after Christmas and the New Year’s Day
- People mostly buy: fireworks, food, alcohol, clothes, electronics, decorations
- Note: New Year’s sales can be divided into two parts — it all starts right after the Christmas Eve with the post-Christmas sales and New Year’s Eve preparation, and ends with the New Year’s sales.
Now that you know when and what to be prepared for, what are the most important things to help you get ready before the holiday season? And how can a smart app like MonkeyData help you with that preparation? Let’s go through five simple tips!
1. WEBSITE READY?
Make contingencies for handling extra traffic in order to prove your site performs well under the extra pressure. Keep in mind that a responsive web design is an absolute must these days.
2. PRODUCTS READY?
Develop a robust forecast of which products will sell at which time and avoid late arrivals of your products. Fill your stock accordingly with proper amount of the right products.
3. STAFF READY?
Calculate staff capacity and ensure that it can handle any worst-case scenarios. Plan shifts carefully and speed up dispatching orders.
4. CAMPAIGNS READY?
Boost your email marketing and PPC advertising, optimize your SEO. Find out which campaigns worked the best and try to reproduce them.
5. OFFLINE MARKETING READY?
Utilize old-school tactics such as print publications and cold calling, plus strong networking and speaking engagements can help drive traffic to your store as well.
Don’t risk losing your money by letting the right moment slip through your fingers or by spending way too much. Increases in advertising costs are normal, so just remember weigh your budget carefully and make informed choices so you won’t miss out on the important opportunities that the winter season presents. You’ll find all the answers to your questions in MonkeyData’s dashboards!
