Wednesday 5th of June 2019
Holidays are the best time of the year for families and businesses. Everyone is rejoicing, partyi
...ng, and embarking on shopping sprees to find meani...
Holidays are the best time of the year for families and businesses. Everyone is rejoicing, partying, and embarking on shopping sprees to find meaningful gifts, revamp their houses, and upgrade appliances. Businesses have to cater to the large crowds thronging the precincts and queuing up outside stores. With the prominence of e-commerce, a significant part of this crowd has shifted to online stores. It is a more convenient way to shop and dodge the rush during peak season.
Black Friday online sales reached $346 million in 2023 and $200 million during Christmas in 2022. These figures showcase the popularity of the digital medium for buying goods and services during the holidays because of heavy discounts. The most purchased product categories during these periods included food and liquor, and the preferred mode of transaction was payment cards. With the holiday season knocking on the door, here is how small e-commerce businesses can grow this season. These tips will help them meet the demand with ease.
The holiday season gives everyone a reason to shop, and using the online medium is the best way to enjoy buying. However, increased site traffic can lead to slow loading times and website crashes because the infrastructure is not elevated to handle many users. It leads to an increase in bounce rate, abandoned carts and missed conversions. Thus, small businesses must prepare their website for the peak by auditing and removing glitches affecting browsing or purchasing. They must increase the server’s capacity or add new servers and compress large files on the site to effectively handle the stress of high traffic. They should also maintain backups to prevent data loss and reduce downtime.
Smartphones are the most preferred online shopping method because they are handy and can be used on-the-go. Most customers use their mobile phones to search for products, read reviews and browse websites before buying. Therefore, budding entrepreneurs who wish to buy a small business for sale New Zealand must invest in a mobile-optimised website. It helps buyers to seamlessly navigate through pages and browse product catalogues with simple swipes and taps. The website must load quickly and should not have pop-ups that irritate customers. The payment gateway must have multiple convenient transaction modes, such as credit cards, digital wallets, online bank transfers, and Apple Pay.
Small e-commerce businesses that driven entrepreneurs have created can leverage social media to grow during the holiday season. They can stand out in the crowd by integrating their online store with social media channels like Instagram, YouTube and Facebook to acquire new customers. Businesses can create virtual stores on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram or run ads on these platforms to increase sales. Creating holiday-based ads before and during the festive period can boost site traffic and revenue because social media ads are highly targeted. A limited-period offer can create a sense of urgency during the holiday season to increase online sales.
Small online stores can attract customers by providing the buy now, pay later option. It allows buyers to pay in instalments without any interest rate. Many buyers may not be willing to shell out a big amount because of other expenses during holidays. The buy now pay later option allows them to buy premium products and pay later. In addition, they can provide benefits like free shipping and an easy return and refund policy to increase credibility and trust in the brand. Individuals buying businesses for sale in New Zealand can use these tips to grow their sales during the holiday season.
Attracting new customers during holidays can be challenging because every online store offers discounts. Thus, small e-commerce businesses must think outside the box and create irresistible offerings, such as bundle offers, to increase order volumes. It involves bundling complementary products together to boost cross-selling. A higher discount on bundled products can make customers opt for them and help increase revenue. Entrepreneurs can also use existing customers to sell more products by offering loyalty discounts and referral incentives.
Many customers visit the website or click on the ads but do not make purchases. These are lost sales that can be retrieved through remarketing. It involves sending personalised product recommendations in emails to retarget these customers. It is also used to nurture leads by showing targeted ads to customers. It reignites the buyer’s intent to complete the purchase, and they can be further attracted to the products with the help of discounts. Thus, individuals who acquire New Zealand businesses for sale can build a strong customer base during the holiday season through remarketing.
The holiday season is a busy period, and managing the volume of customer calls can be challenging. If these calls are missed or the hold times get longer, it can lead to customer churning. Therefore, small businesses must arrange to provide outstanding customer service despite the peak time for sales. They must use AI-enabled chatbots that can respond to queries 24/7 and use a support team in rotation to handle interactions. The team members must maintain a festive cheer in their conversation and make it engaging for the buyers. It helps to build long-term relationships and customer loyalty.
Budding entrepreneurs looking for a business for sale in New Zealand can make the most of the holiday season with their online stores. There is a growing sense of responsibility among buyers. Businesses can leverage this and donate a small percentage of the sales to community development causes. This can attract many buyers. In addition, they can introduce biodegradable packing and procure local materials to showcase sustainability. It can help generate a buzz among the eco-conscious buyers.
Wrapping Up
Holidays can become even more charming and fulfilling when business owners can benefit from high sales volumes. With online sales increasing annually, small e-commerce businesses can make the most of this season by adopting the above-mentioned tips.
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