Knowing a thing or two about business, global brand Owners Collective founder Pru Chapman is the perfect addition to the newly created education series at The Retail Quarter, Reed Gift Fairs’ relaunch of its September fair. Ahead of her session, Chapman shares with us a few tips for retailers in order to help get your digital strategy sorted before one of the busiest times of year—Christmas.
Christmas online
It’s almost that time of year again—Christmas is the busiest and most lucrative for retailers. If you want to make this one a cracker, get your digital strategy sorted early to attract and convert customers online and maximise your profit.
I know this can sound easier than it actually is, so I’ve put together a few practical hacks below, which you can implement today to improve your customer experience and bottom line—making for a merry Christmas indeed.
1 Never try and be everything to everyone—it’s important that you not only create messages that are relevant to your ideal client, but also that you identify the channels your customers are on so you can be there too. Choose two to three channels to focus on at a time—these could be advertising and/or social channels like Facebook, Instagram, webinars, or Google ads—as this will help to avoid a scattergun approach and ensure that you’re communicating with the consumers that actually purchase your product. Put your strategy in place and stick to it. Yes, I know it’s the most exciting time of year, but it’s important that you avoid distractions to ensure success.
2 Know your ideal customer intimately—every great online digital strategy starts with you knowing your client offline. Research their demographic—who they are, where they hang out online and offline, who their family consists of, etc. to get a true understanding of who they are. The psychology of your customer is also an important element to think about about when it comes to your client—what makes them tick, what their dreams and aspirations are and, most importantly, how your product will help them get there.
3 Map out your client journey—do your research to identify where and how potential customers first come across your brand. Put a strong CTA (call to action) in place to ensure your customer takes the next step you want them to take—purchasing your product. This can be achieved by creating a clear client journey throughout your online strategy, so they know where you want them to go. Optimise your website for conversion in order to maximise your average dollar sale at each step including cross sells, up sells and suggested sells.
4 Test and mange like your life depends on it—it’s important that you allow yourself at least three months to assess the effectiveness of your strategy. Ensure that you constantly re-evaluate your ROI (return on investment) in order to determine if it is positive. And remember, don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater—pivot and tweak your channels where you need, before ditching it all together.
5 Put a killer retargeting strategy in place—ever wondered what happens to those ‘abandoned cart’ shoppers? It’s important to remember that just because they’ve left, it doesn’t mean you won’t see them again. An effective follow up and retargeting strategy is something that is often overlooked by many businesses. It’s crucial that you create one, as once it’s in place it will dramatically increase your conversion.
Pru Chapman will be leading education sessions at The Retail Quarter. To find out more about how you can get involved, visit www.reedgiftfairs.com.au/education
