Great news everyone, party season isn’t canceled! We’re all in need of a reason to celebrate, so instead of calling off the fun, people are preparing to switch up their traditions and keep their spirits up. So that means your Shopify website has to cater to them.

The idea of hitting the mall still doesn’t appeal to many people, which is great news for your eCommerce business, as long as you get it right. Come close and we’ll let you in on our top tips… NOT TOO CLOSE, this is still 2020.

1. Find out how people are celebrating this year

In the US, the CDC has listed popular holiday activities and separated them into low, medium, and high risk. Take a look at the low-medium risk activities and identify opportunities for your eCommerce business to cater to them.

Write a blog or send out an email explaining to customers how they can celebrate with your products or service safely and link them to your Shopify store. Use an email automation strategy to create a special recommendation email for your customers based on their previous interactions with your website.

2.Check page speeds to meet demand

It’s every online business owner’s worst nightmare! Just when everyone wants a piece of your pie, your webpage loads slower than an MP3 file in the year 2000. Or worse, it crashes entirely. Are you ready for the increased traffic?

Check out our advice on how to speed up your website to make sure your customers have an optimal experience at the height of the party season.

3. Offer special deals or free shipping

Amazon Prime Day has been and gone. People are looking for the next chance to save where they can. Create an offer that fits within your price points. Create banners on your Shopify store and make sure you toot your own horn on your content marketing channels.

4. Add gift categories to your filters

Not another pair of socks! Gift buyers are permanently in need of inspiration for unique presents. Make their life easier by categorizing your giftable items. Think outside the box, you don’t have to just have “gifts for him” and “gifts for her” think of how else you could section up your stock: e.g. “gifts for the eco-conscious”, “gifts for the person who has everything.”

Add your new categories to your menu. You can even create a new landing page and direct your email subscribers immediately to your giftable items.

5. Boost customer service with Shopify Chat

With increased traffic comes increased customer questions. Shopify has a plugin called Shopify Chat which adds a free customizable live chat button to your eCommerce website. You can instantly message your customers over the Shopify Ping app on your mobile device.

6. Create loyal customers

Now you’ve got a boost in online traffic, take full advantage to increase engagement, and keep them coming back. Read our suggestions on how to get your customers to visit your website again and again.

7. Find the right Shopify Expert Agency to help you

Listen, you’ve got a lot on your plate ordering and replenishing stock, replying to customers, managing employees, and your family’s expectations at this busy time. Trial and error should be reserved for how to make the best Thanksgiving meal and you’ll need to save up all your energy for untangling the fairy lights. Get a Shopify expert on board who knows their way around the best plugins and who understands exactly how to build and maintain a smooth, professional website.

We hope this list has inspired you to make the necessary tweaks to your Shopify store. If you’re in any doubt about how to proceed, or if you’d like our help, don’t hesitate to get in contact for a free, no-obligation consultation. But don’t hang around, it won’t be long before the holiday buzz is all over once again. Take the metaphorical bull by the horns, you’ve got this, and we’re here for you.