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As we are now starting the new year, there is a large divide between businesses that are winding down after the holiday season and those who are prepared to continue this performance into the new year. As an Ecommerce brand there should be a high priority goal for this month and the months coming, and that is to capitalise on the Christmas traffic. To turn this seasonal demand into loyal customers in the new year.
This year there is a forecasted “40% increase” in spending from 2023’s year, with the “average British citizen spending £602” on their Christmas shopping, as people are busy finishing up in the offices or on site, the online traffic to buy gifts for their friends and family is significantly increased as its best to avoid the shopping malls, and heavens forbid venturing near Oxford Circus.
Many Ecommerce brands know that marketing and retainership is a year-round game, and Christmas is an exceptional time to attract new customers and engage old ones, with a chance to turn any of these into a recurring customer. As a Ecommerce SEO expert, this blog will cover the many online strategies available to your business to convert them into loyal customers.
Strategies
Loyalty Program
If you’re site offered strong Christmas discounts these past few weeks, a great strategy to keep this traffic is to is offer these discounts behind a loyalty program with exclusive discounts to future sales. This can generate a significant amount of signups to your loyalty program, as 83% of customers state that they are influenced by a rewards program and are more likely to make repeat purchases to increase their future rewards and offers so that the program has paid itself off, from there the name of the game is to keep them interested.
Majority of these consumers however will need to be reminded that you exist and that they have points to redeem, so nudging these customers to interact with these points will see them more engaged and become interactive with this scheme over time, resulting in higher order frequency and return on order for this program. Such strategies to remind them include a SMS, points expiration reminders to instil them to act, special offers to trade points for select popular products. A worthwhile SEO strategy that to include is the implementation of a banner on your site that follows the consumer throughout their journey which reminds them of their points, how far until their next reward, displaying real time data to them specific to their account.
Program Points for Engagement
Following on from this loyalty program is to let them build points naturally in their everyday lives and boost your own marketing penetration and exposure as well as your SEO efforts. For example, with a social media campaign, which is a crucial marketing strategy for an ecommerce brand as the average adult spends over 2 hours on social media a day on their phones, can be used in tandem with your loyalty program. Implementing a trade-off, giving points in exchange for a like, comment, share or follow, this will increase your public exposure and success of your platforms.
An important strategy to consider which works in tandem with SEO, is to gain testimonials from these consumers so they become more connected to your brand and you gain an insight into what aspects worked with your business & what the market believes your USP’s are. This works in conjunction with your SEO to provide extra localised reviews to your site and provide extra credibility to your site so you begin to rank stronger on Google for this seasonal shopping and heading into the new year. A key consideration & guideline which must be followed for this process is to, treat them as a baby, spoon feeding them as much as possible, making it as easy to interact with your business, as such the CTA on your newsletter to ask for a review must be done embedded and instant, if they have to be taken to your site, and possibly then to log in and then leave a review they will be turned off and simply not. In order to gain these reviews, you must have a strong ease of life for your consumer, a point which they will appreciate, remember and attach to their perception of your business as well designed, catered to them and easy/no hassle.
Newsletter
A proven and widely used method for retaining customers is sending personalized email newsletters that offer clear value and are easy to engage with. This approach involves sending a follow-up message after their Christmas purchase, thanking them for their business with a personalized note about the product they bought, and recommending relevant or complimentary items they might be interested in.
Newsletters provide a valuable opportunity to capture the customer’s attention right away. Subscribers will quickly evaluate whether to keep your emails or send them to the spam folder. To stand out, offer exclusive perks like early access to new products, fresh stock, discounts, or special deals, granting them access before the general public has the opportunity to. This gives your customers a sense of privilege and value, making them feel as a VIP, making them more likely to engage with your brand.
The user experience is key—customers don’t want to waste time with irrelevant notifications or navigate a complicated website. They want all the relevant information at a glance. In SEO, this principle is known as “Your Money, Your Life” (YMYL), which emphasizes providing all necessary details upfront so the customer can make an informed decision without scrolling, nor needing to do further investigation to make a safe purchase.
The same principle applies to newsletters. Present your brand’s unique selling points (USPs) immediately at first glance and include a clear call-to-action (CTA) to direct them to your website with a single click. The journey should be as simple and painless as possible—if it’s not, they’ll likely abandon it and leave the page, costing you a possible purchase and a loyal customer, so it must be understood that the first few interactions are crucial.
Marketing Campaign
Newsletters and loyalty programs are effective, but they need to be part of more substantial campaigns that encourage repeat business. Post-holiday promotions are essential to show customers that your business is proactive and engaging with their customers, growing, and constantly evolving. A new campaign with added incentives can help bring them back.
There are many ways to re-engage customers in the new year. For example, a clothing store could offer free styling appointments to design an outfit or ensemble which complements their purchase, encouraging in-store visits. Businesses can also tap into New Year’s resolutions—helping customers declutter, get healthier, or stick to their goals. For a fruit and vegetable store, a subscription service could support healthy living, while clothing brands could offer durable items like leather goods or eco-friendly sourced materials.
As the year progresses, consider mid-year campaigns like referral programs with rewards to boost customer loyalty. Regular content updates and “come back” emails or posts can keep your brand at the forefront of their minds, especially when paired with exclusive discounts or early access to new products.
Conclusion
There are many avenues to keep this seasonal traffic, retaining them as loyal customers, but for a business to succeed it must be easy to process, understand and interact with so it does not become an annoyance, and it must tap into the most logical sprint of promotions in the new year, ones that capture the most value, such as new years health, exclusive discounts and rewards and the inevitable come back campaigns to gain their attention.
These are a few strategies to implement, you will notice that majority of these are online marketing campaigns, ones that can be fully effective with SEO. If you would like to discuss with an Ecommerce SEO agency about your campaign strategies, please click here.
Or if you would like to learn more about Ecommerce and how our SEO services can improve on your business, click here.
