Christmas is almost here, and amongst the last-minute gift shopping, you might also be wondering what steps you should be taking to prepare your business for the Christmas shutdown.
When it comes to running an ecommerce site at Christmas, it’s so important to prepare ahead of time to make sure that you and your team are ready. You can do this by taking steps to ensure that your customers aren’t left feeling disappointed.
Preparation really is key – but what exactly should you be preparing for your ecommerce Christmas shutdown? And how can you make sure that your customers don’t wind up disappointed?
5 Ecommerce Christmas Shutdown Tips:
1) List Christmas Hours Clearly
Your Christmas opening hours (or closing times) should be clearly available on your website, and listed well ahead of time. We’d recommend adding a banner to your website letting visitors know when you’ll be closed. It may also be valuable to have a link on this banner to a temporary landing page with more details about your Christmas opening times and when you’ll be back for business as usual.
2) Utilise All Platforms
Your Christmas opening times and any other relevant updates should be listed on your website, but it could also be beneficial to utilise any and all platforms you have. If your business has a Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or even a TikTok account, posting regular updates on your social media is a great way to keep customers informed.
If you have a blog, pinning a blog with all relevant information to the top of the page is a great way to ensure that customers have quick and easy access to any relevant information they might need.
3) Send Out Mailers
If you are able, sending out informational mailers is a great way to let customers know your Christmas hours. This information can take the form of a fun Christmas mailer letting them know about any special Christmas sales or deals you’re running, and that you’re looking forward to welcoming them back in the New Year.
4) Out of Office E-mails
Activating out of office e-mails is a good step to take if you regularly receive enquiries via e-mail from potential customers. With out of office e-mails activated, anyone reaching out with an enquiry will receive an automated e-mail letting them know that you are shut for the Christmas period. Make sure to include all essential information, including how long you’ll be shut for and when you’ll be reopening.
5) Queue Social Media
Depending on how long you will be out of the office for, you may be interested in queueing some social media posts. The content of these posts could vary depending on your business, but they could also be a good opportunity to remind customers that you’re currently closed and will be reopening soon!
Now you’re all prepared for the Christmas shutdown period, all that’s left to do now is get festive!
The team here at Designer Websites would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our customers a Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and a fantastic New Year.
