5 digital tips for peak shopping season

In 2023, we saw an increase in retail conversion rates during the holiday season; Many shoppers made purchases long before Black Friday. This year, only 24% of shoppers plan to postpone their holiday shopping until Black Friday.

To help your brand stay ahead, we’ve collected some tips directly from Quantum Metric customers, who represent 40% of internet users worldwide.

1. Manage product availability effectively

Nothing frustrates customers more than spending time finding the perfect item only to discover it’s out of stock at checkout. Prevent this by:

• Early availability notification: Clearly display product availability (for example, “In Stock” or “Available Online”) before the customer adds the items to their cart. Use real-time inventory updates to ensure accuracy. Track how often products are marked as “out of stock” and set alerts for significant increases that could indicate supply chain issues. If a product is out of stock, offer alternatives such as: Bass Pro Shops did.
• Address temporary out-of-stock: Instead of simply marking an item as “out of stock,” include expected restock dates and give customers the option to notify customers when the item returns. Customers who prefer notifications are 3 to 4 times more likely to purchase the product when it becomes available again.
• Make product assortments easier: If there is only one variant of a product left, remove unnecessary variants that might confuse customers. This simplifies the decision-making process and reduces the likelihood of cart abandonment.

Effective product availability management, proactive monitoringIt will increase customer satisfaction and reduce cart abandonment rates.

2. Monitor promo codes and search terms

Promo codes and search functionality can be powerful tools during the holiday season; but only if they work correctly:

• Promotional codes: Set alerts for promotional code errors and review problematic codes. Common problems include mixing similar characters such as “O” and “0”. Track customer behavior after failed promo code entries to understand the impact on conversions.
• Search terms: Track search terms This results in a “No Results Found” message and updates your query library to include these terms. This reduces frustration by ensuring customers find what they are looking for.

Quick resolution of problems with promo codes and search terms can make or break your holiday sales; Therefore, be careful and sensitive. Canadian Tire Worked with Quantum Metric to optimize promotional codes to deliver a 40% increase in online sales.

3. Plan for peak load

Make sure your infrastructure is ready to handle the holiday rush:

• Capacity planning: Pre-scale your environment to support peak expected loads. Regularly test your site under simulated high traffic conditions to identify potential weak points and set alerts for increases in loading times, especially on important pages such as product and checkout pages.
• Error tracking: Track customer-encountered error messages, such as 404s or payment errors, and address them immediately to maintain customer trust. Set real-time alerts for critical errors to ensure rapid resolution.

Plan and closely monitor peak load monitoring site performanceYou can ensure a smooth and reliable shopping experience during the busiest period of the year.

4. Improve your mobile strategy

Mobile devices will play a crucial role this holiday season. To increase mobile sales:

• Optimize the shopping experience: Make sure your mobile site has clear navigation and simplified purchase paths. Use A/B testing to identify and eliminate friction points in the mobile user journey. Track mobile session lengths and compare them to conversion rates to identify drop-off points.
• Minimize payment errors: Simplify payment forms and offer multiple payment options to reduce friction at checkout. Monitor payment success rates and set alerts for spikes in payment failures.
• Improve mobile views: Make sure all views are easy to interact with on smaller screens, especially product pages and checkout. Test your site regularly and set alerts for increases in mobile cart abandonment rates, especially at checkout.

By developing and closely monitoring your mobile strategy key performance indicatorsyou can turn those browsing sessions into actual sales.

As the holiday season approaches, now is the time to ensure your digital brand is ready to meet the demands of eager shoppers. By following the tips above, you can create a seamless shopping experience that increases conversions and increases customer satisfaction.

I want learn more To learn about how Quantum Metric can help you succeed this holiday season product tours For a first-hand look at how you can optimize experiences based on customer behavior.