Q4 is a critical time for online retailers, and as the year winds down, the excitement of the busiest buying season begins to build. With BFCM (Black Friday, Cyber Monday) around the corner and only 100 days left until Christmas, ecommerce brands are gearing up for an incredible opportunity to boost their sales and wrap up the year on a high note. 

Now is the perfect time to start preparing your online store for the festive rush. To assist you in maximising your success during this season, we’ve put together a comprehensive Ecommerce Christmas and Black Friday Checklist.

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Inventory Management

• Review your product inventory to ensure you have enough stock to meet the holiday demand.
• Identify top-selling items from previous years and prioritise their availability.
• Consider creating special holiday-themed products and bundles.

Website Optimisation

• Conduct a thorough website audit to identify and fix any issues, such as broken links or slow loading times.
• Optimise your website’s mobile responsiveness most shoppers now use mobile for gifting purchases.
• Update product descriptions, images, and prices to reflect any changes.

User Experience

• Enhance the user experience by simplifying the checkout process and offering multiple payment options.
• Implement a responsive and user-friendly design that showcases holiday promotions and products prominently. Think upsells, cross-sells and additional gifting services.
• Add live chat support or chatbots to assist customers with their inquiries in real-time while consumers are more inclined to make impulse purchases.

Personalisation and Gift Guides

Holiday Marketing Plan

• Craft a detailed holiday marketing plan that includes email marketing, social media, and paid advertising and share these with your agency partners! 
• Plan and schedule your holiday-themed content and promotions in advance to ensure all mechanics can be thoroughly tested and deployed smoothly. 
• As part of your comms plan, make sure you clearly share extended refund policies and last dates for shipping. 

Customer Engagement

• Take the time now to really analyse your database and understand behaviours from last year as retention is critical this year with mounting cost pressures for consumers.
• Consider launching a loyalty program or offering exclusive discounts to repeat customers or those that refer friends to incentivise word of mouth.
• Leverage user-generated content and customer reviews to build trust and credibility – across your website, your emails and wider marketing collateral.

Shipping and Delivery

• Check which dates your couriers have as their cut off for this year for both standard delivery and next day delivery.
• Communicate clear shipping deadlines and delivery times to customers.
• Offer expedited shipping options for last-minute shoppers such as same-day options.

Customer Support

• Prepare your customer support team for the holiday rush by providing additional training and resources. Now is the time to put in any processes you’ve been meaning to actio n all summer!
• Create a comprehensive FAQ section to address common holiday-related questions.
• Monitor customer feedback and address any issues promptly to maintain a positive reputation.

Analytics and Reporting

• Set up tracking tools to monitor the performance of your holiday campaigns. We’re still seeing new clients have problems with their GA4 setup which we’re having to resolve now for effective tracking.
• Regularly analyse data such as CvR and Add To Basket to make informed decisions and adjust your budget priorities as needed.
• Set your goals for AOV now as gifting is a huge opportunity for upselling through bundles.

Post-Holiday Strategy

• Plan your post-holiday marketing strategy to ensure your have nurtured new customer opportunities to their fullest – with increased acquisition costs, you don’t want to lose repeat customers with a sloppy retention plan!
• Collect customer feedback to improve future holiday seasons – new customers can give you very valuable insights on why they converted so you can strengthen this next year.
• Conduct a thorough review of your holiday performance to identify areas for improvement.

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Conclusion

With only 100 days left until Christmas, now is the time to start preparing your ecommerce store for the busiest buying season of the year if you haven’t thought about it already (and surprisingly, lots of brands are only just starting!). 

By following this comprehensive Ecommerce Christmas Checklist, you’ll be well-equipped to capitalise on the holiday rush, boost your sales, and provide an exceptional shopping experience for your customers. 

Start early, stay organised, and make this season your most successful one yet!