2022 Online Holiday Selling Check List

christmas giftsWe are hosting our annual e-commerce mini-conference on Saturday, November 6.  This event is specifically designed for small business owners who want to sell products or services online, especially during the holiday season.  Unfortunately, this event has already sold out, but we created this quick checklist of a few important things that you need to know if you want to pursue online holiday selling:

  1. Review Your Previous Holiday Marketing Plans (if you had any): Take a look at what worked and what didn’t last year, and strategize what you will do this year. Did you run out of stock early? Did your costs overrun? Did your website crash?  How did your shipping and handling work out last year? Did your social media strategy help you make sales?
  2. Advertising, Marketing, and PR: How do you plan to advertise your company? Social media? Email newsletters? Are there reporters or bloggers you could contact to get holiday coverage? Are there keywords you can use on your website for better SEO?
  3. Plan Out Your Holiday Content Strategy: Now is a good time to put together a special editorial calendar for holiday-themed content.  This includes blog posts, videos, and social media content to showcase any sales, discounts, and promotions.  
  4. Create a Clear Payment & Return Policy: Make it clear on your website, preferably on the Terms of Services page, what your payment and return policies are so that customers understand what to expect.
  5. Create A Sign-Up Form On Your Website: During the holidays, your website will be higher than the average number of visitors.  No, email marketing is not dead.  In fact, customers are more likely to see your emails than your posts on Facebook!  Strategically place a sign-up form on your website to capture email opt-ins.   
  6. Make It Easier For Your Customers: Holiday shoppers are busy and will not spend a lot of time interacting with your content if they don’t find what they want.  Creating recommended or wish lists (along with special discounts) makes it easier for users to identify your products and services.  Even if they don’t actually purchase anything during the holiday season, they will remember your lists and might come back to purchase after the holidays.
  7. Three-Click Rule: Again, holiday shoppers are busy, so don’t have users go on a scavenger hunt on your website.  Reorganize your website so that users can find anything in three clicks or less.
  8. Shipping and Handling: It is a good idea to have an online fulfillment plan, especially if you are working with third-party vendors to make sure deliveries are made on time.
  9. Costs: You are doing online selling because you want to make money, not lose it?  With that said, how much will all the above objectives cost your business? Do you need to hire temporary bloggers or a web designer to support your online strategy?  Calculate your budget before embarking on such a strategy.
  10. Plan B: When all else fails, what do you do?  You need to think about the worst-case scenarios, like if your website’s server goes down, runs out of stock early, or social media gets hacked.  It is better to start thinking about these now than when it actually happens.

These are just a few steps.  If you need more help with your online holiday strategy, don’t hesitate to contact us!

Happy Selling!

Global Wire Associates

October 2022 @RozzieBound Events

September + October 2022 Book Ambassador: E.B. Bartels
Thursday, October 27, 6-7:30 PM

E. B. Bartels will participate in a discussion and sign copies of her new book, Good Grief: On Loving Pets, Here and Hereafter, on Thursday, October 27, 6 – 7:30 PM at the Roslindale Branch Library. It is an unexpected, poignant, and personal account of loving and losing pets, exploring the singular bonds we have with our companion animals and how to grieve them once they’ve passed. Books will be available for purchase at the event. The book can also be purchased at the Rozzie Bound popup on Saturdays or borrowed from the library.

The Roslindale Book Ambassador Program is a joint effort of the Friends of the Roslindale Branch Library and Rozzie Bound.

Rozzie Bound Author Signings
The following author events take place at Rozzie Bound, 4228 Washington Street. More information: rozziebound.com.

Michael Bleicher and Andy Newton, authors of The Carlyles
October 1, 11 AM – 1 PM

Willie Wideman and the Dorchester Community Writers, authors of Anthology: A Writer’s View (All proceeds will benefit the Friends of the Upham’s Corner Branch Library)
October 8, 11 AM – 1 PM

Janet Costa Bates, author of Rica Baptista
October 22, 11 AM – 1 PM

Cleyvis Natera and Elizabeth Gonzalez James will have a conversation, followed by signings for their latest books, Neruda on the Park and Mona at Sea, respectively.
October 29, 11 AM – 1 PM

Mutaburuka on Empire and Reparations

The death of Queen Elizabeth has renewed discussions about the British Empire’s connections to slavery, imperialism, and reparations.  I watched MSNBC the Saturday after the Queen’s death when a reporter interviewed legendary poet Mutaburuka.  He said he didn’t mourn the Queen’s death because she never came out against the brutality her colonial subjects suffered during her reign.  It was refreshing to see him on mainstream American TV.  I met Mutaburuka many years ago at Fi Wi Singting, an art and music festival in Jamaica.  He’s amazing, smart, and speaks his mind, especially when it comes to Jamaica’s colonial history.

Check out this interview he did recently on Democracy Now!