Valentine's Day is approaching fast and it is an important event in the eCommerce calendar as the sales in 2019 were reported to reach $20.7 billion. It is predicted that 29% of the Valentine's Day shoppers will shop online in a survey conducted by the NRF. Of those that planning to shop online 22.3% that they would use their mobile phones to shop online. The survey also reported that the top categories for online gifts at this time are candy greeting cards flowers evenings out jewellery clothing and gift cards.
Valentine's day is a key opportunity for brands and retailers to boost online sales and also to acquire new customers so if you haven't already mapped out your strategy for this Valentine's day we have some actionable insights for you that can help you boost your sales this year.
As mentioned above 22% of Valentine's day shoppers have said they will use their mobile phones to shop. As mobile e-commerce continues to take up a larger chunk of online shopping traffic it is becoming increasingly more important to focus on mobile site optimisations. It has been reported that mobile e-commerce is expected to surpass desktop online shopping by 2021. However we are still seeing examples of mobile websites that don't meet user expectations leading to bad customer experience and damaging online sales. Below is a screenshot of the results of a survey on 15 different websites.
Loading time is one of the key areas where brand mobile websites fail. In the above example 50% of users couldn't load the B&Q homepage properly. You've worked too hard to get traffic to your website only to lose it due to a page load issue. Page load times are fundamental consideration for a good user experience.
We often see examples of how registration process delivered on mobile can be inferior to a desktop experience. This results in abandoned shopping carts at the checkout stage due to something that can be relatively easy to improve. Many brands offer a guest check-out service which greatly reduces frustrations at this point of the customer journey. Try using the Google Mobile Friendly test to assess your page and make improvement based on the results.
It's all about the customer experience. Consumers are busy. They have never been busier. Make this process easy for them and you'll win new customers and please existing customers. The most beautiful website in the world is a failure if it is difficult to navigate and results in losing customers. At this time of the year put your Valentine's day stock front and center make it easy for your customer to find what they want and complete that purchase.
An important cue to incorporate is having an eye-catching design that suggests you have valentine themed products and gifts with links to different product listing. Use banners specific to your Valentine's Day stock and help customers to find what they need.
Valentine's day shopping is stressful! In a lot of cases the shopper isn't quite sure what they are looking for just that they are looking for a gift! Providing a search bar along with having a gift themed guide can help in reducing stress for users when searching for the perfect gift.
To have even more specific cues for your customers consider using filters such as:
Lastly ensure that your marketing campaigns are publishing relevant content as well such as information about the different Valentine's Day offerings and promo codes through email marketing and social media. Social media can be a powerful tool in influencing purchase decisions with reviews from influencers all around the world. In addition new features such as the in-built shopping on Instagram is an important platform to drive awareness about your products and gain new customers.
Did you know that email marketing is up to 40 times more effective than social media as reported by McKinsey and Company in a report? It is predicted that in this year the email user's number will reach 3 billion. This highlights the potential that email marketing has to offer and it's vital for brands to use it effectively.
Timing is everything. Sending out campaigns related to Valentine's Day gifting at the right time can help put your audience on a path to purchase. Using email marketing can also be a useful tool in directing traffic to relevant pages which can potentially increase conversions and sales. Ensure that your email campaigns go out a few days before Valentine's Day and that you are not forgetting those who are not in a relationship. Many buyers also buy gifts for their pets on Valentine's Day in particular millennials as they have the most pets in comparison with other age groups.
Lastly email is also an effective tool to send personalised messages to your audience as personalisation becomes more important. It can also include cart abandonment emails with more suggestions and guides to helping your audience shop. In the same way that you ensure your website is optimised for mobile ensure that your email campaigns are mobile friendly - two thirds of emails are opened on either smartphones or tablets.
ChannelSight has worked with a number of brands to drive digital success and can help yo. Read our recent case study on tado � a smart home company that embarked on a journey to transform their online strategy with ChannelSight's. ChannelSight's eCommerce Solution can help you achieve your goals. Book a demo today with our team to see how our 'Where to Buy' solution could work for you. Contact us today to learn about how our eCommerce solutions can help you and your brand today. In other words what are you waiting for?
