Anyone and everyone can run promotions; however, the key to the success of those promotions comes from knowing your customer. You need to be able to get inside their heads to entice a purchase.
For the most part, online shoppers are no different than those who travel to traditional brick-and-mortar shops - with one major exception: failure to understand your online shoppers results in them simply moving on to the next ecommerce site where your competitors are more than ready to steal them away. In order to “dramatically increase sales and boost margins” ecommerce sites need to know “what drives your shoppers to buy.”
Customer traits and shopping behaviors tend to change over time; we see the most surprising changes around the holidays. To help you get inside your customers’ heads, here are five common types of holiday shoppers:
1. Loyal Customers
These are the customers that are your bread and butter. They shop with you regularly and you should be communicating with them often. These are the customers you listen to, and in return, they offer a recommendation to others on your behalf. Loyal customers “represent no more than 20% of our customer base, but make up more than 50% of our sales.”
Think about these loyal customers when designing holiday promotions. Designing a promotion specifically for them would, not only enhance holiday sales, but bring in some new customers as well. For example, instead of waiting until Black Friday, why not create something new like Winning Wednesday for your loyal customers? Offer them your Black Friday deals two days early.
2. Bargain hunters
A bargain hunter is the kind of shopper who looks for discount and sale prices in all circumstances. Bargain hunters will not pay full price for anything and they are willing to wait for the final markdown. They do their homework and know how to maximize their spending.
Bargain hunters have some serious skills and are able to surf the net for the greatest value at the lowest cost. Web.com points out that, in order to get the bargain hunter, “you have to convince these shoppers that they have indeed found the best deal and that there is no need for them to continue their search any longer.”
To get in the head of the bargain hunter, think discount, discount, discount! Offers like Two for One Tuesday, Thrifty Thursday, and Super Sale Sunday are promotions built to attract the bargain hunters. Another great way to get inside their heads is to offer a free gift with purchase.
3. Early Birds
The early birds know that by shopping early online, they have the best chance of finding the perfect gift with plenty of time to get a good price and have it shipped without paying any additional charges for a rush!
The early bird wants to enjoy a stress-free holiday and not feel pressured. They are the type of shopper who knows exactly what they want, has a budget in place, and wants to wrap up shopping before anyone else even gives holiday shopping a thought! These shoppers will forego the best price to accomplish their goal.
This does not mean they don’t appreciate a good deal, so be mindful of that and be sure to reward these customers. Perhaps an early bird special in October? You could even use Halloween to get their attention, like a Trick-or-Treat for Grown-ups with an offer of twenty percent off! Other great ideas include discounts that are time sensitive, or special events with the ability to have early access to Christmas deals!
4. Prime-Time
The prime-time shoppers are those that make their holiday purchases between Black Friday and right up until Christmas Eve. These shoppers put a lot of thought and research into their purchasing choices and these are the customers every single one of your competitors is also trying to entice. These shoppers are highly likely to make purchases on Black Friday and/or Cyber Monday.
To get these shoppers to come to you, you need to get into their heads well before Thanksgiving and keep the communication going throughout the season. You have to be aggressive and promote your sales. However, you cannot rely on a boring marketing message; you need to be creative to get in their heads and be the site they choose!
Embrace social media on Black Friday and invite your customers to discuss their purchases and gift ideas. Get them involved in your marketing efforts and make them feel they are valued.
A special note on Cyber Monday: this is the busiest online holiday shopping day of the year! It falls on December 1st this year, so gear up for the prime-time shopper that likes nothing more than spending the day shopping online. This is your big chance to capitalize - if you don’t, your competitors will.
If you check online, you will find that some businesses are already gearing up and exciting shoppers. Don’t be left in the dust! Reach out to your shoppers and offer special discounts, and perhaps free shipping (a guaranteed motivator to purchase).
5. Last-Minute Shoppers
You know the last-minute shopper well. They are the type of online shopper who loves the adrenaline rush that comes from pressure. They want great gifts at great prices and they want no hassles. They want what they want and they want it now.
The best way to appeal to the last minute shopper is to guarantee shipping by Christmas Eve, remind them daily how many shopping days they have left to get that guarantee, and offer them suggestions on what they may want to buy.
Now that you know your shoppers, don’t be afraid to go out there and grab them! Now is the time to get inside their heads, regardless of their traits. Knowing a little something about them is a great way to ensure they choose you! The question is, who are you going to attract this holiday season?
Now that you have promotions handled, make sure you have a stress-free shopping experience. If you already have that under control, let''s move on to how to get a fresh site for the holidays.