Preparing for Holiday Sales: What You Need to Know

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As the leaves begin to fall and the temperature dips, the seasonal market picks up. It's that time of year again: fourth-quarter sales. Bonuses are coming; Santa's list needs to be filled. This is the chance to make money.

With holiday ads beginning to emerge and decorations adorning store shelves, think about how much you've done to get ready. Have you found something to entice clientele? Have you thought about strategies? This is the time that may make or break a year's profits, so consider the following in preparation for your upcoming sales.

Market It

Don't overspend. You don't want to be stuck with boxes of merchandise in January. In fact, having to give deep discounts or write off materials is not a good way to end the fiscal year. Instead, invest in price analysis software. Maintain inventory lists, and allow the data to drive your future spending. Use this to determine how much you should purchase as well as a good price point for the belongings. It's not about having mass quantities. It's about investing wisely.

Advertise It

Find a focal point, and sell that to the community. Are you going to promote something special? Maybe you've found a great kid's toy or the perfect sweater. Putting in on a shelf is great, but getting clients in to see it is better. Get the word out through social media, making posts every few days for specials or sales. Show off your customer service, taking pictures of helping the community. Don't forget the local schools. Sometimes educational institutions may include you in signs or newsletters. Simply agree to provide a percentage of sales back to the establishment if the advertisement is mentioned or shown.

Theme It

Are you a small market store competing against a big box outfit? If so, you'll need to go that extra mile to encourage traffic. How can you do that? Do you plan on hosting events to get people through the doors? Host a winter theme day. During the event, teach people how to make the most of your products, and offer some tempting morsels such as hot chocolate, non-alcoholic cider, and sweet bites. Are you selling a product from a local or regional celebrity? Invite that person in to talk and sign items. Get creative. The more time customers wander about, the more they may buy.

The winter festivities are ripe for revenue. Sell your store and your products. Get the word out, and make it fun.

How to Write Compelling Website Copy that Converts

How to Write Compelling Website Copy

You can’t afford to be too modest when you are marketing and selling your products on your website because you only have 3 seconds or less to grab the attention of potential customers. Just think about how many other wellness, lifestyle, fashion, or beauty brands are you competing with every day.

If you want to increase your sales, then your copy must stand from the rest of the clutter. Here are some top tips to help you write copy that sizzles:

1). Though obvious, build an emotional connection with your customers. Imagine if they walked into your physical store and you're selling them face-to-face, how would you speak to them? How would you build an emotional connection?  It's all about enhancing the customer experience.

2). Remember you're not writing a novel or the world's great piece of nonfiction. Write like you speak and avoid using jargon. Be authentic and concise.

3). Keep your product titles unique yet, short, and concise. Make sure your product descriptions match the tone of your personality. NastyGal.com does an excellent job of communicating it's simple and sassy yet fun personality.

4). Product descriptions should be fewer than 200 words, contain bullets, and show a lot of white space to make them easy to scan. Make sure they are unique, too so Google doesn't penalize your site for duplicate content.

5). Focus on the benefits of what you're selling. Help your customer envision how he/she would feel and look wearing that garment or pair of shoes.

6). Use language that helps explain the product since the customer can't feel it. How does it look and feel? What's the material and texture? What styling tips can you offer?

7). Stay apprised of new trends so you can incorporate seasonal copy into your website.

Some of the other best fashion and beauty brands and retailers that nail their voice in their web copy are ShopSurell.com, Bloomingdales.com, Sephora.com, and Modcloth.com. Check them out if you need inspiration.

What are some of your best copy conversion tips and tricks?