Simple 5-Step 2024 Holiday eCommerce Prep List
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It is never too early to get your ducks in a row if you have a WordPress e-commerce store. The earlier you plan, the more organized you are, putting you in a better position when things get crazy.
Regarding eCommerce and getting your WordPress website “holidized,” you must plan ahead, or you cannot plan on things going smoothly. Especially considering we intend to be very busy delighting your customers and filling orders, right?
2024: eCommerce Website Planning
With more folks shopping online than ever, you want to be able to fill those needs. That means being organized and prepared so that you can get in on that action.
Getting a jump on your plan now and mapping everything out will help you to be able to be prepared for whatever may arise. And believe me, no matter how well you plan, there will still be issues (and opportunities) that pop up and will require you to take the time to address them pronto.
So, the more we can solidify details in advance and have it in place and scheduled, the better. All you have to do is follow these tips and get as specific as possible—the more detailed, the better.
1. Create Your Holiday eCommerce Calendar
Get out your calendar and map out specific critical dates.
Promo Dates to Schedule
Nail Down Specific Dates
Next, create a blueprint for your WordPress website to note shipping time frames and the last date orders must be placed on your website.
We want to ensure customers are informed so they can plan accordingly while we set realistic expectations.
2. Construct Landing Pages & Posts
You want to focus. Create a landing page for each of your specific promos. A focused landing page will direct and guide customers on those particular products or promos. We want to provide the information necessary for their decision-making process by not having any unnecessary distractions.
Stay away from templated layouts to avoid having each landing page look like the others. Instead, each page should have its own “personality,” images specific to that promo with promo-specific content and calls to action.
Schedule time to write posts that are holiday-topic-related, too. For example, “12 Days of …” posts. Posts that include “gift ideas” (for kids, parents, and significant others) or creating new holiday traditions (that have your products, of course). Get creative with your content — and imagery.
3. Develop Holiday Bundles
Bundles are an overlooked way to increase your AOV (average order value) around the holidays. Look at your data to see what visitors gravitate to and their paths.
You know what your customers buy together. So, it should be easy to devise logical combos for one great price. For example, consider creating a “Holiday Care Package” bundle that targets what folks need, want, or are nostalgic about.
Creating limited-time bundles that provide a discount when items are purchased together vs. separately is an up-sell that will make sense to your customers while encouraging them to buy more than they may have initially intended.
4. Assemble Social Media Posts, Product Images, and Graphics
Graphics, content, and social media post creation is very time-consuming. Mostly because creating content and graphics that stand out and are unique to you and your promotions is labor-intensive, especially considering each social media site utilizes different sizes. I use Canva, and it makes this job so much easier.
Next, create folders on your computer for each promo. Then, create a subfolder for each social media site within each promo.
For each social site, have a text file with your content bursts noting the filenames of the corresponding images (in the correct sizes for each platform). You’ll build more interest by scheduling unique images for each post, reminder, and follow-up rather than repetitively re-posting the same image and text.
5. Don’t Forget Current Customers
These folks already know how great your products are and what a pleasure you are to do business with. They are already sold on doing business with you, so let’s use that to our advantage.
Reward them with a current customer-only promo (or bundle) to show you appreciate their patronage and loyalty. Include an unannounced bonus or freebie with each order so that customers will fall in love with your business. That’s how you get them to come back after the holidays.
Wrapping Up ~ With a Bow!
Don’t forget about holidizing your website with seasonal accents, graphics, and images to reflect you are into the season. Sites without a holiday theme can be perceived as outdated or even abandoned.
One last important thing…
By mapping out the entire purchasing process, from your marketing efforts to conversion, you create the opportunity to make the experience memorable and special. This approach will give you an edge in a very competitive arena.
Planning the little things like quality packaging, holiday tissue, and greetings will make an impression when your packages are opened. That’s what dazzles and keeps customers coming back for more. Add a personal touch, such as a handwritten thank you note, and you are golden.
I call this strategy the three “Ps”: Plan + Process = Profit. Put it to work for you this season.
At your service,
