5 Tips to Boost Your Ecommerce Sales on Cyber Monday Your goal should be to make your deals too good to resist. Is 50 percent off too high? Probably. But some companies have found it works.
By Syed Balkhi Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Last year, online transactions on Cyber Monday reached a record $6.59 billion, according to Adobe Insights -- and that biggest day for online shopping is right around the corner. Nor is this event, which follows Black Friday, just for tech and electronics anymore; ecommerce businesses of all types are now participating. So, is your ecommerce business ready to make a splash on the web and bring in record-breaking sales?
Related: Cyber Monday 2017: Everything You Need to Know
Of course, it can be difficult to get noticed on Cyber Monday with so many knockout deals offered by big-box stores. That's why your online store needs to stand out among the crowd and find a way to attract droves of shoppers to your site and convince them to buy while they're there.
But, how do you do this? Consider instituting the following five tips to boost your ecommerce sales on Cyber Monday.
Create a cyber-exclusive, one-day deal.
Offering 15 percent off to shoppers during Cyber Monday simply will not do the trick. To stand out on that crazy day, when all of your competitors are offering up amazing deals, you've got to create a cyber-exclusive, one-day sale that's too good for consumers to pass up.
As an example, Dean & Deluca offers 50 percent off the cost of shipping for Cyber Monday only. Fifty percent off is enough to grab the attention of even the most seasoned shoppers.
Image credit: Revampcrm Blog
Fifty percent is a lot to give away for many companies but it's only for this one special day and it can drive a ton of sales. Still, if you're worried about giving away too much and losing money, set a minimum purchase amount shoppers must reach before you unlock your awesome deal.
Related: $6 Billion in 2 Days: Black Friday and Cyber Monday by the Numbers
Showcase different products hourly.
You want to keep your brand at the top of shoppers' minds, but they may find it difficult to keep their eyes on you with so many Cyber Monday distractions. Accordingly, you have to entice users to keep coming back to your site by showcasing different products and sales every hour or two. Instead of just announcing a site-wide sale, highlight the wonderful items shoppers can get deals on throughout the day.
Fashion designer Lilly Pulitzer did something similar by showcasing the company's latest styles and offering a new free gift every hour to consumers who made a purchase.
Image credit: Milled.com
Showcasing a number of your best products will attract many different shoppers and make it easy for them to find what they're looking for. For example, if you're a fashion retailer, instead of sending the same blanket email announcing your Cyber Monday sale, showcase your jeans in one message, dresses in another and shoes in the next, to keep shoppers excited.
Increase people's sense urgency, with countdowns.
So, you've enticed users to visit your site and check out your Cyber Monday deals, but how do you get them to make a purchase once they've arrived? A perfect way to get shoppers to hit that "checkout" button fast is to increase the sense of urgency using countdowns. The more scarce an item, the more people will want it.
A clock that's ticking down the minutes, like the one in the example below, is a visual cue that really gets shoppers moving.
Image credit: Pinterest.ca
You can easily add a countdown timer to your own ecommerce website using a tool like Shopify's Hurrify -- Countdown Timer. If your site runs on WordPress, a plugin like Countdown Timer -- Widget Countdown is a good option.
Create a newsletter-exclusive offer.
If you want to boost sales this Cyber Monday and get more email subscribers, create a newsletter-exclusive offer. A special offer like this rewards your loyal subscribers and creates a VIP feeling, and at the same time it helps you build an even bigger email list.
In the example below, FabKids rewards its email subscribers with early access to its Cyber Monday deals.
Image credit: Hellosubscription.com
Your loyal followers are the shoppers who are mostly likely to buy from you anyway, so give them an incentive to start spending early and to purchase more. Be sure to promote this exclusive deal to users who aren't subscribers to encourage them to sign up for your email list and join this elite group that offers them the best deals available.
Combat abandoned carts.
During the first quarter of 2018, a Statista study found a 75.6 percent rate for online retail orders being abandoned instead of purchased. That's a ton of missed sales. So, instead of letting all those shoppers leave your site without buying this Cyber Monday, combat abandoned carts by enticing those consumers to return to your shop and complete their orders.
Bonobos fights cart abandonment by sending this fun email to users to help them finish their checkouts.
Image credit: Getpayever.com
Sending emails to users who have abandoned their carts is a great way to grab their attention. They may have been browsing and gotten distracted, but a simple reminder can get them back to your store. If they're still not taking the bait, offer them a little extra discount to convince them you're worth returning to.
Related: Why Every Business Needs a Cyber Monday Strategy
Over to you
Start preparing for Cyber Monday early to give yourself ample time to get shoppers excited about your offers. With these tips, your ecommerce store can thrill shoppers this Cyber Monday and bring in more sales than you ever imagined. And if you want to keep the momentum going, there's no stopping you from extending your Cyber Monday sale to Tuesday.
