The holiday shopping season is one of the most significant times of the year for businesses of all sizes. From small to big companies, online stores rely on days like Cyber Monday and Black Friday to start the booming sales season. However, you are not the only business that depends on these shopping days, but your competitors too. How can you optimize your e-commerce store to increase your holiday online shopping sales? Promotions are critical to driving holiday sales, so try these promotional strategies on your site.

Plan a Giveaway

The holiday season is about sharing the joy with others, including giveaways. This year, demonstrate that your e-commerce brand stands by the same values as your customers by planning a creative contest around a cause they care about. For instance:

• Offer to donate a percentage per sale to a local charity
• Match each customer entry with a dollar amount donated to a good cause
• Encourage giveaway shares by matching referral entries with an extra donation

Provide Unique Discounts to Your Loyal Customers

Promotions and discounts are some of the top factors that influence holiday purchases. So, follow that mood and treat your loyal customers to personalized deals. Try some of the following e-commerce incentive ideas this holiday season:

• Send discounts for recently saved, browsed, or placed in the cart products
• Customize discounts based on loyalty status
• Utilize location data to provide hyper-personalized local deals
• Provide discounts per repeat purchases

Another great way to increase sales while incentivizing sales in the future is to offer special gift card promos, like $25 OFF, with the purchase of $75 or more.

Build a Sense of Urgency with Discount Countdowns

Countdown timers provoke FOMO feelings among consumers. They also build up a sense of scarcity, forcing our brains to want the thing before it’s gone. Here’s how you can do it:

• Use countdown times in email marketing to promote short-term discounts while increasing online sales.
• Add countdown banners on your website for most in-demand goods. Placing a timer next to every product reminds shoppers that the time is running out. This way, they are more likely to continue with checkout instead of window shopping.

Entice New Customers to Return

How do you give first-time buyers a reason to return to your online store? Try this:

• Loyalty programs assist customers in moving up the buying ladder by increasing repeat business and creating deeper emotional connections. Also, prompt subscription during checkout and sweeten the deal for first-time shoppers with a second discount.
• Offer a limited subscription box or automatically enable customers to pay for and get the same product monthly. This will make the purchase process easy and fun.
• Excel the product delivery to instill greater confidence in your brand and encourage repeat purchases.

The holiday season can determine your e-commerce business’s year, so getting the most out of your shoppers is crucial for success. This article’s techniques will help you concentrate on your goals and optimize your marketing. The good news is that collaborating with an accomplished e-commerce web design company can help you ensure your website and campaigns are ready to make the most out of the holidays!

Craig Kahl is the President and CEO of Adventure Web Interactive. AWI has been recognized as Baltimore’s Top Web Design Firm by The Daily Record and named one of Silicon Review Magazine’s Top 50 Most Admired Companies in the country. Before founding Adventure Web Interactive in 1997, he was VP of Operations for Campus Concepts, Inc., and the youngest division head in history for Pitney Bowes at age 24. He has a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems from the University of Maryland and a Master of Business Administration in Finance from Loyola University. Craig is a member of the International CEO Club and Rolling Road Golf Club and loves spending time outdoors with his wife and son.