Is Your Checklist Ready? Last Minute Cyber Monday Tips for Your Ecommerce Success

Cyber Monday is just around the corner. While traditional retailers are preparing for the holiday surge, you’re probably sighing relief that you won’t have to restrain mobs of angry shoppers on your ecommerce platform.

But don’t get too cozy. There are plenty of visitors that are ready to flood your site this upcoming Cyber Monday, and they’re expecting the deals of a lifetime. According to Dashlane research, shoppers spent 93% more on Cyber Monday in 2015 than the average Monday. How are you working to ensure some of that out-of-control spending is coming your way?

If you feel like you’re lagging behind, never fear. We’ve got some last minute Cyber Monday tips that will help you make the most out of the biggest ecommerce day of the year.

Recommended for you: 5 Tips to Boost Your Holiday Shopping Revenue This Season

Create Urgency with a Countdown Clock

Oftentimes cognitive friction prevents a purchase—this is when a prospective buyer spends too long thinking about the purchase, and then fails to act as result. Buyers dissuade themselves from making an immediate purchase with questions like:

• Do I really need this?
• What does the competitor offer?
• Is there a better time for me to make this purchase?

Great marketers know that the antidote to cognitive friction is urgency. Urgency is a crucial motivator for purchasing behavior. If you can successfully create a sense of urgency on your website, then you are much more likely to successfully drive conversions.

So how do create a sense of urgency this Cyber Monday? By reminding shoppers that there is a limited amount of time for them to make their decisions with a countdown clock. A countdown clock indicating how much time is left on a deal can act as a great motivator.

Source: Optimizely Blog

This example from LensCrafters shows you what a compelling countdown clock looks like. Big and bold, it’s literally telling shoppers: time is running out! Don’t beat around the bush with your site visitors this Cyber Monday—let them know that the sales they’re seeing are exclusive, and that it’s in their best interest to ACT NOW.

Set Up a Fantastic Call-to-Action (CTA)

How are you going to motivate shoppers to buy with you this Cyber Monday?

If you’re looking to see big results with a small effort, then creating a good call-to-action can do wonders for a last-minute push. An effective call-to-action can give your landing page a face-lift, make your website banner pop, or can be used to reach shoppers via social media.

Just check out this New York Times banner for inspiration. The copy is simple and direct, meeting all of the requirements of a fantastic CTA.

Source: unbounce Blog

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To create a motivating call-to-action for your social media platforms, website, and newsletter, keep these CTA basics in mind:

• Have ONE Goal
  In the NYT example, we can see their pushing one holiday deal: 50% off a 26-week subscription. We know you have several goals, from email list sign-ups to loyalty card members. But when creating a CTA, you want to make sure you have one aim and one aim only. In this case, it’s getting people to act on your Cyber Monday deals.
• Keep It Simple
  You want your CTA to be simple and direct. The above example has under 50 words, making it easy to revise for social media platforms.
• Anchor your CTA in a Benefit
  A compelling CTA tells potential customers exactly how acting will benefit them. Internet marketing guru Neil Patel says it best in this blog post on CTAs:

In this case, you know that many shoppers are looking to cross off some items on their holiday shopping lists. Why not remind them of how shopping with you on Cyber Monday will help them save while getting holiday ready?

• Give Directions
  When someone reads a CTA, they should immediately know what their next step should be. The NYT banner gives viewers two buttons to click through: For myself or For a gift. Make sure that the reader knows how to follow through on your CTA.

Review Your Terms and Conditions

Out-of-control shopping doesn’t come without its drawbacks: with every holiday season we see an increase in returns. Even if you think you’ve got your Cyber Monday campaign under control, your Terms and Conditions should be reviewed before the big day.

Ask yourself: are there terms and conditions that are special to this Cyber Monday? Do we want to use our normal return policy, or does this campaign require its own? Will shoppers be made aware of the terms and conditions before making purchases?

Consider the following when reviewing your terms and conditions:

• Review return and refund policies
• Review privacy policies
• Update subscribers about changes via email and social media
• Including a site banner about updates
• Include a link to special terms and conditions at checkout

Social Media Giveaways

Most Cyber Monday promotion ideas take a lot of planning. Fortunately, a social media giveaway is easy to plan, and can also act as a promotion for your main Cyber Monday campaign. Each platform has its own pros and cons, but they all have the ability to bring Cyber Monday success your way. We’ve outlined the giveaway basics for Twitter, Facebook and Instagram below.

1. Twitter

   If you’re creating a Twitter giveaway, the first step is to choose your entry method: will it be via Follow, Mention, Hashtag, Retweet, or Favorite? A good hashtag is a great way to promote your brand and get people excited, and a mention can spread your brand to new customers. Since the lifespan of a tweet is short, Twitter is a good platform for a short-term giveaway. For this reason, it may be most effective to set up your giveaway the day of Cyber Monday, or perhaps the Black Friday leading up to it for promotional purposes. It’s also a good idea to create an image if you have time—tweets with images garner 35% more retweets than tweets without one.

2. Facebook

   The advantage of a Facebook giveaway is that the entries are easier to track than other social media platforms. As a result, you can host the giveaway for a little longer, allowing the event to gain greater traction. The entry method for your Facebook giveaway can be to share a photo, status, tag a friend, or even just to generate likes on your company’s Facebook page. To get started, create a post about the giveaway rules, and pin it to the top of your Facebook page. Just don’t forget to read the Facebook Promotion Rules ahead of time!

3. Instagram

   Instagram is a haven for lifestyle icons and self-branding efforts, which makes it the perfect platform for a clothing, fitness, or food-related giveaway. Like Twitter, keeping track of entries on Instagram can become a nightmare if you’re not careful. As a result, it’s best to keep the entry method simple and the contest short-term. The main three entry types are: tag a friend, post your own picture with a hashtag, or repost an image with a hashtag. Tag a friend is the most direct if you’re crunched for time, but the other two have the ability to create more visibility for the campaign. Whatever the entry method, be sure to link through to your Cyber Monday landing page to attract new customers.

Offer Rewards That Are Redeemable after January 1st

It isn’t enough to slap some sales on your website and call it a day. Cyber Monday is your opportunity to capture attention from a phenomenal sale, make up for slow quarters and (though it’s often overlooked) create set-ups for future wins.

With some foresight, you can have Cyber Monday promotions working for you long after the holiday season has passed. Typically sales are down after January and February. You might think it’s natural to accept the decreased flow in traffic, but it doesn’t have to be that way. How can you keep sales up after the holiday madness is over? By offering Cyber Monday rewards that can only be redeemed after January 1st.

Here are a few reward options if you’re stuck for ideas:

• Extra points credited to loyalty program accounts
• Discounts on new arrivals and spring inventory
• Store credit or gift cards

Whether it’s your first Cyber Monday or you’re a seasoned pro, reviewing the steps above can help make you that much more prepared for success. Do you have any Cyber Monday ideas to share?

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