Making the Most of Seasonal Peaks in Consumer Shopping

The way we shop is always changing and evolving. In recent years we’ve seen a number of different factors such as technology enabled services and multichannel retailing play a more prominent role than ever before. There has been a big focus on trends and new technologies and retailers are under pressure to constantly update and improve their proposition.

However, with so many seasonal peaks and varying shopping habits spread across every year, the challenge to make sense of it all can be overwhelming. To help with pre-Christmas preparations, here are some top tips from Rakuten on how to make the most of peaks in consumer shopping:

Create a seamless shopping experience. In 2013, 15%of online retail sales took place via mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, up 4%  from 2012. As more and more shoppers browse and make purchasing decisions using different devices, it’s important they receive the same experience across each device. Many shoppers browse products on their cell phone on the way to work before checking again online at lunchtime and then it might be that they make the final decision to click and purchase in the evening on a different device such as a tablet. It’s imperative to strive to maintain the perfect balance during mobile engagement by replicating elements from desktop sites to ensure a user’s experience is engaging and consistent. Many websites utilize a very Spartan approach on mobile sites to reduce load time, but at the cost of experience.  To maximize the chances of securing a sale, it’s important that the shopper doesn’t have a bad experience at any point in the journey.

Plan ahead with promotions and marketing to coincide with expected peaks. During seasonal periods these storefronts can be curated and tweaked to coincide with different events to help maximize sales and attract shoppers. It might be as simple as changing your logo to red for Valentine’s Day or completely re-inventing your store to look like a Christmas wonderland, whatever the occasion, a slight change can be an effective way to entice shoppers to browse products.

Harness the power of social media to engage and push out content across different channels to tie in with the season. The latest Ecommerce Index from Rakuten found that more than 40% of people recommend items on social media sites. In the U.S., 63% of social media users feel consumer ratings are their number one source for product reviews. It might be a top tips blog on how to save money this Halloween with links to offers and promoted items or ideas for what to buy for Mother’s Day. It might even be that you design a competition for the ‘Back to School’ season for shoppers to win a hamper of textbooks stationery and learning games, or even a new computer. Whatever you choose, be sure to take advantage of the reach, multiple channels and varied audience that social media provides to boost sales and drive additional traffic to your website during seasonal periods.

Don’t leave customers disappointed through lack of stock. Sometimes it’s hard to get the balance right between having enough stock and having too much. Analyze last year’s peak in activity and use past experience to gauge appetite for products and make sure that you have enough of your best sellers.

You can even use social media to pulse check what consumers are interested in. Look at what consumers are pinning on Pinterest or what products are trending on Twitter and use this information to help you make informed stocking decisions. If something is out of stock make sure that you have a process in place to ensure that you don’t miss out on a sale. For online retailers it might be a simple pop up alert offering to let customers know when the product they are searching for will be back in stock. Similarly, for offline retailers, make sure your staff knows when they can expect the next delivery to arrive so that they can offer shoppers guidance on when to next visit the store or even if the product is available online instead.

Ensure that your staff delivers a consistent experience. Consider offering customer service training to new and existing staff so that they feel confident and prepared to deal with increased demand and incoming inquires during seasonal peaks. It might seem obvious but not only will this help to ensure that particularly busy periods run as smoothly as possible, but it also means that the customer experience remains consistent throughout the year. This is essential as it minimizes the risk of leaving customers unhappy due to a spike in activity and consequently, it helps to avoid also leaving a dent in your reputation.

By planning ahead, retailers can make sure they offer a consistent and seamless shopping experience that won’t leave customers disappointed or without the product they desire during some of the biggest shopping peaks of the year.

George Chang is the senior vice president sales, merchandising, and marketplace at Rakuten.com.