As the holiday season shopping season rapidly approaches in the United States and abroad, it is imperative that you have a well prepared holiday ecommerce strategy to stand out from the crowd. Your customers have high expectations during this crucial time, and it is important for your business to come through to maintain high brand loyalty. In this blog, we will cover ecommerce holiday planning, Black Friday promotion ideas, and holiday shopping trends so that your print-on-demand company can thrive this holiday season.
Ecommerce Holiday Readiness
One often overlooked aspect of ecommerce holiday readiness is website optimization and security. User experience leaves a profound impact on how your customers perceive your business and whether or not they convert into actual orders. A proper holiday ecommerce strategy includes making sure that your website is optimized for both desktop and mobile browsers. Customers shop from a multitude of devices these days, and it’s important that their experience navigating your website is an easy one no matter the screen size. Pagespeed is another important factor when it comes to optimization. By using a tool such as PageSpeed Insights by Google, you can work to bring your load times down, which can lead to higher conversion rates on your print-on-demand website.
Website security should be another aspect of your ecommerce holiday planning. Hacks are common events these days, and they can take your website down for hours to days, which can lead to crucial loss of revenue during the holiday season. Ensure that any users with admin access to your systems are following proper password protocols and utilizing 2FA at the very least. Every system is only as strong as its weakest link. If your website is transactional, it is necessary for it to be HTTPS complaint. This creates an extra layer of security for users who transact on your website. Finally, consider setting up a security plugin on your website to help fight against bots, spam, and other malware that might potentially cripple your website.
Your holiday ecommerce strategy should include properly preparing your customer service team. Alert your team of any Black Friday ecommerce campaign ideas or holiday promotions so that they are aware in responding to customers. Work together to develop common language for possible questions or issues that your customers might have. A consistent response and voice is important for your brand to alleviate the concerns of your customers.
Black Friday Promotion Ideas
AI art generators can accomplish some pretty amazing results, but it’s best to think of them as another tool for the artist or creator. It is they who ultimately makes the creative choices that will determine how the final image is composed. By thinking of AI art as a another tool to complement all the others, it can be used as part of one’s workflow to achieve new possibilities.
A successful Black Friday ecommerce strategy begins early. Black Friday is no longer just a weekend affair. To stand out from the noise, companies are offering early Black Friday deals at the start of November. You should consider the same for your print-on-demand business. By beginning your promotions early, you can stand out more as well as extend your ecommerce promotional calendar.
Utilize custom landing pages for these promotions so that your users have easy access to promotional information and follow specific funnels. This can lead to valuable analytics for you to better optimize your promotions as the season progresses.
For any digital marketing such as ads or email promotions, be sure to double and triple check your content before sending out. Typos or incorrect information on these content pieces are much more difficult to retract and can be a costly mistake during a crucial time.
Holiday Trends
As a print-on-demand dropshipping company, we have observed these holiday trends in recent years. Our most successful customers are the ones who begin their ecommerce holiday planning early. If you are not already in an aggressive promotion state for the holiday season, you should start right away. Print-on-demand wall and home decor products can be a very seasonal product, and it is crucial to utilize as much time as possible during this holiday season to capture your customers and convert into orders.
Custom canvas prints (premium gallery wrap, traditional stretched canvas) continues to be our most popular product category followed by framed prints, poster prints, custom metal prints, pillows/cushions, and personalized fleece blankets. If you are currently offering only one or a few of these, you should consider offering additional holiday dropshipping products to appeal to a wider set of potential customers.
Q4 is an important time for our industry and your print-on-demand business. We at Sensaria are here to help your brand thrive this season. Reach out to us today to see how we can be successful together.