Black Friday & Christmas eCommerce: 10 Hacks to Increase Holiday Sales

Is your e-commerce site ready for the biggest retail event of the year? While e-commerce holiday sales are expected to reach $284 billion, you need to level up your holiday marketing to reap the sales benefits. From offering deals and discounts to enhancing the omnichannel experience, finding ways to put your customer first is key to standing out this high-demand season.

Brands all over the world are gearing up for what’s tipped to be the biggest shopping season on record, but with inflation at an all-time high your brand needs to offer shoppers something extra special. This guide shares how to stand out in 2023, complete with tips and strategies on how to boost traffic and sales through your e-commerce store.

What is Video Commerce?

Video commerce isn’t just another tool in the modern marketer’s toolkit; it’s an absolute necessity in a world rapidly becoming video-first. It’s a natural extension of e-commerce where video becomes the centerpiece of the shopping experience, transforming how products are showcased, explained, and ultimately purchased.

 Did you know 89% of people have been convinced to buy a brand’s product after watching a video? Making it even more important that you prepare for the holiday season with high-converting shoppable videos. By investing in shoppable videos and LiSA’s livestream shopping tools, you can stand out in the crowded online marketplace with emotion-driven shopping experiences. Maximize your return this Black Friday and Christmas with interactive video experiences that show gifting ideas, DIY tips, seasonal tutorials, and all the festive moments in between.

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‍10 Holiday Retail Sales Hacks

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1. Shoppable Video Formats

Shoppable videos include links to the featured product pages to make purchasing as smooth and quick as possible. By using LiSA’s shoppable video feature, businesses can transform their e-commerce sites into virtual storefronts, which is especially important during peak holiday season when audiences want an interactive shopping experience.

2. Influencer & UGC collaborations

Teaming up with influencers or brand ambassadors to host live shopping sessions proves invaluable. Leveraging their dedicated followers expands the brand's reach and credibility, fostering trust among potential customers. For example, our client Vieve (owned by Jamie Genevieve), the influencer star of her own live shows generated huge sales from her shows thanks to the massive following she has across social media platforms. In AVON’s case, they frequently use brand representatives to host live shopping shows and encourage friends/followers to discover AVON’s products.

 UGC acts as social proof and influences shopping decisions. Brands can drive UGC by creating campaigns that motivate customers to share their experiences with the brand's products, often through contests or features on the brand's social channels.

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3. One-Click Checkout

Ditch the complicated checkout processes – they're a one-way ticket to abandoned carts. Keep things simple with features like one-click checkout, saving customer information, and a range of payment options. This can boost your conversion rates and keep customers coming back for more. Best of all, through the LiSA video commerce platform, you can keep all the first-party data, in contrast to selling your products on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Etsy which capture all the consumer data at the point of purchase.

4. Limited-Time Offers

Brands can create a sense of urgency by unveiling exclusive discounts and time-sensitive promotions during live shopping events, spurring higher conversion rates and excitement among shoppers.

 o enhance your live shows during the festive season, get into the holiday spirit and bring that excitement to your audience. We recommend pinning holiday-themed messages in the chat feature, decorating your broadcast spaces with festive touches, and dressing your hosts to match the holiday theme. These tactics not only enhance the customer experience but also contribute to the overall success of live shopping events.

5. Live Shopping Shows

An advent calendar countdown is a great way to drum up customer interest. Live shopping shows are a great way to engage, inspire, and entertain holiday shoppers; our clients achieve conversion rates as high as 37% on their LiSA-powered live shopping events. 

Brands have the flexibility to host live sessions ranging from a few minutes to marathon hour-long sessions, discussing a wide array of topics such as new holiday product lines and Christmas shopping tips. Live shopping shows serve as golden opportunities to maximize revenue, especially during high-demand periods like Christmas, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. These events cater to eager customers who are ready to make purchases but may have queries or seek a closer look at the products. Live shopping shows provide a real-time platform to address customer questions effectively.

6. Craft compelling Email Marketing Campaigns

Incorporating a well-thought-out email marketing strategy can significantly enhance your holiday sales and connection to your customers. Start by highlighting special deals and exclusive offers tailored to individual preferences. Consider segmenting your email list based on customer demographics, purchase history, or engagement level. This allows you to send more relevant messages to specific groups, increasing the likelihood of capturing their interest.

Infuse a sense of urgency into your emails by showcasing eleventh-hour gift ideas. Create a dynamic and visually appealing layout to grab attention, and ensure that your call-to-action is clear and compelling. By tailoring your email campaigns to the unique needs and interests of your audience, you not only increase the chances of conversion but also strengthen the connection between your brand and customers during the holiday season. 

7. Plan Key Shopping Dates

Plan your holiday marketing strategy in advance so you know exactly what’s coming up and when people buy. It’s the best way to prepare your online store for peak shopping days—not just Black Friday.

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 📅 2023’s holiday calendar includes:

 🦃 Thanksgiving: November 23

🖤 Black Friday: November 24

🛒 Cyber Monday: November: November 27

🎁 Giving Tuesday: November 28

🎄 Christmas Eve: December 24

🛍️ Boxing Day: December 26

🥳 New Year’s Eve: December 31

8. Create a Promotions Calendar

The Black Friday Cyber Monday weekend might only be four days long, but preparation starts long before Thanksgiving. Once you’ve got peak shopping days in your holiday marketing diary, work backward to drive sales and promotions that attract customers in the mood to buy. Create a retail sales calendar and detail each of the following:

- Start and end dates

- Coupon, discount, or deal

- Product or categories on offer

- Qualifying criteria (e.g., orders over $100)

- Assets and creatives

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9. Instant Feedback and Social Sharing

Live streams offer an invaluable window into consumer feedback, giving brands the opportunity to fine-tune their strategies in real-time. Moreover, viewers can effortlessly share their favorite products and live shopping events across social media, amplifying your brand’s visibility and influence.

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‍10. Invest in Customer loyalty programs: 

Reward loyal consumers with something exclusive—like special live shopping events, unique discounts or access to limited edition products, that the general public can’t access. These events make buying more than just a transaction; they make it an experience.

When you reward loyal customers with access to unique live shopping shows, it's like giving them a VIP pass to something special. This strategy keeps your customers coming back for more, and choosing you over competitors. It's about making your customers feel like part of an exclusive club, and if you’ve never tried live shopping shows, we can easily help you create one.

We wish you a very successful Black Friday and Christmas period. If you’d like to increase your sales this year through high-converting video content, get in touch with us or try this free demo.

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“The LiSA social commerce toolset and the various shoppable content formats that it enables, is transforming the retail landscape. During the high stakes of Black Friday and Christmas, our clients are not just competing, but thriving by offering unique and engaging experiences that drive significant sales and outpace the competition.”

- Gary Perez, VP of Growth at LiSA

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