As much as we’d all like Covid-19 to be gone by Christmas, it’s really not looking that way. We’ve found some stats that could effect your strategy. But we’ve also offered some suggestions that require a small budget to potentially give your brand the boost to get those sales.
This means that we can’t rely on previous years trends when it comes to Christmas 2020. Many people are going to choose to shop online or order for collection. A report generated by Bazaarvoice found a number of important statistics which should impact your marketing plans for this Christmas.
49% of shoppers say that they now shop online even more than before the pandemic
Make sure your website is up to date, SEO friendly and as quick as possible. Users are going to be searching online for their gifts this year, likely more than previous years. By having an SEO optimised website, that is quick, you are more likely to appear higher in organic search results. This will also help you to run ads, as it will improve your Google Ads quality score. Google do not want to send traffic to slow, broken websites. Regardless of whether you are paying them.
Shopping methods which reduce human contact have increased in popularity.
Think about the ways you can make your shopping experience contact free. Having an online site with delivery is an obvious one. But if you have a store front are you offering click & collect? Shoppers would still need to come to your store, but their contact with others would be reduced.
43% of shoppers feel that their holiday spending budget has been impacted by Covid-19.
A lot of people are going to be working with tight budgets this year. All this means is that you need to make the value of your product clear. Why is it a good gift? What value will it add to someone’s life? Make sure you get specific about the ideal customer for your product, then ensure that your product descriptions really sell it. If you are unsure on your product descriptions, you could hire a copywriter to really polish them off. It is going to be important this year.
Shoppers this year will be focusing on item value and cost when purchasing gifts.
As mentioned above, it is really important to emphasise the value of your products this year. Shoppers want to get the most value for their money. This does not mean you need to drop your prices, just prove your worth. This can be done with strong product descriptions and a good content strategy. Get in a rhythm on social media, illustrate your brand, the people behind the brand and your products. This needs to start now, people will already be planning their festive shopping list.
When choosing between two gifts shoppers stated that price and product reviews would be deciding factors.
You do not need to reduce your prices this year, you just need to have the best product. You should also make reviews clear on your site and your socials. You might be a little more expensive than a competitor, but if your reviews are better then you will get the sale. Sign up for reviews, such as Google review or trust pilot. Make sure you add their widget to your site so shoppers can see reviews from an independent source. Then repost great reviews on your socials.
Overall, you need a strategy this year. We recommend reviewing your product descriptions as soon as possible. Then make sure you have a great content strategy to really show off your brand, you should also have someone regularly engaging with shoppers commenting on your content. This builds trust and authenticity. Lastly, get independent reviews on your site! If you can delete or edit them then they are not reliable enough. Reviews could be the final push for you to get that sale this festive period.
If you’re worried about your business this Christmas and want to run some marketing but don’t know where to start – Get in touch today.