Beyond Cyber Monday: 6 Ways to Boost Online Sales Throughout the Holiday Season

But strong holiday sales don’t have to end when the clock strikes midnight to close out Cyber Monday. In fact, each year, e-commerce sites traditionally see their web traffic peak between Nov. 15 and Dec. 15. To keep your Cyber Monday sales boost going throughout the entire holiday season and close out your 2018 heavily in the black, consider these six tips and tricks from TBA Senior Account Manager Peter Boggeman:

1.) Free shipping weekend: Launch a free shipping weekend — or offer free shipping through a certain date — as an added incentive for holiday shoppers to purchase your products online. For the consumer, this offer makes the online purchase price the same as at a brick-and-mortar location, without all the legwork. These deals also create a sense of urgency, as consumers must act quickly before the free-shipping offer expires.

2.) Limited-edition/limited-quantity items: These products, often produced as one-offs or in small numbers, employ scarcity to play on consumers’ perception that items produced in limited quantities are more precious (and therefore more valuable) than their everyday counterparts. And — as exhibited by the high prices paid among collectors for rare and short-supply items — they often are.

3.) Free expedited shipping with minimum order: To boost your average order value, offer free expedited shipping when customers’ orders meet or exceed a specified order amount. (Bonus tip: Make the specified minimum order amount for the deal roughly 20% to 25% percent higher than your typical average order, ensuring that you’ll appeal to the greatest number of consumers.) This offer can feel especially valuable to consumers in the crunch time before Christmas, as the struggle created by holiday-shopping procrastination is one that all too many of us are familiar with.

4.) Bundles: Another way to build additional sales from Cyber Monday purchases is to offer ancillary products or stocking stuffers to accompany your most popular items, and price the bundle at a special, reduced rate. For example, offer three shirts at one special price, a buy one, get one free deal, or a deal that adds socks with a shoe purchase for a reduced price. The combo options are endless for many online retailers, but any of them can entice consumers to place larger orders.

• TBAO success story: For outdoor gear producer frogg toggs — well-known in the sporting community for producing high-quality, economically priced rain gear and waders — we helped execute a 2017 Cyber Monday promotion that offered online customers a buy one, get one 50% off deal. The special contributed to a 74% increase in orders over the preceding Cyber Monday, leading to a 117% increase in revenues year-over-year for the day.

5.) Gift-card promos: Perfect for last-minute shoppers, e-gift cards allow consumers to have their gift in hand nearly instantly without having to go anywhere, then they can even send the gift right away via email for a hassle-free experience. Recipients love them, too, for the ability to choose their own gift. For retailers, they present an opportunity to entice consumers into making larger purchases via offering, for example, a $100 gift card for $80, or a dozen $10 gift cards for $100, etc. These offerings can be especially powerful in the time period in between the last day for on-time shipping and the actual holiday. A real time example is exemplified in the seasonal sale we are assisting in facilitating for luxury sports watchmaker, Hook + Gaff. Customers immediately receive a free $50 gift card with the purchase of any watch.

6.) Keep the momentum: When the holiday rush is over, be ready to start right back up again and close the year out strong with an after-Christmas or New Year’s promotion. Either will allow you to build on the success of the holiday-shopping season and start the following year off strong.

Need some expert help increasing your holiday sales both on Cyber Monday and throughout the entire holiday shopping season? At TBA Outdoors, our team of outdoors-obsessed marketing professionals blend their unique insight into the mind of the outdoors-oriented consumer with years of experience employing marketing and sales tactics that boost the bottom line. Contact us today, and let our niche category experience and industry insights help take your outdoor brand to the next level.