As we head into the festive season, it’s an important time to ramp up marketing initiatives to ensure that your eCommerce store stands out online. In a Covid-19-reality, there will be less feet hitting the shop floors and probably smaller Christmas shopping budgets as well. Yet now, more than ever, it is eCommerce’s time to shine. Make your website “sticky” this Christmas with our top 7 tips to attract more traffic.

But before we jump in, we would like to mention two very website must-haves:
• mobile responsiveness;
• and fast, secure & reliable web hosting.

If the above two factors are not in place, any efforts you make could fail, as online shoppers expect nothing less.

1. Provide Great Content

Great content (i.e. blogs, promotions, success stories, photos, infographics, before and after, product descriptions etc.) does two things. It directly attracts potential customers to your site, and indirectly attracts future potential customers through improved Search Engine rankings. That is why it’s a great idea to create content that will interest your target audience on an ongoing basis.

2. Launch New Products or Services

People love to hear about new products and/or value-added services. A surefire way to lure visitors in now is to launch something new and exciting aimed for the festive season. If you do not have something new to sell, consider running a promotion, free offer, or discounted shipping.

3. Publish Free Informative Guides

People also love receiving free, valuable, and informative content that took time and insight to create. How to Guides, LookBooks, tutorials and online courses are a great way to attract website visitors and build your database. In addition, you can create free information that could help instill a deeper need for the very products you sell.

4. Publish Poll Results

Opinions always matter, that is why surveys and reports are such hits. However, you do not have to run complex research campaigns, why not run multiple short polls on your website instead? Alternatively, you could run them on your social media platforms, and then publish the results on your website.

5. Email Marketing

Email marketing is still a great tool when used in conjunction with other marketing platforms. It is non-intrusive, super cheap and by using a database that “opted-in” to hear from you, it is highly targeted as well. Use it to tell them about your latest promo, or case study and attract visitors to your website this way.

6. Use Social Media

Social media also remains an effective way to direct traffic. Utilise it when you have new website content, promotional offers, a new product, or just something that’s amazing and cool on your website. Make use of stories on Facebook and Instagram to invite anticipation about your Black Friday special, or the free LookBook customers can download from your website.

7. Use Influencers

Why brag about yourself if others can do it for you? One of the most successful marketing strategies to date remains word-of-mouth. This is because people want to know what others have to say about your product before they buy it. Influencers can help lead more traffic to your website.

Don’t have a website yet? With Domains.co.za’s Site Builder solution you can create your own website quickly and professionally. Professional looking Templates, with an easy to use Drag & Drop functionality and plenty of Plugins that allow for online shopping, can allow you to sell from your website in time for the festive season.

Good luck!

Chantel Venter

Chantél Venter is a creative writer, strategic thinker, and a serious gesticulator. She’s passionate about storytelling, small businesses and bringing color to the world ­– be it through her words or wardrobe.

She holds a four-year degree in Business and Mass Media Communication and Journalism. She’s been a copywriter and editor for the technology, insurance and architecture industries since 2007 and believes anybody can run a small business successfully. She therefore enjoys finding and sharing the best and most practical tips for this purpose.