Is Your Website January Sales Ready?

As the cost-of-living crisis continues, the January sales kicking off 2023 are set to be particularly important, with many of us determined to nail that perfect bargain.

So it’s more important than ever that you have a website which is clearly laid out and a doddle to navigate. Your customers are also likely to be flicking through a number of your competitors’ sites as well as your own as they search for the best deals, so it’s essential that yours stands out.

• Sort out your headlines

Go through your whole site and be sure all your headlines are accurate – they’re typically the first thing a browser sees, so if they’re not spot-on, the customer will very quickly simply go elsewhere. For example, one could be ‘Get X% off your next …’

• Fine-tune your returns policy

Make this at least as good or better than what most of your competitors offer. Make your policy clear and straightforward. Also, if you possibly can, consider offering free returns – the rise in repeat business is likely to be worth it.

• Don’t forget to cross-sell

Boost average order value (AOV) by making relevant suggestions which could trigger an impulse purchase to add to the planned one. Use terms such as ‘People also bought’, ‘You may also like’ and so on.

• Site speeds

We know we’ve said it before and it’s an obvious one, but it’s worth repeating – site speed really does matter. If you use a hosted platform such as Shopify, be careful that any apps you have are not slowing your website down. Equally, be sure that image sizes aren’t but the brakes on load times.

For non-hosted platforms, including the likes of Magento, be sure you have the best plan, plus the right resources and data, to keep website speed optimal.

• Product listing page

Getting this right can seriously improve your bounce rate. Some important points to consider include:

• Making discounts clear to those browsing your products
• What is the best way to sort products? By price? By listing best sellers first? You can also allow customers to sort by colour, style, price and so on.

• A seamless checkout experience

Once a customer has something in their cart, you want them to complete the transaction. Make it possible for people to do a ‘guest checkout’ if they want, and make the process simple and clear. Try and include a free or low-cost shipping option and maybe even include a buy now/pay later option.

Finally, of course, it goes without saying that everything you do for your e-commerce website to maximise revenue from the New Year sales must work as well on mobile devices as it does elsewhere.

Talk to us at Front Page Advantage about optimising your website at this critical time of year; we have the expertise to advise on all of the above, plus SEO campaigns, PPC ads and more.