It’s the biggest shopping weekend of the year… Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday all come together beginning Friday November 27. And this year, projections are that 2020 holiday shopping is expected to increase by 1% to 1.5%, amounting to up to $1.152 trillion during the November to January time frame. With shoppers reluctant to go out unnecessarily and choosing to shop from the safety of their homes, this is just the time for your small business to capitalize on a captive, at-home market.
So, ask yourself if you’re ready to do some business.
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Do you have a website with a robust e-commerce space? If not, now is the time to get busy and make that happen. Your storefront will be competing with thousands of others so make it attractive, easy to use, and offer goods/services that set your store apart from your competitors.
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You’ve got your store, now get to marketing it on your social media channels. Boost your posts and run ads that feature your holiday specials and discounts. To measures success, use promotional codes to see how well your ads do. Track engagement and be savvy about the products you highlight.
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Outfit your brick and mortar business for the holidays and take videos… lots of them! Give shoppers the opportunity to “shop in person†with a tour around your store. You can demonstrate your products with the aid of a helper or two and point out features using FB Live and Stories. Put longer posts on IGTV with short clips on your regular IG channel. You could even set up a special live shopping event where shoppers can interact with you in person. For clothing stores, consider a “fashion show†that you can market to a specific type of audience.
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Always include a call to action! Tell your fans and shoppers what you need them to do. Sounds simple, but it’s an essential part of marketing. You want them to sample your chocolate selection? Then ask them to do that! Successful store owners know that guiding buyers in their selections is one of the most successful sales strategies.
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Make sure people can pay you! If you can, offer multiple payment methods as not everyone has the same capacity or knowhow to navigate the multiplicity of methods now available. You don’t want to lose a sale because a buyer only knows how to use PayPal to pay for items. Look into all the options and there are many… Google Wallet, Apple Pay, Zelle, PayPal, Venmo, and more.
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Let West Business Development Center know about your e-commerce store! And if you don’t have one yet, call our office at 707-964-7571 to get help setting one up!
