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Our Christmas present: 5 tips to perform online during the holidays

It's December! That means the holidays are upon us again and Saint Nicholas and Christmas presents are flying around your ears. In fact, a quarter of online sales take place in November and December. For many companies, December is therefore the busiest month of the year. How do you make sure your brand stands out among all the competitors and that people want to buy your products? Do you boost sales by lowering prices, offering high discounts or launching a give-away promotion on social media? Or do you attract consumers with personalised service, catchy content and a unique (interactive) experience? All the different online marketing strategies can be overwhelming. That is why we have put together a few tips to help you perform optimally online around the holidays.

1. Make it as easy as possible for the customer

Lack of time is seen as a big problem these days. We want to get everything done as quickly and efficiently as possible. With apps like Thuisbezorgd , you no longer have to get off the couch to do the shopping and cook food. Our society values time. After all, the sooner you finish something, the more time you have left to do other important or fun things.

Around the holidays, everyone wants to surprise each other with the nicest gifts. But where do you find the time to buy gifts for your partner, brother, sister, father, mother and neighbour when you work 5 days a week and have a busy social life? As an entrepreneur, you can cleverly capitalise on this trend. In recent years, online shops have become indispensable and you no longer need to go all over the shopping malls looking for that one Barbie doll. Consumers are willing to pay for good service and time savings. For example, offer ready-made gift packages. This way, customers no longer have to put together their own packages. Furthermore, you can offer a wrapping service, adjust opening hours or have an extra lenient arrangement when returning products in December.

2. Keep appointments and ensure fast delivery

This tip ties in with the trend; time is money. Consumers nowadays expect a parcel to be on their doormat 24 hours after an order. Forgot to buy a gift? No problem! Last-minute orders are quite normal. Many web shops therefore promise consumers that the order will be delivered the next day. Just make sure everything is logistically in order when you make this promise. The moment you cannot deliver quickly, you are guaranteed to have some angry customers on your doorstep.

After all, nothing is more annoying than a disappointed child because your package for St Nicholas or Christmas was not delivered on time. Bad reviews have a big impact on sales. So watch out for this. However, can you deliver on all your promises? Then this is a great opportunity to increase your sales! Delivery time is an important factor during Christmas shopping. Research has shown that a late delivery of a Christmas purchase is reason not to shop at the web shop anymore. If the delivery time is too long, potential customers will go to a competitor. Make sure that all stocks are replenished and that you can achieve fast delivery.

3. Use real-time data for your Adwords campaign

Consumers are very sensitive to scarcity and time pressure. When people see that only 2 products are still available, they feel more pressure to order the product immediately or make a reservation right away. Consumers are more likely to make a purchase when it could be sold out at any moment. Then all the research would have been for nothing! You can respond well to this by supplementing all ads via Google Adwords with data from the product feed. Make sure this feed is dynamic and continuously up-to-date. This way, you motivate consumers to take action when stock is scarce. This is extra effective when combined with a retargeting strategy. The fact that something is almost sold out can give potential customers that extra push to buy the product after all. Moreover, you can show in the ads how many people have already bought the product. This creates a sense of trust.

4. Be visible on major online shops and comparison sites

The web is incredibly transparent. At a glance it becomes clear which companies offer a product and where this product is the cheapest. So it is becoming increasingly difficult to stand out from the big providers. Moreover, consumers no longer orient themselves only on Google, but also via large web shops or comparison sites such as Bol.com, Amazon and vergelijk.nl. These websites redirect customers to your website or the purchase goes directly through the platform. If your products are not sold via the big web shops and are not found on the comparison websites, you may miss out on a lot of sales. Especially around the holidays, many people search for a gift directly through a large webshop. So it is advisable to make use of these platforms!

5. Generate enthusiasm with a social media campaign

In November, you are already being bombarded to death on Facebook and Instagram with all the Christmas memes. As soon as temperatures drop, many people already start preparing. Capitalise on this with a strong social media campaign and start the conversation. Think carefully about the ways you can link your brand to the holidays.

Social media channels offer many options that you can use to your advantage. For instance, you can place ads on Facebook that perfectly suit your objective. An ad aimed at boosting sales looks very different from one that aims to go viral. So think carefully beforehand about what your goals are, who you want to reach and what you want to measure. It is advisable to create a content calendar for November and December. This way, all ads are consistent and you know in advance what content you need. Finally, it is important to make the social media campaign interactive and personal.