The Saturday Checkout

#1

How to maximise conversions to your Shopify store this Christmas

Read time - 9 minutes

09/12/2023

The Christmas period can easily account for 30% of a Shopify store's annual sales. Get it right and you set up the next year for success.

Get it wrong and you'll be playing catch up for months.

So, this year, while everyone else is planning Christmas dinner, let's get your store on point.

Let's all make some MUNNEEEE!

TLDR; - Quick & Dirty

• Streamline your checkout process to as few clicks as possible. Get rid of unnecessary fields, ensure the steps are intuitive, keep the user interface clean and simple. And please, for the love of Buddha, make sure your checkout is 110% mobile-friendly.
• The number one anxiety for Christmas shoppers is whether their gifts will arrive on time. Communicate shipping deadlines all over your store, and put expected delivery times right above the "add to cart" button. Don't leave the money people guessing. They'll thank you with their dollars.
• Ever stood at a counter waiting for someone to serve you? It's the worst. People just walk right out. Don't be that store. Instead, whip up an FAQ page & add chat support.
• Make it super easy for customers to find what they're after. Set up search & filters so your peeps can sort by price, popularity, and relevance. And make sure it's just as awesome on mobile as it is on desktop. 70% of Christmas shoppers are on their phones. Just sayin'.
• Like it or not, if Joe bought it, Jane wants to know if he loved it. Use customer reviews to build trust and credibility. Whack 'em right near that "Add to Cart" button. I recommend . It's the best review platform on Shopify, and I know the dev team. They're awesome.

Ready to dive into the details? Keep reading...

1. Make it easy for people to give you money.

Deep down inside, as much as you love your customers, you also want their money. So why make it hard? Optimising your checkout is a really simple way to increase conversions.

Streamline The Checkout Process

Simplify your checkout to a seamless, quick, and hassle-free experience. Remove unnecessary fields, ensure the steps are intuitive, and keep the user interface clean and simple.

Yes I know you want all that juicy customer data, but you can get it another time. Right now, focus on the number one priority, get that cash MUNNEEEE!

Activate Guest Checkout

Again.. I know you want that data, but a guest checkout is a must. Coz sometimes I don't want your marketing. I'm buying a present for little Timmy and I'm never coming back. This is the e-commerce version of a one night stand.

Be cool. Let me buy my present and get out of here without giving you all my data.

All The Payment Options

Let people pay how they want to pay. If you're not offering Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, and Afterpay, you're leaving money on the table.

And let's face it, we're not besties yet, online fraud is no longer just confined to oldies getting scammed by kids in Nigeria, and I'm not that jazzed about giving you my credit card details.

And in any case, you're using Shop, right?

In which case, job already done. 👍

Mobile-First Design

Upwards of 70% of your peeps are shopping on their phone. There's not a lot of real estate on that little screen, so you want to make it awesome. Ask your designer to create a genuinely mobile-first experience.

Yeah, it's not as fun as that snazzy full-width desktop design, but just stacking the desktop elements on mobile doesn't cut it. Remember.. mobile first.

This is one place where Shop one-click payments really shine. It's just seemless.

You're using Shop, right? Asking for a friend.

2. Answer the one big, juicy, anxiety inducing question on everyone's mind. It's getting here... when?

When I'm in your store, I'm thinking about one thing. It's not whether little Timmy will like the present. I don't really care, as long as he doesn't cry, we're good.

It's not the price. Fuck the price. I'm buying it anyway.

No, my one and only core you-gotta-let-me-know-this question is...

Am I going to be the stupid uncle who didn't get his presents delivered on time? Am I the one who has to explain to little Timmy that Santa's running late this year?

Well... Am I??

Shipping is the secret underlying anxiety felt by every Christmas shopper. Be the soothing balm that calms their present buying soul. Let your customers know you've got 'em covered. Be loud and proud on shipping.

Clear Deadlines

Communicate your shipping deadlines all over the website. And for a nice bit of sneaky scarcity, add a countdown timer to your homepage. Nothing sends people to the bar like the call of last drinks.

Free Shipping Thresholds

Strategically set thresholds for free shipping to increase average order value. Who doesn't like free shipping? I like free shipping. You like free shipping. Little Timmy likes free shipping.

And a lot of the time, we're willing to spend a little more to get it.

Real-Time Updates

Keep your customers in the loop with up-to-the-minute shipping information. Integrating real-time tracking into your system reassures customers and enhances their shopping experience.

Not to beat a dead horse, but Shop does this really well.

3. Uhm... Excuse me? I have a question.

Ever stood at a counter just waiting for someone to serve you? It's the worst. Most people utter a quiet "well fuck this" and walk right out. Don't be that store. And let's face it, with so many automated systems out there, there's no excuse.

Instant Chat Support

Add a chat widget to your store. And... make sure it's staffed. There's nothing worse than a chat widget that says "We're offline. Leave a message." It's like a store with a "Closed" sign on the door.

And the whole ChatGPT thing isn't quite there yet. So, you know, real people.

In-Depth FAQs

Write up a solid FAQ section that addresses the top holiday-related questions. That way you don't have to answer stupid questions that you've answered a thousand times, and even better, I don't have to ask them.

And remember that person staffing the chat widget? They'll be able to give you all those questions directly from the front lines.

Extended Service Hours

If you can swing it, ideally holiday shopping doesn’t adhere to regular hours. Try to extend your customer service availability to provide support when your customers want it most.

4. Where the hell am I? And where's the goober I'm looking for? This place is a mess.

Ease of navigation can increase sales by up to 20%. Funny thing about stats though, is they go both ways.

In Australia we've got a chain (or used to) called Franklins. Their thing was "Cheap Cheap". And they were cheap. But their stores were a triumph of chaos over order.

I hated that place.

Ha! Just looked them up online. They went bust in 2012. I'm not surprised.

Don't be Franklins.

Enhanced Search and Filters

Implement advanced search functionalities with filters that allow customers to easily sort through products by categories such as price, popularity, and relevance.

Holiday-Themed Collections

Curate special collections specifically tied to Christmas. And don't put 'em up again until next Christmas to create a bit of holiday scarcity. Who doesn't want that one-of-a-kind coffee mug with your logo and your CEO's face wearing a santa hat on it?

Mobile-Friendly Experience

We mentioned this back in the checkout, but it's worth repeating. Your site’s navigation MUST be as effective on mobile as it is on desktop. 70% of shoppers are doing it on mobile, and that's only going up. Unless you have really juicy statistics that say otherwise, assume your customers are on their phone, and make their experience awesome.

5. Jane really cares what Joe thinks. So do you. And dang it, me too.

Like it or not, if Joe bought it, Jane wants to know if he loved it. Especially when buying a gift, your peeps are gonna want to know if everyone else liked it. And that means you're splashing out on a reviews plugin.

Call 'em sheeple or whatever, it's just how it goes.

If I told you that 82% of people think I'm a pretty cool guy, you'd be more likely to think I'm a pretty cool guy.

See, you already like me more. It's science.

Reviews Where They Count

Use customer reviews to drive click to your products. Get em on your collections pages. And for that final money click make sure to whack 'em right near that "Add to Cart" button.

I recommend . It's the best review platform on Shopify, and I know the dev team. They're awesome.

Encourage Feedback

Proactively reach out to customers post-purchase to request reviews. Consider offering a small incentive for their time, such as a discount on their next purchase. Be careful with this though... there are laws around incentivising reviews. So be cool, give the incentive regardless of the review.

Highlight Seasonal Favorites

Focus on collecting and showcasing reviews for your seasonal and holiday-specific products. These testimonials can significantly sway potential customers looking for holiday gifts.

And yeah, I know, it's a touch late to be adding reviews to your store... but remember... 30% of your sales happen over the Christmas period, so it's worth the effort to hustle and collect as many now while things are cooking.

And That's A Wrap. 🎁

Don't let this holiday season be just another sales period. Turn it into your most profitable time of the year.

Need more tailored advice?

Reach out, and let's chat about tweaking your store for the Christmas period.

Either way, wishing you a season filled with joy, success, and record-breaking sales!

Cheers,

P.S. Found this useful? Share it with your friends. They'll thank you for it. Also, consider subscribing to my newsletter. I send out a weekly email with tips and tricks for Shopify store owners. You can unsubscribe at any time, and I promise not to spam you.