Are You Ready for Cyber Monday?

Traditionally, the day after Thanksgiving is the busiest shopping day of the year for brick and mortar retailers. They continue to dominate that weekend. Then Monday morning rolls around and worn-out shoppers find themselves back at work in front of their computers, thinking about all the things they either couldn't find or didn't get at the malls and the big box stores. They begin their online search for the perfect gifts. Are you ready?

Preparations for Cyber Monday are as important to online retailers and businesses as preparations for after Thanksgiving sales are for brick and mortar retailers. Your "store" needs to be clean and ready, meaning that your website should be ready, easy to navigate and highlighting any special offers and holiday merchandise or services you have available. Make it easy for your shoppers to find what they are looking for.

It might be a little late to make up for lost time if you haven't been optimizing your site all year long, but do make sure that you include keywords your shoppers will be looking for such as "gifts," "presents," "Chrismtas, "Xmas," etc. Also, be sure to give good descriptions of any particularly hot products you have or categories that you know will be strong, such as electronics, games and toys.

Take advantage of increased traffic to build up your mailing lists and site memberships. Make sure you have an easy to find and simple way for customers to become members of your site and your mailing list. Plan a follow up email to all new members welcoming them and reminding them of holiday specials they may have missed on their first visit. Be sure to wish them a heart-felt happy holiday season, as well.

Make sure your shipping information is clearly spelled out for your customers. Don't feature things that you won't be able to ship in time for Christmas delivery. This will simply create a demand you cannot fill and frustrate vistors. Feature items that can be shipped quickly so that your shoppers don't find themselves in a last minute panic. Show how you can help them by getting that important gift to the intended recipient in time.

If you can solve any other holiday problems, such as offering to ship the items already gift-wrapped, be sure to point that out. People are busy and any little thing that can save them time right now will be appreciate and could translate into additional sales. If your business focuses more on services than physical products, think about what people need right now and how you can solve problems specific to the time of year. Highlight those things that they will be most interested in right now.

By following these simple tips and treating your website as if it were your own personal store, you can get your share of Cyber Monday sales. Spend some time now cleaning and tidying up your "store" to have it ready for all the shoppers who will be waiting to get in on Monday morning.

Happy Promoting!