Cyber Monday Tips for Indie Stores

Big box stores have been prepping for Cyber Monday for months. Have you? Whether or not you have planned for this to be a day of strong sales or a day of nothing, it’s a day you should not ignore. E-commerce is a fantastic way to gain new customers beyond your local town, as well as gain additional sales. And Cyber Monday is the perfect excuse to dive into this full force.

The tips below can help you achieve success this Cyber Monday – even up against big box stores. But remember – success is measured differently be each person. If your goal is to simply sell one thing on Cyber Monday, then let that be your goal. If you want to sell ten items or hit a certain number, great. You’re the boss. Just make sure you get in the game.

1. Use Social Media to Direct Customers to Your Site With Specific Product Details. But don’t just direct them blindly to your site… instead, direct them specifically to certain products. Use Twitter and Facebook to identify products on sale, such as “Shop YourStore.com and get 20% off this beautiful knee length red knit  dress!”. The key here is to be specific in what it is you have. This will mean sending out lots of tweets and lots of posts on Facebook, but Cyber Monday is the day to do this like crazy. You can’t be specific enough here, either. Very clearly identify what it is on sale or simply for sale. Customers have the entire Internet to shop from, so save them time and entice them directly by speaking about what it is you can offer them.

2. Offer Customers a Special Gift With Purchase or Other Incentive. Beyond the customers actual purchase, what can you give them? Consumers love feeling like they got something for free or gained something they may not have otherwise. Throw in a seasonal candle with any purchase over $25 or $50 or provide a code for $10 towards their next purchase of $30 or more. Consider what makes sense for your audience, your business and your goals – then create something special to help entice customers shop on your site.

3. Secure Safety for Your Customers and Promote This. Some online customers are hesitant to shop from smaller websites versus big box stores simply due to credit card security. Make sure you provide your customers with a safe, reliable website to shop from and identify this in your online store communication. The BBB advises customers to  make sure their purchases are secure by only entering credit card details on Web pages that use SSL (secure sockets layer) security. To make sure you are doing this, check to see that the URL for the page begins with “https://” and not “http://.” That “s” lets you know the site is secure.

Finally, be realistic with your online sales goals. If you have an existing database of customers, be sure to send emails to them identifying any deals you are having, special promotions and other details to encourage them to shop from your website on Cyber Monday. If you don’t have a strong database of customers to lean on, really narrow in on social media to help gain visibility. Combining all your efforts can help you lead to success and sales – which is ultimately your goal, right?