The holiday shopping season is in full swing, and if you haven’t already, now is the perfect time to tweak your online store to maximize sales from the influx of holiday shoppers. Often shoppers procrastinate making a purchase even when they have full intention of buying, and just need a little extra incentive as motivation to buy right now.

These simple ideas for your online store can help you establish a sense of urgency and turn more interested shoppers into customers today:

Prominently Display Expiration Dates on Holiday Promotions

If you are offering a promotion that expires on a certain date, be sure to communicate the end date prominently on your site. Allowing interested shoppers to submit an e-mail address and receive a friendly reminder before the promotion ends can increase your response rate.

Communicate Accurate Delivery Time

Shoppers are wary of purchasing gifts over the internet without knowing if their order will arrive in time for the holidays. One technique for alleviating any doubt is displaying when an item must be ordered if it is to be delivered by a certain date. If you cannot be that specific, a simple timeframe such as “Usually arrives within 1-2 weeks” can be enough to overcome this concern. Displaying this information to shoppers is simple, just activate the EnableDisplayAvailability variable from the admin panel of your Volusion store. Learn how here.

Ease Inventory Concerns

Uncertainty regarding the availability of an item is another issue that can prevent holiday shoppers from becoming buyers. Noting “In Stock” on items you have in inventory can alleviate this concern and increase the chance that a shopper will place an order. Listing inventory levels such as “Only 7 left” for low stock items can instill a sense of urgency and motivate buyers to take action now. To get this functionality in your Volusion store, activate the EnableDisplayStockStatus or EnableLiveStockStatus variables. Learn how here.

Of course, even with excellent marketing copy and communication, many interested shoppers will still procrastinate purchasing or leave your site to shop around a bit more. Here are some ideas for guiding those shoppers back to your site when the time comes to purchase:

• Allow shoppers to keep a wish list or e-mail details about a product to a friend. This will allow them to easily return to products they liked as well as share them with others. In your Volusion store, this can be done by activating the EnableWishList and EnableEmailAFriend variables. Learn how here.

• Make it easy to return to any page with a “Bookmark this Page” button. Learn how here.

• Allow shoppers to subscribe to your e-mail or newsletter list to build relationships and present more opportunities to visit your site. Learn how here.

In addition to creating urgency, giving away freebies such as free shipping, bonus gift certificates or gift wrapping can be the incentive shoppers need to purchase from your store and give you a competitive edge this holiday season.

-Pam Westbrook, Ecommerce Marketing/Copywriting

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