5 Magento Tactics to Keep Post-Holiday Sales High After the New Year

The holiday season proves to be the most profitable time of the year, with sales soaring to more than a trillion dollars. Post-holiday sales, however, are another story.

The highs of the holiday season are often followed by a slump, as customer activity slows down.

So, after the holiday season has come and gone, online sellers are left with one major question: how to keep the post-holiday sales up once January arrives?

How to Get Your Post-Holiday Sales Soaring

After the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it’s no wonder that shoppers face fatigue and need to tighten their purse strings in the following months.

However, this doesn’t mean that online shopping grinds to a complete halt. With the right planning and strategy in place, eCommerce stores can still see solid sales in the post-holiday period. Here are our top tips for doing just that.

1. Make Sure You Don’t Disappear

First things first – after the mad rush of the holiday season, it might be tempting to take a step back and have a breather for a few weeks. However, even if they might be spending less, consumers don’t just vanish after the holidays, and neither should you.

Instead, you should continue to do what you do best, offering quality products to your audience, both old and new, and working on your marketing strategy to get your products in front of those most likely to buy them. Your customers are still there, still ready to buy, it’s down to you to reach out to them.

2. Kick Things Off with a Special Offer

With that being said, what better way to entice visitors than with a brand-new promotion for the New Year?

You can do this in a variety of different ways, whether it’s a store-wide sale; a discount code for a certain percent off each order; free shipping; a two-for-one deal; or even a free gift. Making sure you stay one step ahead of competitors in terms of value for money is a great way to keep those post-holiday sales where you need them to be.

If you want to set up a new year promotion for your customers, check out the Free Gift extension for Magento. Among its features, the extension allows store administrators to package free gifts with purchases of select products from their store. It also includes the ability to create custom shopping cart price rules, offer buy-one-get-one deals, set discount parameters, and more.

3. Launch a New Product

The ‘New Year, new me’ mindset can encourage shoppers to make purchases they might never have considered before, so what better time to launch something new in your online store?

Granted, this will take some prior planning and careful strategic thinking – including over the holiday season when you’ll no doubt be busy already – but by going that extra mile and capitalising on consumer’s want for something new, this could be a good way to keep those sales rolling in.

4. Step Up Your E-mails

The holiday season will no doubt have brought new customers to your site, so post-holidays you need to keep them engaged.

A great way to do this is to keep in touch via targeted email campaigns. According to Campaign Monitor, businesses who build and maintain a connection with their customers through e-mail marketing see a solid return on this investment, with conversion rates of up to 50%.

It’s a tried and true tactic to maintain sales, and with so many ways to establish automated email campaigns there’s no reason not to do it.

If you don’t already have an email service for your store, there are many extensions on offer. There’s even our easy-to-use email delivery extension. It’s designed to manage webstore emails through the SendGrid email service and includes tracking so you can monitor their performance. Most importantly, SendGrid’s authentication processes ensure that important marketing emails will arrive in your customer’s inbox, and not their spam.

5. Offer Customer Rewards

The key to continued success is repeat purchases. A way to encourage this is through customer rewards. After a customer makes a purchase from your webstore, bring them back with a special deal made just for them.

Customers who’ve bought from you are more likely to return if you reward them for their business. As part of your email campaigns, consider offering discounts to generate more activity from the same customer. Not only will a special discount make them feel appreciated, the reduced cost will also make your products all the more appealing

For a great way to integrate a coupon reward system into your Magento store and boost your post-holiday sales, look no further than the CreativeMinds Product Review Incentive extension for Magento 2.

This extension allows you to automate incentivizing e-mails to customers, sending them directly to their inbox, asking for product reviews in return for a reward. If they complete a review, they receive a unique discount coupon to use in your store.

It’s a win-win for both your brand and the customer – not only do you get a review which can inspire confidence in your products, but the customer gets money off their next order.

6. Make the Most of Social Media

Social media should never be underestimated in its power to help you sell. We’ve talked before about the best platforms to use for your business, and it’s important that as well as a solid email marketing campaign you have a social media strategy too.

This is more important than ever when you’re wanting to entice new customers and retain your new buyers in the post-holiday period.

For the New Year, make sure you have a plan for exciting and unique content across social media and your blog if you have one – this way you’ll keep your customers engaged and more likely to make a repeat purchase.

Combating the Post-Holiday Blues

The after-holiday period can be a tricky time for many, and it can be hard not to get disheartened when your sales take a slump. But we hope with these tips, you’ll be able to keep your sales a little more level in the post-holiday period.

If you’re looking for more ways to improve your eCommerce store, check out CreativeMinds selection of extensions for Magento. And don’t forget, the next holiday season will roll around in no time!