Prepare your ecommerce website for Big Sales Events

There are several sales seasons throughout the year and the retail strategy is promotions and discounts being offered at these times. If you manage an ecommerce business then it is critical you plan for sales events through these sales seasons, because if you’re not prepared you are likely to miss opportunities!

Common Sales Seasons

Some of the key dates for sales are below so put them in your calendar. You can tailor your promotions and marketing with the common themes associated with these special events.

• Chinese New Year
• Valentine’s Day
• Mother’s and Father’s Day
• End of Financial Year
• Stocktake Sales
• Black Friday
• Cyber Monday
• Christmas
• Boxing Day
• New Year
• Back to School
• Summer and Winter

Depending on the products you sell, consider other special events throughout the year like World Book Day, International Women’s Day, World Health Day, World Environment Day - the list is endless. Also consider your company’s birthday or other special days for sales.

Prepare a Sales Calendar

Plan for your chosen sales seasons with a sales calendar. Prioritise the events that are most likely to result in sales for your business and list them in your calendar. Choose a team to run the events, determine when they will occur, how long they will last and how much they will cost your company.

A sales calendar helps you plan your content, schedule product releases and make sure you have enough stock. Use it for your ecommerce store to select the sales channels and the campaign types you’ll run.

Prepare Your ecommerce Strategies

Your goal at these times of the year is to create an amazing online experience for the high traffic that is expected during sales events and result in a boost in sales. If you are not well prepared it can lead to unhappy customers, lost sales and a dent to your reputation.

Begin by creating a comprehensive checklist with the essential tasks you need to do. Some of the broader areas to focus on include:

• Sales Strategy - understand how your website can work towards your sales goals. Use multiple sales channels to reach as many customers as possible and then work to convert traffic to sales.
• User Experience - ensure great customer experience for all visitors to your online store. Clear messaging and product descriptions are important to prevent confusion and frustration among your shoppers.
• Analytics - use your analytics tools to gain insights into your sales and customer behaviour. Monitor your inventory so you don’t run out of popular products.
• SEO - explore your SEO practices for both immediate and long-term benefits.
• Technology - make sure your website will be able to handle an influx of customers. Have your customer support team ready to handle extra enquiries and make the most of automation tools to work effectively.