'Cyber Monday' would jumpstart the Christmas buying frenzy. Forecasts are projecting a healthy growth in online retail sales this festive season. The IMRG Capgemini e-Retail sales index is predicting a 15% increase in year on year sales. This comes as an encouraging statistic against the backdrop of a depressed economic sentiment. While the customers are getting ready to splurge, so are your competitors who would want to grab the Christmas goodies.

In this buying bonanza, the websites that deliver the best shopping experience will benefit. Customer experience can be enhanced by improving the usability and accessibility of the website. To those webmasters who were unable to fully carry out efforts to improve their website's usability and accessibility, we dedicate this newsletter!

The last minute changes, as discussed in this newsletter, are intended to help make up for the website's inadequacies. We hope that these changes would help you to improve further on and thereby increase the potential for better sales.

Will this holiday season be any different?

Christmas is certain and people will spend money to buy gifts. This sentiment is reflected in the Nielsen report on 'online shopping trends' which states that "Consumers across the globe are increasingly swapping crowded stores for one-click convenience, as online shopping becomes a safe and popular option."

While the upward trend in online retail is a certainty, the tight financial condition is likely to influence consumer buying behavior. Some of the most evident buying behaviors are:

• Consumers would actively look for bargains, more than ever before.
• Buyers would also look for added value and special deals.
• Shoppers are more likely to use comparison websites to make better and economical buying decisions.

Deck the Halls

According to National Retail Federation's 2008 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, three quarters of shoppers have completed less than 10% of their shopping. This could be attributed to the fact that though Christmas buying season began as early as September, the past two and a half months or so was primarily the 'research phase'. The 'buying phase' begins towards the end of November, peaks during the first week of December, and continues up until Christmas day.

With such little time, the changes that would deliver the maximum benefits should only qualify to be implemented. A few of those are detailed below:

• Target Christmas keywords: 'Google trends' and other keyword tracking tools can be used in tandem to study search volumes for Christmas related keywords. This in turn could be used to make necessary adjustments in your SEM (SEO, PPC or both) campaign.
  
  You should include these keywords in your SEM campaign and target relevant pages for high search volume keywords.
• Make it simple: Most customers would be looking to save time when buying online. It is therefore essential that you have a search option, both by category (men, women, children, etc.) and price range.
  
  In addition to this, you could work towards making the checkout process simple and quick. Stating the 'return policy' and 'customer care' contact number is also a must.
• Emphasize on top products: As online merchants, you would have probably noticed that certain items sell well during Christmas. Molding your SEM campaign to target these products, along with prominently displaying them in your online store is the winning combination.
• Use price comparison portals: Price comparison portals like shopzilla, pricegrabber and kelkoo could be effectively harnessed to promote products and services.

The icing on the cake

In addition to the aforementioned aspects, you could complement your search marketing campaign by incorporating:-

• Seasonal Promotions: Price seems to be an issue with online shoppers and 'Christmas specials' is an excellent way to offer value for money. It is imperative to focus on combining value with the best possible service. Also, people are susceptible to offers like 'Buy two get one free'.
• Gift suggestions: Sell more with gift suggestions as many gifts are not standalone and require other items to go with them. Classic example: Electronic items and batteries.
• Multiple delivery options: Shopping online may be convenient but waiting an entire day for the delivery to come through is annoying. Offer options to suite users' requirements.
• Incorporate a Christmas theme: Give your online store a Christmas theme to blend with the festive mood. It is easy to setup a new style, change the color scheme and add a few banners.
• Layaway Shopping: Layaway shopping is making a come back this season. Buyers who chose to pay in full by credit cards are being forced to change their ways, thanks to the credit crunch. Layaway shopping could be a big motivator and fuel conversions.

Joy to the world

Christmas is by far the biggest and most important online retail season. You will have to prepare your online shop to capitalize on this shopping extravaganza.

Just fewer than 36% shoppers (63.3 million) will begin shopping between Thanksgiving and December 15th, and 25.6% shoppers (45.3 million) would shop from 16th till 23rd of December (Mediamark Research & Intelligence).

The aforementioned tips would not only play a pivotal role in helping you grab a slice of this mega buying event, but also assist in making your online marketing strategy recession proof.

Time is short yet sufficient for the final polish. HAPPY SELLING!

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