With the holidays arriving sooner every day, eCommerce brands are looking for ways to spruce up their marketing campaigns. Many look to professionals in the creative space for advice on how to optimize their sales during this peak season. Check out the interview we did with our Marketing Coordinator, Emily, where she shares her thoughts on D2C marketing for the 2021 holiday season.
Can you divulge on some age-trusted sales tactics (vouchers, discounts etc) that can give brands that special edge within their audiences, during the Holiday season?
The best strategy you can implement to attract your audience during the holidays is guaranteed two-day shipping. At this point in time, almost every E-commerce brand is directly competing with Amazon (whether they are aware of it or not). Millions of online users do their shopping last minute and know they can count on that two-day shipping. In order to stay competitive and draw in customers, offering express shipping options and two-day guarantees is a must.
In your opinion, what would be the central reason for Seasonal Marketing to hold the kind of value / importance in the sphere of E-commerce industries at present?
It is no secret that eCommerce is quickly becoming the #1 preferred method of shopping. Because of this exponential growth and volume, we are now able to recognize seasons and patterns in buyer behavior. These seasonal characteristics help marketers customize their campaigns to current buying habits. Many E-commerce brands tend to break up their seasons by quarters, Q1 and Q4 being the busiest (due to the holidays). By using past experiences and anticipating market trends for each season, you can create a unique marketing plan that will gain attention from the right customers at the right time and leverage the excitement that comes with holiday shopping. Seasonal Marketing holds such incredible value in the eCommerce space by allowing businesses to capitalize on holiday traffic while providing customers with new and relevant online experiences.
Name one timeless strategy that you believe business owners should keep in mind to sustain within the E-commerce community?
As E-Commerce expands into the giant it is today, many businesses tend to focus on the more creative and glamorous aspects of product management. Activities like brand design and influencer marketing are what all up-and-coming brands seem to focus on. While these are great strategies for niche markets and products, the one timeless and universal strategy you need to stay competitive is quick and reliable shipping! Because buyers have the ability to do in-depth research at the tips of their fingers, they are finding out just how many product alternatives are out there. You can and will stand out by offering multiple shipping options, while ensuring orders are delivered accurately and efficiently. With Amazon’s two-day shipping program, many buyers are starting to expect that as a standard shipping time, even when most businesses find that hard to maintain. Generally speaking, if price and quality between two products are equal, customers will choose the product they can get the fastest. I do recommend that you verify through market research that shipping time is important to your target audience, because this may not apply to all markets. But creating a spectrum of shipping offerings will create value for those sensitive to price or time, whichever way they lean.
Today’s brands strive to rise above the ordinary, but not everyone makes it. What would be an out-of-the-box marketing tactic which you’d like to suggest to brand creators?
I recommend putting as much UGC in front of customers as you can, but only when and where it makes sense. Online shoppers are getting savvy and can easily read between the lines of your worn-out messaging. The one thing they do trust (sometimes more than the brand itself) are the words from fellow shoppers. More specifically, actually seeing a product in someone’s everyday life helps the customer envision it in their own. Taking it a step further, you can create a brand voice and personality that mimics your target audience. Once again, shoppers no longer respond as well to traditional, overplayed messaging. The idea is that you must remember there are real people on the other end of your campaigns. Using UGC and relatable brand personality as tactics will generate an authentic, long-lasting connection with your customers.
In your personal experience as a marketing expert, what would you value as the most important component of effective marketing?
Looking at traditional components of effective marketing, I believe market research is crucial when selling a product. Before you can create campaigns and track KPIs, there is a lot to learn about your audience and competitive landscape. First, you need to verify there is product-market fit. It can be easy to assume your product will sell because you think it’s a great idea, but in the end that doesn’t matter… there has to be an audience willing to buy it. Once that has been verified, you must continue in-depth research on your target customer. Determining key profile components like demographics and psychographics will equip you with the knowledge needed to create targeted campaigns. Using extensive market research allows you to connect with people on a deeper level and determine the solutions to their needs.
