Over the holiday season, people want to buy gifts quickly and easily. So, we turn to online shopping. It seems great: It’s quick, pain-free and there are often great deals to be had. In fact it’s the inbound marketing way to shop – customers are finding YOU. However, what these customers don’t want thrown in the deal is troubleshooting when shopping online.

As retailers, there are some things that are unforgivable when customers visit your digital space. There’s no face-to-face interaction, so every single action they take while online had better be user friendly. 

If you’re promoting an item on your website this holiday season, keep in mind the following things when it comes to the user’s digital experience:

• Content – The consumer expects to see anything and everything they need to know about the item they are getting ready to purchase. They want to have fast answers to their questions regarding sizes, photos, FAQs, shipping information, etc. Make sure you are providing this for them and it is easy to find.

• Landing page design – Not everyone is a web design guru, but when searching to make a purchase, your site should be visually appealing, easy to navigate and all active links should work. But it doesn’t stop there. If you take your customer to a thank you landing page once they purchase, this too should be just as visually appealing. It should clearly list any information they need to know about their purchase, as well as list any next steps.

• Confirmation emails – Everyone should send a confirmation email. It is the online form of a receipt. It is how people track their items, view their purchase information and print out important information. The email should be sent automatically after the purchase. If your website is not set up this way, it must CLEARLY tell the customer when they are to expect the email. This is the only form of communication they will have, so be clear and direct.

• Support team – Should anything go wrong with the customer’s order or their experience, you should have a rockin’ support team. Ideally, they should get back to the customer within a day if the support ticket is submitted via email. This is holiday time, people! There are presents to be delivered and no time to waste. 

• Brand – Above all, remember your brand voice. You may have the best restaurant with the perfect food, staff and atmosphere, but if a customer has a hard time buying a gift card online, they may never be back. Your brand is your voice for both in-person contact and digital contact. While it may be hard to master, you should work to perfect your digital-sphere to your best ability.
  
  

And, of course, Happy Holidays to all of our readers from CPV!