The 2020 holiday shopping season sparked a profound shift in consumer behavior. With the strongest Black Friday on record (by a lot), which carried momentum through the Christmas holiday, online holiday revenue grew 32%, Y-o-Y, exceeding $188.2 billion for the first time ever!

With 2021 holiday e-commerce sales projected to exceed 2020 totals, competition is fierce and online retailers face greater challenges in capturing the attention of consumers and ultimately influencing their purchase decisions.

Here are seven tips to help online retailers win the holiday season!

1. Deliver a great user experience on mobile and desktop!
When making online purchases, consumers are evenly divided in their preference for mobile versus desktop. Customers expect your website to be optimized for mobile shopping, with a simplified checkout and payment process. They also expect to feel their payment information is secure. Be sure to optimize your e-commerce store accordingly.

2. Win with shipping!
From delivery speed to discounts, consumers are looking for the fastest and cheapest options! So much so that most carts are abandoned when shipping costs are deemed too high and delivery windows deem too far out. Get ahead of the holiday rush and avoid backorders by offering discounts in tandem with speed of delivery and be sure to highlight any expedited shipping options or shipping discounts on-site and in your marketing messages.

3. Invite customers to get to know you!
Before making a purchase, most consumers want to know something about a company or brand. While product quality and affordability reign supreme, building your brand story and earning the trust and confidence of the consumer is of the utmost importance. Share about your brand onsite and establish a strong reputation around quality, sustainability, customer service, and reliability.

4. Earn trust through personalization.
When advertising products and holiday deals, keep in mind that consumers respond more favorably to ads on trusted editorial sites, especially those that are personalized and contextually relevant. Consider ad campaigns that leverage retargeting.

5. Leverage videos.
Videos are an easy, effective way to share about your products and their features. Videos have also been proven to positively impact purchase decisions. Video ads also stand out!

6. Showcase product images.
Gallery images are not only engaging but also memorable. By inviting consumers to swipe through product images to learn more about their features, you can capture their attention and keep them browsing your site. The more they see and like, the more likely they are to purchase!

7. Celebrate the holiday season!
Even when shopping online, consumers want to feel festive! Embrace the holiday spirit by leveraging images that evoke happiness, show smiling people, and feature holiday-themed décor. The last couple of years have been rough on everyone and the more you can make consumers feel happy, the more likely you are to be able to cash in on their holiday shopping cheer.

Happy holidays!