The busiest period for e-commerce and retail businesses is the months leading up to Christmas. Online retailers who implement targeted marketing strategies during the holiday season will capture every ready to buy consumer.
According to Google trends, in Australia between October until December the search query ‘Christmas gift ideas’ skyrockets. Many would see this as an obvious result; reflecting the increased spending on gifts around the Christmas period. But what some business owners fail to see here is an opportunity to not just expect more sales, but to guarantee maximum exposure for results never before achieved!
The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly affected our lives in many different ways and for some even how we do our everyday tasks. Matt Wade expressed a distinct phenomenon caused by the pandemic perfectly when he wrote, ‘the pandemic has nudged us towards more digitally driven lifestyles.’ One major shift towards digital is the way Australians are now shopping. Described by Adnews as a ‘gravitation of people of all ages to mobile and e-commerce to make purchases’, Australians now prefer to shop online.
Responding to Consumer Trends
So what does this mean for e-commerce retailers and retail stores alike?
Adapting and responding to the shift in consumer behaviour is key to increasing sales and maximising on the holiday season. Google trends identified the predicted period of interest, and online shopping is now more prevalent than ever before with ‘online sales doubled for many retailers’…This is where an effective digital marketing strategy comes into play.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) helps consumers looking for your products to see you first – ahead of competitors. Google search engine rankings aren’t by chance, and depend on quality content and relevance to the niche your business falls into. Optimising your website to appear for high related search queries will truly maximise your sales!
Using Google Trends we can see the number 1 related topic to ‘Christmas gift ideas’ is Sister. Do you sell a product or service that would be appealing to females? Digital marketing experts have the skills to integrate SEO to make your website rise up in the rankings when consumers are looking for the perfect Christmas gift. Now that 88% of Aussies are shopping online your online traffic has the potential to grow exponentially.
Another strategy complimentary to SEO is Google Ads, also known as Pay-per-Click campaigns (PPC). PPC are targeted search engine advertising banners that directly link to your website and it’s pages. When consumers are searching for a gift for their friends and loved ones, determined by the keywords they use, your Ad will appear on the page.
AdNews digresses that:
‘Christmas shoppers will also be on the lookout for a bargain this year with the global recession now a reality. We have observed 80% of Australians believe that COVID-19 will have an impact on their personal or household finances…so while protecting your overall pricing, get creative with your products and offerings, and give people something appealing while they watch their purse strings. The use of dynamic and collaborative ads can help here.’
We can take this piece of advice to recommend e-retailers to diversify their promotions and offerings. However, for customers to become aware of these creative models a strategic PPC campaign is needed. PPC is great because it is never stagnant (unless left to be so) and can change it’s messaging depending on the current consumer trends. So if you want to offer a 2 for 1 deal on all Christmas themed items in your store, utilise PPC to showcase this messaging to shoppers on the lookout for gifts!
Wedderburn, an Australian online store supplying labelling, packaging and commercial point of sale equipment, reached out to the Digital Presence team to improve their online sales. After liaising it was decided the best strategy to achieve their business goals was to develop a bespoke Google Ads campaign.
To elevate Wedderburn’s PPC campaign the Digital Presence experts developed a strategy suited to the current social climate. During COVID-19 lockdown and restrictions, more people are working from home and therefore looking to purchase equipment needed for their business. Additionally, Point of Sales systems are in demand as individuals make a move away from cash handling. Adapting the campaign to suit; Wedderburn saw an instant boost in traffic to their site and increased PPC conversions by more than 10 times from 48 in April 2019 to 595 in May 2020.
