How to ensure your e-commerce business maximises on Mother’s Day sales this year
As spring appears on the horizon, those big milestone events and celebrations appear, offering a welcome boost to your e-commerce business. Mother’s Day kicks off the season of fun and celebrations and it’s important to make sure your business is optimised to maximise the opportunity. Our tips will help you recalibrate your e-commerce business to make the most of everyone’s desire to spoil their Mum!
Be inclusive: The traditional, nuclear family is a thing of the past, so make sure your website and product range reflect that fact. By offering variations of gifts – such as grandma, mother-in-law, step-mum and dog-mum – you are giving people the opportunity to shop for all the maternal women they value in their life, through your store. Give your customers the satisfaction of ticking everyone off their list in one go, and you get the benefit of a multiple sale – everyone is a winner!
Offer deals: As discussed above, people increasingly buy Mother’s Day gifts for more than just their mother. Why not be the business who provides the perfect bundle deals for those who want to gift more than one mother figure? Offering discounts on a second or third item can be a great way to boost sales and reduce time spent packaging and posting, as they can all be sent to the same address. You could also consider offering extra special gift wrapping on certain items to boost sales.
A gift wrap service is a godsend for those who don’t have the skills and/or time to make a gift look gorgeous and may just sway them to choose your product over a competitor. Be sure to calculate the cost of materials for this service and any changes to the shipping method to allow for extra bulk. Also, your time is an additional factor to consider; do you have time to provide this service – and how will it be reflected in the cost?
Optimise user experience: Gearing up to a particular occasion or important date in the calendar can be a daunting task for an e-commerce owner. But by ensuring your website is easy to use, current and tailored to the upcoming dates you can drive more purchases.
This can be done in many ways. For example, changing shipping details to reference the upcoming occasion; having phrases such as ‘Order this item by X date to receive by Mother’s Day’ will help customers focus their search and increase their confidence in your service and shipping accuracy.
Another effective way to drive customers to the right place is by having dedicated sections on your website, tailored to different occasions. If there are distinctive sections, it helps people navigate around your site – and we all know how important user experience is when it comes to sales! In fact there are many benefits to your business when you focus on providing a good user experience. If your site is easy and efficient to use, you are more likely to land a sale and encourage repeat business, so taking some time to simplify your visitor’s journey to find what they’re looking for may well pay off in the long run!
Fast shipping: What could feel worse than forgetting to order your own mother a gift on Mother’s Day? Offering fast shipping for disorganised customers could leave a lasting positive impression. Being the business who delivers in a short space of time puts you ahead of competitors.
Easy, free exchange and returns: Not all gifts are perfect, and mothers have every right to return or exchange a gift they don’t like, want or need. By offering a clear and defined returns policy you can also increase sales, as you are offering an alternative for your customers and giving them additional confidence when purchasing a gift.
With an increase in sales, unfortunately your returns may also increase. If you have trouble dealing with incoming deliveries and returns during busy trading periods, a secure parcel box may be a product worth investigating to alleviate the strain! Products such as the Penn Parcel Box can help receive and contain parcel deliveries or returns with minimal disruption. The weather-proof, theft-proof Penn Parcel Box offers peace of mind for busy e-commerce business owners for a one-off cost and with simple installation. It could be a sound investment, especially when you consider that limiting loss and damage to returned products can positively affect your bottom line, as can reducing your admin time.
What changes will you make in the run up to Mother’s Day and the other key dates in the year ahead? For more information on how the Penn Parcel Box can help you to focus fully on your business as demand and returns increase during busy periods, get in touch with our friendly team on 01424 429 641.