Top 5 Christmas E-Shopping Tips (2018)
December 7, 2018
It’s that time of year again! People are gathering in front of the fireplace, the advent calendars are out, and of course, holiday marketing campaigns are being put in place.
Fresh off the back of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday craze, consumers once again have their eyes peeled for discounts, promotions and special offers. We all need to get our presents from somewhere right? Needless to say, the weeks leading up to Santa’s arrival are a merry time for companies to really increase sales and make the most of the season’s celebrations. Now is the perfect opportunity to lift your ad campaign results.
With that being said, the following guide is here to help you encourage the gift of giving, whilst optimising your profits.
Make that transition seamless
The first point of contact the consumer has is with one of your beautifully crafted banners on their favorite website – but the next step is all about converting that person into a customer.
Make sure that when people click through – they’re taken to a landing page that depicts the same design and advertises the same special offer they were initially enticed by.
It’s a great chance to set up a “Christmas deals” page to go along with your advertised holiday specials. Ensuring this continuity will reinforce the legitimacy of what products or services you have on offer and keep them in that festive spirit – all the way through to them converting.
Try a ‘12 days of Christmas’ type campaign
For a lot of people, holiday celebrations don’t just involve a single purchase. Not many people stop at the one present.
We need those stocking fillers and little tokens for friends and the extended members of the family. Running some form of a ‘12 days of Christmas’ programmatic campaign allows you to not only spread out your promotions (and maintain consumer interest over a longer period of time) but also evenly allocate your ad spend.
Make sure you track the data coming through during this time to see when, where and on what sites your ads are most popular.
Track your data to capture that wave of interest!
With such a cluttered advertising space during this time of the year, the last thing you want to be doing is heaping your ad banner spend over a few days. Increasing the frequency and distribution of your advertisements can be crucial for consumers to take notice of your business. Once they are engaged, the ‘12 days’ promotion will keep them coming back for more – ensuring that your bottom line reward in sales is well worth the investment!
Did someone say FREE SHIPPING!
It can be that simple to boost ROI. Jump into the creative studio with the extensive variety of festive templates available, and spruce up your banners with those two words that all of us have a soft spot for.
If you can offer free express postage up until just before the big day, ramp up your daily ad spend in the week prior to attract those last-minute buyers.
Tis’ the season for giving, and giving back
Much like complementary delivery, giveaways are another word great for triggering a consumer response. First and foremost, offer a desirable prize. If you wouldn’t bother entering the giveaway, neither will the people you advertise to.
It’s a great opportunity to foster that Christmas spirit so make sure your banners are well crafted with a clear call-to-action. At the same time, boost your CSR and performance by connecting a relevant charity to your sales – “for every purchase we donate X to X charity”.
Also, advertise through different media forms where your customers will be spending their time. Double down on the social activity (boosted Instagram stories are a great and quick way to get a message across) and have your email campaigns tailored to the season’s discounts.
A crisp Instagram Christmas campaign from John Lewis
Set up an effective ad funnel and don’t forget about those who entered and didn’t take out the prize! Set up an exclusive discount code for ‘runners-up’ to help build consumer relationships and entice a warm and fuzzy “they care about me” purchase.
Late to the Christmas party?
Well have no fear – retargeting is here.
Window browsing online is a very real thing! Maybe you were looking around and found a nice pair of socks for your mother-in-law but didn’t quite get around to buying them. Imagine if a couple of weeks later you see an ad for the same very nice socks – and this time they’re on sale. Have a unique retargeting campaign up and ready to go and nudge those who visited your site but didn’t make a purchase.
Set up a Retargeting campaign in just minutes!
All in all, consumer behaviour is a wave that crescents come the silly season. We hope that this practical advertising guide has given you some ideas of how to make the most of your programmatic campaigns this Christmas! Wishing you a joyful and prosperous end to the year.
Jonathan Olsson
Head of Marketing
