The holiday season is quickly approaching, and it’s time to start preparing your online stores for the busiest time of the year. With our insightful tips and tricks, you’ll have the tools needed to make this the best holiday season yet.
Be Proactive
The first important tip we have for you is to communicate with your customers as much as possible. The purpose of the store, budget, and timeframe can all impact what type of store will be the best fit for your client. A good open ended discussion about the specifics of what they want in a seasonal store will help you get the information needed to get their stores started right away.
We all want our customers to have a great user experience during this busy time, so check out our online store discovery checklist for more questions and topics to discuss with your customer before starting the store building process.
Connect With Suppliers
When it comes to online stores, it is critical to first make sure the products your customers want are in stock. Additionally, during the holiday season, it’s important to check that all products will ship on-time. So if your customer requires the ability to track inventory, you’ll have the option to track both store level inventory and supplier level inventory. By keeping track of inventory and setting thresholds for products from integrated suppliers, you can strengthen customer relationships while simultaneously reducing backorders, cancellations, and refunds.
Connecting with suppliers can ultimately add to your success not only during the holiday season, but year round. With reliable data from over 40 suppliers, it can also help you make smarter business decisions and manage stores with ease. With easy access to inventory health indicators at-a-glance, engaging in open communication with suppliers can help ensure you create a tailored and effective store.
Update Your Stores
Seasonal design can make a huge difference. Over 94% of people say bad design is the main reason they don’t trust certain sites. With our online stores, you have complete control of the storefront design to create a store that will match and reflect the festive season, enhancing user trust and engagement with a visually appealing layout. When you elevate the shoppers experience and gain their trust, you’ll be able to capitalize on good branding and win business opportunities. Some ideas to get you started include:
- Refresh the banners
- Update product descriptions
- Switch out product images with appropriate seasonal content
Offer Fun & Creative Holiday Promotions
There’s not just one way to run successful holiday stores, so we recommend getting creative. Don’t shy away from interesting promotions to attract and retain shoppers. Implement targeted holiday offers and streamline your store’s product selection to provide something new to your shoppers. We offer options like Coupons and Gift Certificates so shoppers either receive a discount or complimentary product from your seasonal store. Additional variations you can offer this season include special redemption codes for specific shoppers or even supplementary Account Balance funds.
Don’t Overwhelm Shoppers
Instead of adding tons of products to your customers store, limit the products and curate them to satisfy different groups of shoppers. With features like Product Bundles, there are many combinations of curated items for your shoppers to choose from. For easy navigation of your store and its products, categories can also greatly help your shoppers move through the store and find what they want with ease.
Keeping your store stocked with specially chosen items can help you satisfy customers, while ease of access and navigation within the store can boost sales. Check out our blog to learn more about product bundles and how to maximize sales.
Run End-of-Year Reports
Now is the time to prepare for next year. To get a head start, take advantage of our detailed reporting options. This can help you stay on top of new orders and make informed decisions to ultimately drive growth. OMG offers a variety of reports, including Fundraising Reports, Custom Reports, and Purchase Orders that are valuable for assessing your performance and planning for future growth. For further information on how to manage your store with reports, check out our website.
Use us, we’re here to help!
This time of year gets busy, and our Creative Service teams are ready to help! We can take the heavy load off your hands and assist with:
- Product Add
- Store Design
- Store Configuration
- And more!
With the busy season, these tasks take an average of a few days for Pop-Up Stores and a few weeks for Company Stores. Since our Creative Services team requires all product data and direction to build the store, these timelines may vary. With our expertise, you can focus on what matters most—serving your customers and driving your business forward.
As the holiday season draws near, the key to success is proactive preparation. By using the tips and tricks, you can set yourself up for a season of impressive sales and customer satisfaction. With these strategies in place, you’ll be well-equipped to make this holiday season your most successful yet. Embrace the season with confidence and watch your online stores shine. Contact us to get started!
