Keeping a Steady Pace
The holiday season is a key period for online sellers, since this is when sales tend to peak over the course of the year. Thanks to an abundance of sales and marketing campaigns, most companies see major profits during this time. However, once this period ends things must go back to normal, and companies run the risk of suffering from a sales slump as a result.
Use these tips and tricks to drive sales after the holidays so you do not run into a slump.
Don’t Be Quiet After the Holidays
One common mistake that online sellers make is being too quiet after the holiday season. At the start of the year, most sellers slow down a bit with their marketing campaigns. This happens because some marketers get tired from producing multiple holiday ad campaigns, and most shoppers start getting sick of seeing all the emails advertising holiday sales.
It is not inherently bad to slow down after the holidays, but it is not a smart move to go completely radio silent. Advertisements help pull in potential buyers, and if you stop with emails and other ads completely you could risk losing their attention. You do not have to go
crazy with ad campaigns, but it is important for you create new advertisements that target people who saved money to use after the holidays.
Try More Discounts
Online shoppers are never tired of finding discounts, even after they have finished buying gifts for the holidays. People are always trying to find the best prices online, not just during big shopping periods. Adding to this, lots of people will want to break in the gift cards they received from friends and family over the holiday period.
It might be a good idea to offer discounts on your winter products during this time, because when spring rolls around it will be harder to sell them. This can help you clear out your old inventory so you can make room for new items later down the road.
It can be tiring to offer so many discounts in such a short amount of time, but if you are willing to go through with it you can retain a lot of holiday customers.
Introduce New Products
A smart way to keep consumers interested in your brand is to introduce some new products at the start of the year. If you do not think customers would be interested in discounts on your leftover items, refresh your inventory with some new products people might need for the rest of winter. While your competitors focus on restocking after the holidays, you can catch them off guard with new items that they do not offer.
New products entice consumers, and they can help you attract new customers while other sellers slow down after the busy shopping season. If you plan to start selling the new products in January, it is important that you promote these items while the holiday traffic is still high.
Market Around New Year’s Resolutions
Another tactic you can try is to gear your products and advertisements towards people who are looking to fulfill their New Year’s resolutions. Most people like to let loose and have fun during the holidays, but when the New Year rolls around they start setting resolutions so they can better themselves. The key to success early in the year is to market towards people who have this mindset.
For example, some people like to start exercise programs after the holidays, so if you sell fitness items you should focus on advertising them. Try setting up a section of your site that focuses on items that will help people fulfill their resolutions. Shoppers want to get a fresh start for the New Year, and you can succeed by selling products that will help them do just that.
Give Loyalty Rewards to Frequent Customers
Your most loyal customers are some of your greatest assets, especially when sales slow down after the holiday rush. They are the source of most of your income, and if they are happy to shop from you they might recommend you to their friends. Therefore, you should definitely focus on loyalty rewards at this time of year so you can keep them invested in your brand.
At the start of the year, offer your most loyal customers some rewards, including discount codes and coupons. You might want to give them a couple of extras so they can give them to their friends. Not only does this keep your current customers happy, but it could potentially bring in some new customers as well.
With these tactics in hand, you can mitigate the slowdown in sales that typically starts at the beginning of the year.