Optimizing Platforms for Seasonal Buying Trends

Cyber Monday may be over, but the holiday shopping frenzy is not over yet. Although Black Friday may be the biggest shopping day of the year, there is still time to gear up for December. According to the National Retail Federation, 58% of consumers plan to finish their holiday shopping in December. As new trends emerge, you can take action by optimizing your customer’s shopping experience. 

You can do this, firstly, by being aware of seasonal trends. These include ‘buy-now-pay-later’ methods, offering promotions, optimizing your site for mobile devices, and giving customers a variety of shipping options. 

In Adobe’s first online shopping insights report, seasonal shopping trends are highlighted. Feeling the pinch of inflation, consumers are looking for buy-now-pay-later options. BNPL offers customers the option to pay for products in installments over time without paying interest.  According to Reuters, Klarna saw a 29% increase in the buy-now-pay-later method. Stripe and Klarna offer BNPL options that businesses can embed on their websites.

Seasonal promotions are another way to capture the attention of your customer. Plan your email campaign and social media blasts to include offers such as flash sales, limited-edition items, employee picks and recommendations, or special thank you gifts to loyal customers. For example, sending a hand-written note to long-time customers with an exclusive discount and early access to new products is a perfect way to show your appreciation. PayPal’s holiday promotional ideas offer 20 ways to connect with your audience. Take advantage of the season to connect with your audience in a personalized way. 

The way consumers shop has changed over the years. Consumers are using their mobile devices for shopping to the tune of about $35 billion — over 46% more than the previous year. Knowing that more than half of all Internet searches are conducted on a mobile device, if your site isn’t ready, your business is missing out. Not sure how to optimize your website for mobile devices? Check out Google’s advice. This includes fast page loading and easy navigation. When a visitor enters your site, almost half will leave if a page takes more than 3 seconds to load. In addition, smaller screens can be difficult to see, so make sure your menu is easy to navigate on mobile. Test out the changes with MobiReady, or PageSpeed. These tools can determine how mobile-friendly your site is, and offer suggestions for improvements. 

When it comes to shipping options, more is better. Eighteen percent of shoppers utilized this method. As consumers attempt to cut costs by avoiding shipping fees, offering curbside pick-up can increase sales and provide a more convenient way to shop, since customers do not have to enter the store. In addition to saving money, curbside pick-up avoids shipping delays, acting as an added benefit for last-minute shoppers.  

Buy-online-pick-up-in-store is a similar method that is gaining traction. Over half of retailers offer this option and about 50% of shoppers use this method. 

It’s not too late to optimize your platforms by preparing for seasonal buying trends. By providing customers with different payment and shipping options, testing for mobile friendliness, and showing your appreciation with promotional offers, your business can stand out in time for the holiday rush. Get creative by showing your loyal customers how much you appreciate them this season.