We are all preparing for a busy 4th quarter and preparing ourselves for the scariest thing this time of year: making a costly mistake in your brand's marketing.
In this post, we explain how to deal with what is coming in the last few months of the year, mistakes you can make in your e-commerce and how to deal with them, with the experience we have acquired at Roas Hunter .
Table of contents
Mistake 1: Preparing for Black Friday at the last minute
Mistake 2: Not testing ads in advance
Error 3: Not optimizing the website for the mobile version
Mistake 4: Confusing and inaccurate product descriptions
Mistake 5: Not defining the target audience
Error 6: Slow loading of the website
Mistake 7: Complicated checkout processes
Mistake 8: Not having an email marketing plan
Mistake 9: Surprise payments
Mistake 10: Not investing enough time in caring for your customers
Mistake 1: Preparing for Black Friday at the last minute
We're talking about Black Friday 2020 since August, and for obvious reasons. Christmas shopping is expected to start earlier this year. If you haven't yet clarified your architecture email lists sales plan for Cyber Month (November), you still have time, but don't rest on your laurels. Some of the big companies will start with sales as soon as November starts.
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Mistake 2: Not testing ads in advance
You don't want your holiday ads to be test campaigns. They need to be tested, retested, and optimized to meet your goals by the time the holiday season rolls around. Give yourself a few weeks to test creative, audiences, and retargeting strategies . By Black Friday, your ad should be perfect.
Error 3: Not optimizing the website for the mobile version
In 2019, 39.6% of e-commerce spending at the time can be attributed to smartphone shoppers. Shoppify attributed 69% of its Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales to smartphones. This shows how important it is to invest in your e-commerce, especially the mobile version.
Mistake 4: Confusing and inaccurate product descriptions
A product description with relevant information can eliminate confusion for shoppers. This information should answer common questions, speak to your target audience, and even resolve queries from scratch.
Mistake 5: Not defining the target audience
Not only is it extremely expensive to target a very broad audience everywhere, it is also ineffective. Before you can sell big, you must understand your customers. Go beyond a “one size fits all” approach and dig deeper into demographics, behavioral data, personalization, and testing to define and refine your target audience.
Error 6: Slow loading of the website
How long do you think a visitor to your site will wait for the page to load? Unfortunately, it's 3 seconds. In 2018, a Google study found that when a page takes between 1 and 3 seconds to load, the probability of abandoning the page is 32%. This number increases to 90% when the page takes between 3 and 5 seconds to load. The ultimate answer will vary depending on the person, and the probability of them not abandoning is probably higher if they are a repeat customer, but it's best not to risk it.
Mistake 7: Complicated checkout processes
If your customer has added one or more products to their cart and is starting the checkout process, you're very close to making a sale. Why would a customer abandon their cart now? It turns out there are many reasons. Your checkout process should be easy to complete. Don't force customers to create an account, give out unnecessary information, or fill out long, confusing forms. Online shoppers can be picky, and conversions will only be good if the purchase is completed.
Mistake 8: Not having an email marketing plan
Emails are not only useful for making sales in your e-commerce. Since your customers do not have the possibility of interacting with your physical store, the sellers, or the product itself, you must find a way to build relationships with them. Make sure that your brand and store are present in their minds through emails, it will make them more aware of upcoming promotions or sales, for example.
Mistake 9: Surprise payments
€12 shipping? No thanks. You may have experienced adding a product to your cart, checking out, or even entering your shipping address only to realize it's not worth it. Be clear from the start about shipping or other additional costs. Don't catch customers off guard with unexpected payments. Include this information on your website. Even try offering free shipping to encourage customer conversions.
Mistake 10: Not investing enough time in caring for your customers
There are definitely ups and downs to the 2020 shopping season. One of the benefits is that people who normally shop in-store are more likely to buy from e-commerce, and they will be more direct with their purchases since they can’t interact with products ahead of time. That means you have more time to reach those consumers with the right ads, emails, social media, etc. that will push them to convert. Take advantage of the Cyber Month calendar to reach audiences, nurture your funnel , make sales… and entice them to make another purchase before the season ends.