5 tips to boost sales during the holiday season

Hello fellow form builders,

This is part one of our five-part series on "Getting ready for the holiday season with Zoho Forms." This series aims to help you make the best of your forms and grow your business this season.

With the Holiday season around the corner, it's high time to start using your forms to drive conversions. Customers always look forward to this time of the year with excitement. They are ready to start shopping and are on the lookout for deals.

To help make sure your forms are in shape, we've created a six-week mini series of posts called Getting ready for the holiday season with Zoho Forms. In our first post of this new series, we're going to look at five major ways you can increase your online sales.

Start promotions earlier

Though people are likely to make most of their purchases at the last minute, they may be on the lookout for what your store has to offer months before they buy. Executing ongoing email campaigns and newsletters can help grab their attention early and hold it throughout the season. These emails can be focused on promoting new product launches or including the details of a discount, such as the percentage off and how long the offer lasts.

Presenting discounts this way can generate curiosity among customers and create an urgency to buy it before you sell out. In the example I've shown below, the newsletter featuring the season's discount has a "Prebook Now" button to allow instant engagement.

Personalized design and content

When we talk about personalized design and content, it doesn't mean that you need to create a brand-new website right away. Altering your existing site can do the trick! Giving your website a festive makeover can prevent your brand from being seen as hackneyed. It can help capture your visitors' attention and make you stand out from the crowd.

While incorporating a holiday feel into your form is fine, remember to keep things crisp and to the point - give the customers what they came there for without beating around the bush. The example below shows a Halloween festive makeover website created for ordering Trick or Treat candies.

Know your audience

While there are a wide range of channels to market your product, it's important to focus your marketing efforts where you think potential customers will come looking for you. One key source is social media. According to GlobalWebIndex , 54% of social browsers use social media to research products. With stats like that, it's smart to share your order forms directly on your social media channels to maximize your conversions.

Beyond conversions from your web page or AdWords campaigns, it's important to understand your audience by knowing how they are reaching you. Learn this by using UTM tracking parameters to find out which of your campaigns are working the best. This can be highly helpful for you to understand which of your campaigns needs to be optimized to perform better!

Attract mobile customers

Digital wallets, online purchases, mobile banking, and mobile purchases are making it a lot more convenient for customers to shop digitally. Statistics show that 52.2% of online traffic in 2018 was generated by mobile , and the percentage is likely to continue growing at a steady rate. To draw these impulse mobile purchases, you can create a seamless shopping experience by ensuring that your website is mobile-optimized.

Order forms that look stunning and precise on mobile devices can be a huge bonus when it comes to increasing conversions. As you grow customers along the way, features like geolocation tracking for mobile submissions can be helpful to learn where your visitors/customers are from.

Elevate trust and satisfaction

Building a bond of trust before the customer is ready to buy from you is crucial. A customer is more likely to buy from you if they believe you'll deliver quality products and support them if any troubles arise. Below are a few ways to cultivate trust and customer satisfaction.

Offer free returns and 24/7 customer support

Cart abandonment can often leave a purchase hanging. To improve form completions (purchases), you can reassure customers by announcing a free return policy and a 24/7 support. Below is an order form that exclusively mentions this policy to encourage the purchase.

Leave breadcrumbs for further interactions

On your website or in emails that are sent after a purchase, give customers the chance to leave reviews, which will help further promote your brand. Similarly, show them different ways they can connect with you, whether by including social media links or a contact form at the end of the footer to easily reach out.

Acknowledge orders

Even after purchases, trust can be built. Instantly acknowledging a purchase with a confirmation email can work like a charm to assure customers that they have successfully purchased the right product and quantity. These can help you create a better customer experience that keeps customers coming back even after the holiday season. Ergo, better service = customer loyalty!

Over to you!

Holiday season sales are all about taking your services to a larger crowd and surpassing your competitors. Trying out a few of these steps will send you on your way to reaching higher conversions. Don't forget to spread holiday cheer along the way!

Stay Tuned!

Prasana

To get updated every fortnight on useful form tips, click follow under our community learning series.

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