'Tis the season?

The idea of preparing for the upcoming holiday season might sound ridiculous to those outside the world of online business. It’s hard to think of gift wrapping, Christmas lights and shopping mall crowds when you haven’t even bought your Halloween candy yet. Getting your online store ready for the holidays in October can ensure that December will be the biggest month for your business ever.

What are five major focuses for your holiday business plan?

1. Ramp up marketing for your existing customers. Prepare a campaign involving newsletters or updates on a social networking site to let them know about great new offerings or sales. This could include new items as well as shipping promotions, sales, or gift wrap options.

2. Give your site a facelift. Volusion offers design services including our Templates to Go for that more professional look. Your store will look sharp in 5-7 business days, so you’ll certainly be ready for Cyber Monday.

3. Remember to make it easy for customers to purchase. One of the primary purchases made online is the gift card. Learn to set up a gift card on your site and make sure that customers know how to find it as well as your gift wrapping option, if you have one. Make sure your site is as user friendly as possible in order to close those sales.

4. Make sure your store is upgraded to Version 5. Version 5 offers many new features that will make your site more appealing to customers as well as more convenient for you. If you haven't already upgraded, take a look at the Version 5 FAQ and upgrade your store today.

5. Get your site out there. Affiliate marketing can be big this time of year, as can your pay-per-click campaign. If you don’t know how to set up a pay-per-click campaign, consider signing up for a Fast Traffic campaign and let us bring in the traffic for you.

Plan, but don't obsess...

You probably shouldn’t start baking your infamous holiday fruitcakes just yet, but coming into the holiday season with a plan for your online store will ensure your holiday season is the best one yet.