12 website personalization tips for christmas

Wednesday, 20 November 13

1212 ways to win big

this Christmas

A best practice guide

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1. Welcome your visitors and customise this messaging

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Why

A lot of new shoppers,shopping for other people.

Introduce your brand,and point them where they

might want to go.

How

Customise your messaging based on traffic sources, search

terms, plus purchase history.

Adjust wlecome messages or email sign up layers in line with

Christmas.


#1Welcome your

visitors

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1. Welcome your visitors and customise this messaging

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Ensure welcome messages highlight

all key USPs relevant to the

customer - mention any new Christmas appropriate areas

on site e.g. last delivery dates/gift

guides.


#2Use a marketing

promotion to trigger frequent

return visits


2. Use a marketing promotion to trigger frequent return visits and engage prospective customers

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How

Engage customers with updated content, features and deals throughout the Christmas

period.

Use an advent calendar to count down the days before

Christmas.

Why

The more prospective customers return to a site, the more likely they are to

purchase.


2. Use a marketing promotion to trigger frequent return visits and engage prospective customers

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The Oasis advent calendar played Jingle Bells while the customers were looking for the right door to open. Each door

revealed a different treat (free delivery, free gift wrapping, etc).

By opening the doors of the Whistles advent calendar, each visitor is taken to

a video of a bursting box with the product of the day revealed. The first

people to open the doors each day get the items for free - encouraging visitors

to check online early!


#3Make christmas

fun and the online experience

remembered


3. Make Christmas fun and the online experience remembered

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How

Use video content, games, and innovative technology to inspire

customers.

Why

Customers should be engaged - make Christmas shopping a fun

experience.

Get your brand experience and website remembered so

customers will return.


3. Make Christmas fun and the online experience remembered

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Farfetch had a ‘weird and wonderful’ Christmas market - customers had to

click on the doors to open them and see an animated selection of products

inside.

Topshop used video content to show a Christmas-themed film and help

promote their seasonal party dresses.


#4Push gift

guides


4. Push gift guides and present finders

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How

Create category pages for gifts (and tag them with UV), or add

filters to existing pages.

Include size guides, reviews and detailed specifications.

Present a gift suggestion guide.

Why

People aren’t shopping for themselves; they don’t know

what they’re looking for.

Who is the present for? Age, relationship, gender, etc.


4. Push gift guides and present finders

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The Body Shop Christmas Gift Finder is ideal for helping customers to find gifts easily and encouraging bundle sales. Customers run

through a series of choices, selecting who they are buying for and are then presented with a visual edit of products to select from and add

to the shopping cart.


#5Show stock

levels


5. Show stock levels

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How

Track stock items through UV and highlight low in stock items.

Remove, or obscure out of stock items.

Suggest the nearest available store and offer reserve and collect, or home delivery.

Why

People don’t want to miss out! We are loss-averse.

Everyone enjoys getting “the last one in the shop”.

A common complaint we find is a lack of stock information.


5. Show stock levels

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Increase threshold stock level at which to

show low in stock pointer.

Think about also showing stock

notifications for specific products on

the basket page.


#6Bundle products

together


6. Bundle products together in Christmas-related merchandising categories

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How

Use your basket data to gather items commonly bought

together.

Add in extra low-cost items.

Visitor history: if they have seen a few product pages, serve them a layer about relevant bundles.

Why

People are looking for stocking fillers.

It makes people think they are getting a really good deal.

You get more out of every purchase!


6. Bundle products together

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#7Publicise

Store/E-vouchers


7. Publicise store/e-vouchers for gifts and make them easily redeemed

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How

Prepare a specific page, devoted to gift vouchers with different

image options.

Give the same attention to these as any other product.

Make people aware of E-voucher USPs and also after C

Why

Capture those people who aren’t sure what gift to get!

E-vouchers are not dependent on physical delivery.


7. Publicise store/e-vouchers and make redemption information accessible

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7. Publicise store/e-vouchers and make redemption information accessible

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Make customers aware on the gift card product page that they can be easily redeemed - both online and also in store. Additionally, after Christmas - make sure people shopping on site using a gift voucher know

how to pay with it.


#8Align online and offline targeting


8. Align online and offline targeting

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How

Use geo-location targeting; communications online to match

in-store messaging

Use web promotions that apply in-store.

Unite your multichannel marketing.

Why

Use the data from all channels to give customers the Christmas

experience they deserve.

People check online as they shop in-store.

Items OOS online may be available in store and vice versa.



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Promote delivery options - especially ‘Collect from Store’ on the online store locator. Many customers are unaware of this, and it is those who go straight to the store locator who are most likely to use it. Ensure

stores also promote this functionality when items are OOS but in stock online.



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Change content and products served dynamically, depending on weather conditions for each visitor location.


#9Shout about your

delivery


9. Make delivery information prominent

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How

If you offer free delivery, shout about it! Make this known before

people reach the checkout.

Offer last minute delivery.

Ensure all delivery options and details are easily to navigate to.

Why

Out exit feedback tool shows delivery to be one of the biggest

barriers to conversion.

Customers want to know when their gifts will arrive, and make

sure this will be on time.



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Ensure last delivery dates are clearly displayed - on the homepage, or in welcome messages.



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Use last delivery date count down clocks to publicise

these dates to visitors, but also to increase the sense of

urgency for purchasing.

Daily delivery times can also be made clear on the product page.

Adjust the delivery times and information depending on the visitor location and when gifts

will arrive.


#10Offer gift

wrapping, but carefully!


10. Offer gift wrapping, but carefully!

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How

Offer choice of colours, patterns.

Build a dedicated section on your site.

Make sure gift wrapping is a seamless part of the checkout.

Why

It can be a great time saver for people, particularly closer to

Christmas.

Another way to boost average order values


10. Offer gift wrapping, but carefully!

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Offer gift wrapping for all purchases -

the best place to do this is at the

checkout stage as an easily accessed

add-on.

Allow different options of gift wrapping to be selected, and

personal messages to be added.

The best place to offer gift wrapping is at the checkout stage

as an easily accessed add-on.


#11Transparent

returns


11. Make returns policies transparent and prominent

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How

Give clear links to returns information on product pages.

Make your returns policy completely transparent.

Provide detailed product descriptions, reviews and size guides to minimize the risk.

Why

Allows people to buy with more confidence.

Returns can represent a substantial cost for

online retailers


11. Make returns policies transparent and prominent

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Offering extended returns policies over Christmas and

making prospective customers aware of this will help increase

conversions.

Returns information should be made easily accessible from the

home and product pages.


#12Up- or cross-sell to

drive average order values


12. Up- or cross-sell to drive average order values

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How

Place upsell items next to the basket (especially if you have a

free delivery threshold).

Recommend last minute stocking fillers.

Make them relevant!

Why

People are always looking for a bargain!

Raise your AOVs.


12. Up- or cross-sell to drive average order values

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Promote matching or similar items for up sell on the product

page.

Over the Christmas period, customers are

more likely to be susceptible to up-

selling opportunities.


#13And for the day

after Christmas...


13. After Christmas...Maximise all sales purchases

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How

Get the best-value products in front of the user as fast as possible.

Create sale category pages - allow users to sort by

% reduction.

Target customers with items they were previously interested in, but

did not buy and have been discounted.

Why

Boxing Day is the busiest ecommerce day in

terms of traffic.

The sale-shopper is very different to the gift-giver.


13. Surprise! Sale! Sale! Sale!

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Remind customers of any items left in their

basket from before Christmas

that may have been discounted.


Thanks.


12 website personalization tips for christmas

Business

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