It’s good to be online
Last Christmas was characterised by massive online growth, a surge in mobile transactions, Black Friday and click and collect – and this Christmas is likely to see these trends continue. So if you’re offering goods online, through a mobile optimised site with flexible delivery options then you’re on the right track to success, but what else do you need to do to prepare?
Act fast
It’s important to act early to maximise the benefits of the peak shopping season. Think about what you need to do to prepare, things such as staffing – have you got enough people to absorb the additional work?
Build up trust
Make sure that new customers can trust your business, with contact information clearly displayed and enquiries dealt with effectively. Likewise, it’s important that customers feel secure shopping on your website which can easily be done by displaying accreditations, such as an SSL certificate. It may also be worth considering offering a money-back guarantee or visible customer feedback.
Delivery times
If you import your goods from abroad, keep in mind that door to door shipping takes an average of 6 weeks – so get your stock ordered early! When selling goods to customers, be realistic about the final shipping dates before Christmas – and act quickly to get the goods out of the door as soon as the order is confirmed. The last thing you want is disgruntled customers because you didn’t get the goods out of the door promptly.
Make your premises and/or your website stand out
With fierce competition never far away, it’s important that your business – whether you have premises or not, is ready for Christmas. Consider adding detail about your Christmas delivery times and giving extra prominence to any ‘must-have’ items. You could even add some seasonal decorations to capture the Christmas spirit.
Know your competition
Researching your competition is now easier than ever, with a simple internet search. It’s always important to make sure your price points and service offerings are competitive, but do be careful not to undercut your rivals too much as it could hurt your bottom line. There’s little point selling more if you’re making less. An increasingly popular method of staying competitive is to source cheaper goods from abroad. With importing from Asia now much simpler than ever before, it can really pay to take the importing plunge. Find out more about importing from Asia with our simple one stop guide.