The holiday season is upon us again and online businesses have shifted into high gear to prepare for the busiest shopping season of the year: Black Friday Cyber Monday, or BFCM.
As a full service digital agency, CQL works with best in breed technologies that are core to the ecommerce business. Here we summarize the holiday preparedness tips some of our partners have provided to ensure success this holiday season.
Shopify
Shopify surveyed American shoppers to discover that despite the tough economic climate, most do not intend to cut back on holiday purchases. They shared seven things you need to know about this year’s holiday shoppers:
- Shoppers are looking to AI to drive product discovery
- Tech-enabled shopping = loyal customers + bigger spenders
- Meaningful purchases trump big splurges
- Bargain hunting is big this year
- Social shopping isn’t niche – it’s mainstream
- Physical stores are a fave for product discovery
- Shoppers want to see your deals before they shop
BONUS: Merchants can take a Shopify course on how to Prepare for a successful peak season in 2023.
Salesforce
CQL partner, Salesforce (whose ecommerce platform is Commerce Cloud, or SFCC), has compiled a thorough holiday guide, however the data and insights can be applied to improve customer retention and increase conversion all year long:
- Keep shoppers starry-eyed with magical marketing experiences
- Remove friction from complex shopping journeys
- Deliver connected and consistent service
- Optimize store investments
- Transform B2B relationships
BigCommerce
Our ecommerce platform partner, BigCommerce, shares Top Trends and Predictions for the 2023 Holiday Shopping Season:
- Holiday shopping is beginning earlier than ever (read: it’s already started for some early birds!)
- Shoppers are eager to get back in-person
- Economic uncertainty means cautious spending
- Prove hassle-free returns to build brand loyalty
- Ensure your customer is front and center in your ecommerce strategy
Gorgias
CQL Customer Help Desk partner, Gorgias, shares 12 BFCM statistics (with data and insights into what to expect for 2023) as well as five BFCM trends and projections, highlighted here:
- Customers expect big discounts
- 2023 will be the biggest Black Friday/Cyber Monday yet
- Mobile will be huge
- Marketing efforts will start early
- Prepare for a week-long extravaganza
BONUS: You can get Gorgias free for up to four months if you sign up through CQL! Send an email to info@cqlcorp.com.
Yotpo
CQL partner, Yotpo, an ecommerce retention marketing platform, shares how to automate sales before, during, and after BFCM:
- Engage right away with heartwarming welcome flows
- Never miss a sales opportunity with abandoned checkout flows
- Boost AOV and CLTV with upsell and cross-sell flows
- Push shoppers to the finish line with back-in-stock, low-in-stock, and price drop flows
- Bring buyers back to your store with winback flows
- Nurture retention with post-purchase flows
- Follow up with review request flows
- Finish strong with loyalty flows
Loop Returns
Loop Returns suggests that from encouraging purchases from new customers, to leveling up profits and more, returns can actually improve your peak season. Sneak peak on how:
- Build your customer base while providing clarity around your return policies
- Maximize your sales profits by leveraging your returns data and providing smart shipping options
- Double down on customer loyalty through a personalized returns experience
Searchspring
Searchspring, a search, merchandising, and personalization platform partner, provides six site search tips to avoid zero results:
- Autocorrect Spelling Errors
- Account for Different Naming Conventions
- Implement Semantic Search
- Prepare For Products You Don’t Carry
- Set Up Black Friday Redirects
- Optimize Search Results
Crafting and executing winning strategies before, during, and after Black Friday & Cyber Monday can make a year-round impact on your business. A special thanks to our partners – Shopify, Salesforce, BigCommerce, Gorgias, Yotpo, Loop Returns, and Searchspring – for the great tips to make your BFCM a success!
Looking for help with your holiday growth strategy?
