The last five years have seen Black Friday, Cyber Monday and December holiday season sales become more virtual thanks to Amazon’s significant digital holiday presence through events like Prime Day.

However, this year’s digital transformation is even more explosive. Online shopping is becoming more popular as shoppers want to avoid crowds and shop in person. Walmart will close all of its stores on Thanksgiving. More eCommerce websites are increasing their digital presence.

What is the result? Digital merchants will have huge opportunities in 2020’s holiday season, as almost everyone will shop online. However, digital merchants will have to be creative in order to stand out from the crowd.

It can be scary to invest in a strong marketing strategy in an environment that is constantly changing. But it is worth it. The sales of brands that were heavily involved in marketing and promotions during COVID-19 increased 70% over the previous year.

However, eCommerce marketing strategies for holidays will require some adjustments, just like every other thing in 2020.

This article will discuss five eCommerce marketing strategies that work for Black Friday, Cyber Monday and beyond. We will share the data behind each tactic, and give you concrete ways to implement them in your online store.

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5 eCommerce Marketing Strategies and Tactics to Help Your Business Stand Out During Holiday Season 2020

The good news is that COVID-19 will not slow down holiday shopping. Radial recently conducted a survey to find that Americans don’t plan on significantly changing their spending habits. You can tap into this audience with the right marketing strategies and tactics to ensure a successful holiday season.

These are five eCommerce marketing strategies for the holidays:

1. Dig into the data to understand the new normal
2. Uplevel your digital experience
3. Adapt to changing consumer lives
4. Focus your marketing budget on proven channels
5. Reach your targeted audience

01. To understand the new norm, dive into data

The best way to predict the future is by studying the past. To prepare for the next holiday season, you will need to look back at how your business did in the past year to properly plan your revenue and inventory . This isn’t the same holiday season as any other and 2019 comparisons won’t be of much assistance.

Instead, you should focus on sales trends. Since March, when stay at-home orders gained momentum, customers began seriously investing in eCommerce and online transaction volumes rose 74%. You can plan your holiday rush by analyzing how your online store performed during peak periods.

These are some questions you should ask yourself.

• Are certain product categories increasing in popularity in your store?
• Are there any marketing campaigns that have performed exceptionally well and that you could reuse for the holidays.
• Are there any social media posts that led to large sales?
• Are customers responding well to a particular promotion?
• Are there ads on social media platforms that get more engagement than others?

Wix Merchants have access to analytics that provide key insight into customers’ shopping habits. You can see which pages have received the most traffic, which products are selling the most, and which items are rising in popularity.

02. Uplevel your digital experience

Digitalization has transformed our culture. Millions of people use smartphones and computers to shop, work, communicate with friends, run errands and connect with family. Expectations have changed due to this constant digital state. In a blog, the Google marketing team stated that consumers are not satisfied with the experience they had before. Instead, they expect much more. This will be especially true during the holiday season when millions of people surf the internet to shop for gifts. This is a great time to create memorable customer experiences and make your business stand out.

These are the 5 best practices to optimize your online store before the holidays:

• Make your web experience mobile-friendly: Nearly half of all global web traffic is generated by mobile devices. This trend will only continue to increase with the holiday rush. Your shopping experience should be optimized for mobile. This includes large CTA buttons, hamburger navigations, and easily-navigate product webpages. You can use the owner app to notify your site members about your latest promotions if you have built your site using Wix.
• Provide multiple payment methods : Make your customers feel confident and comfortable when they make a purchase from your website by offering a range of payment options. PayPal is a trusted payment option that makes it easy to make purchases on your site. It also allows customers to use their payment information stored in the app, making the checkout process more efficient. offers subscription packages for customers who have limited funds. This allows them to buy thoughtful gifts without having to spend a lot upfront.
• Help customers locate your products: Create new product collections to guide customers to the most interesting holiday promotions and merchandise. To make it easier for customers to browse your store, you can add a search box and filtering choices.
• Think about your purchase funnel. Customers can abandon a transaction or drop off if they are not required to click. You can reduce clicks by including a Buy Now button which skips the shopping cart but immediately drops customers into the checkout flow.
• Use clear CTAs Make sure your CTAs have clear language and are clearly designed to avoid any confusion. So customers are clear about what happens when they click the button, use active words such as “Start Shopping” and “Buy Now”. Your CTAs will not get lost in the pages if you use bold colors and large fonts.

03. Changes in consumer lifestyles require adaptation

You don’t just need to improve your digital experience. Your eCommerce marketing strategy should be reframed around the new lifestyles and interests of your customers.

According to Criteo’s ” peak to recovery” survey, more than half of US consumers stated that their lifestyles and habits have changed. More than half (55%) said that the crisis was an opportunity to change. Many people have rediscovered or discovered activities they want to continue. This will undoubtedly impact holiday gift choice and shopping habits.

These results echo our eCommerce Growth Report during COVID-19. It found that the top 10 eCommerce product category showed growth rates exceeding 100% in April, and over 600% in the most popular category of groceries and food.

These insights will help you reevaluate the personas. What are your holiday shoppers looking for?

In 2020, don’t market products that aren’t relevant to customers anymore. Your top products should be highlighted on your homepage and in your promotions. To make your promotions more relevant, you might consider creating bundles or special product packs targeted at homeschoolers, home-exercisers, and home office workers. For those who are away from their loved ones this holiday season, offer creative solutions, products and promotions. Consider: What can you do to make this difficult time easier for your customers?

04. Your marketing budget should be devoted to tried-and-true channels

Marketers are under pressure, just like any holiday season. However, this year they must do more with less. According to the 2020 CommerceNext report, 53% of retailers plan to reduce their marketing budgets for 2020. This is more apparent for businesses with a physical location. However, fully digital eCommerce businesses are also experiencing the pinch. 37% of them have reduced their budget.

You can stretch your marketing budget further by focusing on low-cost channels and using creative strategies that have worked well in the past. You don’t have enough historical data for your holiday promotion plan. To test the markets and reach the right audience, use the months September and October.

Many eCommerce businesses will find that Facebook ads and email marketing are the most effective channels.

Facebook ads

COVID-19 has caused a increase in social media usage. You can target your audience with Facebook and Instagram ads and promote your products for a low cost-per click (for retail, the cost per click can be as low at $0.70).

Our 10 best Facebook ads practices to create successful Facebook ads

Email marketing

Email marketing gives you a direct line to customers for no cost. It’s still one the best ways to drive sales with a average ROI at 4100%.

Marketing to Influencers

Influencer marketing can help you increase awareness and credibility of your company. In fact, 8 out of 10 customers have bought something after hearing an influencer’s recommendation.

Set aside some money from your marketing budget to experiment. You shouldn’t be afraid of being creative and taking risks. Have some fun! You’re sure to be in the forefront of holiday competition, so make every effort to stand out. Consider running an ad campaign, depending on who your target audience is, on a different platform like TikTok or Instagram Reels.

05. Expand your target audience

This holiday season could be the best time to reach new customers if your business has lost certain audiences because of economic shifts during COVID-19. Arlington Research and PFSweb found that almost half (44%) of consumers tried new brands in the pandemic. 45% of those customers indicated that they would continue shopping with that brand if they had a positive customer experience.

How can you find new customers?

Assess your international presence to see if you are able to ship to new markets. You need a partner who can provide eCommerce shipping rates that are affordable, reliable, and on-time. Look for the areas where eCommerce is growing fastest if your business can expand internationally. Nine countries will see more growth than 20% in eCommerce sales this fiscal year, including the Philippines, Malaysia, and Spain.

Economic shifts can be mitigated by expanding to other countries and regions. Your business could feel the same effects if your customers are located in one region of the globe. You can also tap into international markets to gain access to more diverse shopping habits and economic trends. This could help protect your business.

You can expand your reach by selling on multiple platforms. You can use different social media channels like Instagram Shop or Facebook, and integrate Amazon Marketplaces and eBay into your online shop. Wix makes it easy to manage your inventory across all your marketplaces.

A marketing strategy that adapts with the times

The best marketing strategies are tailored to customers’ current needs, behavior, and interests in a year full of unknowns. It is not enough to offer discounts on the most popular products. Try to get to know your audience and understand how they live. This extra effort will result in a more personal, relevant, and profitable holiday season.

source https://www.wix.com/blog/ecommerce/2020/09/holiday-ecommerce-marketing-strategy