13 Last-Minute E-Commerce Tips for Cyber Week in 2020

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Is your online presence prepared for holiday shoppers? Here are 13 last-minute e-commerce tips for Cyber Week and the 2020 Holiday Season.

Pixolabo: 13 Last-Minute E-Commerce Tips for Cyber Week in 2020

How Does Cyber Week Relate to Your Business?

As an online business owner, Cyber Week is one of the most exciting and busiest weeks of the year for your store. Starting with Black Friday, this week marks the beginning of the end-of-year shopping season and a week when holiday shoppers and mobile consumers are ready to part with serious cash. Here are some last-minute e-commerce tips for Cyber Week to help you get the most out of your online presence.

In 2020, Cyber Monday dethrones Black Friday as the biggest shopping day of the year. BlackFriday.com

For many business owners Cyber Week, and the holiday shopping period can make the difference between a successful year-end or a year ending in red ink. Therefore, it is essential for business owners and product brands to make the most out of Cyber Week and the entire holiday shopping season.

Almost one-third of holiday spending occurs during the Black Friday-Cyber Monday weekend. Forbes

 What Can You Expect from Cyber Week?

What Can You Expect from Cyber Week?

Cyber Week, the Black Friday, and Cyber Monday sales weekend marks the start of the holiday sales period.

Historically, about 37% of all U.S. holiday retail sales occur during this period. Still, only about 18% of consumers have said that they finish all their holiday shopping at this time.

Consumers are turning to e-commerce more than ever due to limitations or hesitation with shopping in physical stores. Now is the time to make the most of your online store even after the Black Friday dust settles.

It is still up in the air whether some shoppers will hold back additional holiday purchases this year. A personalized offer can increase the visibility of holiday-specific products. Also, customized email reminders of items a shopper may have browsed but not purchased go a long way to maximize your sales.

Pixolabo: Why You Should Care About Cyber Week

Why You Should Care About Cyber Week

In 2020 the holiday season is shorter than in 2019; there are six fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The shortened shopping season means marketers will need to start their campaigns earlier than usual to reach their holiday goals. And there are other considerations in 2020. Here are a few likely outcomes:

  • Many physical stores are closed during the cyber week due to continued restrictions.
  • Open stores will see less traffic than usual.
  • Competition for online shoppers will be greater than it has ever been before.

As shoppers move more toward browsing and buying on their mobile devices, they also spend less time giving brands a chance to make an impression. Now, more than ever, brands need to ensure they’re delivering optimal shopping experiences to drive the results they want during the biggest shopping event of the year.

There were over 165 million U.S. shoppers during the Black Friday-Cyber Monday weekend in 2018 and 189.6 million in 2019. Digital in the Round

Despite recent shifts in consumer behavior, Black Friday weekend will still be a critical time for many retailers to make up for the slower performance during the first half of 2020. My last-minute e-commerce tips for Cyber Week will help you stand out from the digital competition.

Pixolabo: Last-Minute E-Commerce Tips for Cyber Week

Last-Minute E-Commerce Tips for Cyber Week

1 – Be Mobile-First

Mobile readiness is not only one of my e-commerce tips for Cyber Week but also a simple necessity for online stores in 2020. In 2019, mobile orders (including tablets) came in at 49% of total purchases. They were the primary revenue source every day of Cyber Week except for Cyber Monday. Here is how you can prepare your website for holiday shoppers.

In 2020, mobile e-commerce sales are predicted to be $339.03 billion, up from $268 billion in 2019, likely a result of increased reliance on e-commerce overall during quarantines. Digital Media Solutions

2 – Tune-Up your Website

Maximize page load speed and performance for your website. If your website or online store loads slowly, online consumers will not hesitate to move on. Likewise, ensure that navigation is fluid and intuitive, especially on pages that have sales or discounts. It’s also a good idea to double-check product descriptions and internal links to make sure they’re current. Finally, check with your provider to make sure your servers can handle an increased load during Cyber Week and the entire holiday season.

3 – Enhance Your E-Commerce Shopping Experience

Out of all the last-minute e-commerce tips for Cyber Week, this is likely the most crucial as e-commerce UX design is essential to conversions. Everything should focus on turning website visitors into consumers and boosting your holiday sales. Another critical conversion arena for retailers to focus on is cross-selling and upselling. The holidays are the perfect time for this as shoppers are ready to spend, and the fewer stores they need to visit, the better for them.

4 – Provide a Great User Experience

Cyber Week shoppers are already going through a lot. Therefore, it is essential to provide them with the best possible user experience. Better UX includes making it easy for online shoppers to notice your special offers. A site-wide discount, a tantalizing sale on a big-ticket item, or a markdown for an entire category are all simple and easy to understand. Having a straightforward offer will also make it easier to promote your business through advertising and social media.

Pixolabo: Last-Minute E-Commerce Tips for Cyber Week

5 – Make Shopping Easy

The easier it is for online consumers to make a purchase, the more likely they will. Primarily during Cyber Week, you must focus on maximizing your e-commerce conversions. Create gift guides and highlight your holiday deals on your landing pages to make it simple for your customers to find gifts.

Many shoppers already have a specific budget in mind, so you should segregate your gift guides and deals into categories by price. Another of my last-minute e-commerce tips for Cyber Week is to upsell your customers by adding complementary products alongside purchased items to make one-stop shopping effortless.

6 – Emphasize Customer Service

Customer service will be paramount during Cyber Week. Shoppers will be looking to make decisions quickly. They know the clock is ticking to complete their shopping lists before the sale ends or product inventory runs out. Monitor all your channels and respond promptly to customer questions about the product, shipping, and return policies.

Consider automation, like chatbots, to streamline your communication even further. Watch out for any negative reviews or complaints and respond immediately if any arise. The holiday shopping season is a great time to impress your customers and keep them coming after the holiday season.

7 – Create a Cyber Week Exclusive, One-Day Deal

Next on my list of last-minute e-commerce tips are exclusive deals and how to promote them. Offering 15 percent off to shoppers during Cyber Week will not do the trick. During the busy holiday season, all of your competitors will offer amazing deals. To stand out, you’ve got to create a cyber-exclusive, one-day sale that’s too good for consumers to pass up.

8 – Promote Your Cyber Week Special Offers

Part of the success of Cyber Week is that mobile consumers know online stores will be offering deals. Let your customers know you’re participating by prominently advertising your special offers. The more noticeable they are, the more critical they will seem to shoppers.

The most obvious and popular option is on your home page. Announcing the details of your Cyber Week deals here will tell your shoppers what they need to know. It also demonstrates that your business considers these deals essential and valuable. Pop-Ups are another option, but make sure not to annoy holiday consumers and drive them away to your competitors.

9 – Showcase Different Products on a Rotating Basis

You want to keep your brand at the top of shoppers’ minds, but they may find it challenging to keep their eyes on you with so many Cyber Week distractions. Accordingly, you have to entice users to keep coming back to your site by showcasing different products and sales on a rotating basis. Instead of just announcing a site-wide sale, highlight the items shoppers can get deals on throughout the holiday period.

Pixolabo: Last-Minute E-Commerce Tips for Cyber Week

10 – Increase Buyer’s Sense of Urgency

OK, you’ve enticed users to visit your online store and check out your Cyber Week deals, but how do you get them to purchase once they’ve arrived? A perfect way to get shoppers to hit that “checkout” button fast is to increase the sense of urgency using countdowns. The scarcer an item, the more people will want to buy it from you.

11 – Create an Exclusive Newsletter Offer

If you want to boost sales this Cyber Week and get more subscribers, create a newsletter-exclusive offer. A special offer like this rewards your loyal subscribers. It makes them feel important, and at the same time, it helps you build an even bigger email list after the holidays. Here are some creative ideas for your holiday email marketing.

12 – Combat Cart Abandonment

According to Statista, in March of 2020, 88.5% of online shoppers did not complete their purchase but instead abandoned their shopping cart. That’s a ton of missed sales. Instead of letting all those shoppers leave your site without buying this Cyber Week, entice them to return to your online store and complete their orders.

13 – Fine-Tune Your Content Strategy

Modify your content strategy to reflect the season. Posting the right type of content at the right time can not only generate more traffic. It can also introduce your brand to new customers by helping them in their time of need. Keep in mind that these are challenging times. Be sure to explain how your products benefit consumers during the pandemic.

Considering that most people already have shopping on their minds, gift guides are another of my last-minute e-commerce tips. Many people across different demographics have difficulty deciding which gifts to buy for their friends and family. A well-written gift guide answers their questions, establishes your brand as an expert on the topic, and lets you promote your products.

Pixolabo: Last-Minute E-Commerce Tips for Cyber Week

Final Thoughts on Cyber Week

Cyber Monday may be the most critical day in the e-commerce industry, but don’t let that scare you. Your site doesn’t need to be perfect to make a good impression; it just needs a little bit of planning and preparation. It’s not too late the put the finishing touches on your site — follow my last-minute e-commerce tips. By Christmas Day, you will have had a successful and “green” holiday season.

Need Help Preparing your Online Store for Cyber Week?

Here at PixoLabo, we offer a full range of web design and related services to help you prepare your online presence for eager holiday shoppers. Starting with multilingual WordPress web design and ranging from e-commerce solutions, search engine optimization, and WordPress website hosting and maintenance.

Feel free to reach out to us and learn more about how our experts can help you improve your website or e-commerce store. Our team can help you determine any shortcomings and obstacles on your existing website. All you have to do is reach out to us. We are here to help!

Is Your Website Ready for the Holidays?

What do you think of these tips? Do you have your own Cyber Week “traditions”? Are you preparing your website for holiday shoppers by adding new content or services? Is your online store all decked out for eager consumers? Do you have any other last-minute e-commerce tips for preparing your business web site or online store for the upcoming holiday season? Feel free to add your comments below so our audience can benefit and grab our feed, so you don’t miss our next post! And feel free to share our holiday website tips with your audience!

Thank you! We appreciate your help to end bad business websites, one pixel at a time!

By Gregor Schmidt
Co-Founder / CXO
@gregoraschmidt