[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/10\/16\/holiday-e-commerce-checklist\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/10\/16\/holiday-e-commerce-checklist\/","headline":"Making a list: Holiday e-commerce checklist","name":"Making a list: Holiday e-commerce checklist","description":"As shoppers increasingly shop online rather than in-store, retailers must have a plan for the traffic spike: A holiday e-commerce checklist.","datePublished":"2018-10-16","dateModified":"2023-04-26","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/dave-greene\/#Person","name":"Dave Greene","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/dave-greene\/","identifier":291,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/270cd37337dbfdec6fed6f7aa06f26a6d80fd8a5de95556e95cf34d26236fb4c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/270cd37337dbfdec6fed6f7aa06f26a6d80fd8a5de95556e95cf34d26236fb4c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Future of Commerce","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","width":172,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/thumbnail-8dbebbbae288cd1dd3e5876c40ff36aa.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/thumbnail-8dbebbbae288cd1dd3e5876c40ff36aa.jpeg","height":375,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/10\/16\/holiday-e-commerce-checklist\/","about":[{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/commerce\/","name":"Commerce","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Commerce","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q26643"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/commerce\/e-commerce\/","name":"E-Commerce","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/E-commerce","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q484847"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/e-commerce-solution\/","name":"E-Commerce","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/E-commerce","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q484847"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/e-commerce-solution\/e-commerce-general\/","name":"E-Commerce","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/E-commerce","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q484847"]},"Retail Trends, Data, News"],"wordCount":1003,"keywords":["Commerce","E-commerce","Ecommerce","Holiday E-commerce","Holiday Shopping and Trends","Retail","Trends"],"articleBody":"Time is running out to prep your e-commerce site for the busy holiday season, but we’ve got a last minute holiday e-commerce checklist to ensure your site is ready for the most wonderful time of the year (in retail).      ‘Tis the season: A Black Friday e-commerce checklist                Black Friday can make or break a year for a retailer. Prepare for the surge of holiday shoppers with this e-commerce checklist.      Checking it twice: Internal preparationsCustomer service & fulfillmentProperly prep your customer service and fulfillment teams of all promotions and timing, thereby ensuring staffing is in place during high order volume and\/or heavy demand.Review prior year’s performanceClearly outline products and promotional schedule with demand planners to ensure inventories can support demand. Evaluate positions throughout the holiday season to avoid out of stock positions, especially on products in paid ads.Optimize content on siteImages should all be SEO friendly, with ALT text and specific file names. If you are diligent in SEO, organic search listings will communicate offers as well as your paid ones. Make sure any new products, categories, and sales areas are showing up in your sitemap, properly linked in navigation.Site inventory availabilityVerify with your development team that inventory update feeds are working, properly buffered (more applicable to non-real time systems), and refreshing in a timely manner.Verify analytics tracking\/taggingIt\u2019s important to verify current and newly created pages are being properly tracked in your analytics software\/tooling.      #BlackFridayFail: Top cringeworthy tweets brands can learn from                Don\u2019t let your site become the subject of this year\u2019s #BlackFridayFail tweets - learn what it takes to keep customers engaged and happy.      No dashing through the snow (until it’s safe): Load testing and securityLoad testingBe sure your network and development teams have properly tested the site and have contingency plans in place for traffic spikes. Properly plan out promotional campaigns to mitigate any concerns.Emergency planConfirm that your teams are familiar with site outage procedures and communications. Have a landing page ready to go with customer service instructions and contact numbers in case of any unplanned\/planned outages.Site securityClearly display certifications and adherence to industry standards to comfort customers during their shopping experience. Double check your system\u2019s compliance with PCI guidelines.      You’re a mean one: How to curb holiday retail fraud                Store-branded credit cards are big business for retailers, and with holiday retail fraud on the rise, new technologies are emerging to save the day.      Inviting sales: Email frequencyIncrease relevancy by segmentingNot every business has access to the data to build out completely dynamic, personalized emails. Look to leverage recent products or categories viewed, past item purchases, and demographic info to tailor a message to that segment.Review send frequency leading up to holidayCompanies that closely manage their promotional activity leading up to holiday typically see better open and click through rates during the season. Don\u2019t overpower them before the holiday season.      2020 holiday e-commerce stats: Online + mobile deliver stunning results                2020 holiday e-commerce stats show one thing is certain after this year: Online sales and mobile commerce are the future for retailers, with mobile driving up to 50% of total sales for the biggest Cyber Week ever.      Don’t lose them at the finish line: Cart & checkout optimizationTest coupon offersPay close attention to conditional coupons such as \u201cbuy one, get one\u201d and \u201cbuy this, get this off.” These are especially prone to breaking when adding and removing items in the cart.Examine shipping communicationCustomers want to know when they will receive the product, and the last day they can purchase an item in order to receive it prior to the holiday.Clearly display return policiesCustomers are very sensitive to return policies, especially with gifts during holidays. Customers want to know prior to purchasing what your policy is.      18 Billion reasons ($$) to focus on abandoned shopping carts                Abandoned shopping carts account for $18 billion in lost revenue annually. Learn the top strategies to convert consumers and drive revenue.      Standing out among the crowd: Search advertisingUtilize holiday-specific termsKeywords like \u201cgift ideas\u201d or a product name plus the word \u201csale\u201d are often low-volume throughout the year, but have a big bump during the holidays. These are not only relevant, but potentially great for conversion.Bid up for increased conversionCompare the holidays to the time leading up to it, and you can see conversion rates surge. Bid up to capitalize on the increased conversion. Equally important and constantly overlooked\u2026 bid down as soon as you aren\u2019t able to convert orders.Take inventory into considerationBoth shopping and keyword campaigns should be adjusted based on inventory. Set up a way to proactively lower bids and take ad groups offline when inventory positions get low.      The future of SEO: Search, trends, content, Google algorithm update                Understanding and learning SEO methodologies that'll help your site rank for relevant terms isn't a job for the faint of heart - and those who can do this are in high demand today. Learn all about the future of SEO and the Google Page Experience update.      Know thy enemy: Competitor researchReview previous emailsMost of us aren\u2019t strangers to signing up for our competitors\u2019 emails. Take a look at what they sent last year, and map out frequency, content focus, and offers.What are my competitors doing?It goes without saying, you need to be aware of your competitors\u2019 offers this time of year. Look at your promotions through the eyes of your customer \u2013 you can\u2019t create promote deals in a vacuum.What did my competitors do?Wayback Machine\u00a0is a great way to see what the competition did last year. Review prior year pricing records of your competitors\u2019 offers and pricing strategy on specific products.Hopefully this holiday e-commerce checklist helps to ensure nothing slips through the cracks prior to the season.  Happy customers.Connected experiences.See real-life retail outcomes HERE."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2018","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"10","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/\/10\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"16","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/\/10\/\/16\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Making a list: Holiday e-commerce checklist","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/10\/16\/holiday-e-commerce-checklist\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]