On Thursday the 5th of November, England went into a second lockdown due to COVID-19. With the rest of the UK already in comparative lockdowns, the significance of eCommerce to keep the economy going is huge. Adding even more fuel to the fire, this second lockdown arrives just as the nation enters the festive period. With Christmas and Black Friday around the corner, people are going to be shopping like mad, however, this year, they won’t be able to do it on the high street! This means that online shopping will continue to rocket. Although lockdowns are bad for everyone, there are business opportunities for those who run eCommerce organisations. From ensuring you have storage containers for your stock and effective marketing strategies, we’ve created a guide to navigating your eCommerce business during this year’s lockdown festive period.
Stock Up Early and Use Storage Containers To Keep Stock Safe and Secure
Although we live in uncertain times, one thing is certain: stocks running out around Christmas. This issue is around every year. However, with people locked in their homes and nothing to do, likely, stocking issues are only going to get worse. For example, stock of the new Playstation and Xbox consoles have already sold out way ahead of their scheduled release dates.
Running out of stock is a sure-fire strategy for annoying customers and seeing them leave you for competitors. With that in mind, it’s vital that you stock up early and in excess. Ensuring that you have everything required to operate efficiently way ahead of time will provide you with that much-needed peace of mind.
If you don’t know where you can keep all of this additional stock, hiring storage containers is an excellent solution. Storage containers are safe, secure and large enough to house all of the stock you need to properly operate. Using storage containers ensures that you have everything you need to hand, without the fear of theft.
Market Your Business In The Right Places and Do-So Aggressively
When operating an eCommerce shop online, your online marketing strategy is critical. You’ll want to talk to your customers online on websites, forums and social media channels where they ‘hang out’. If your target audience is on TikTok, that’s where you should communicate with them. If they’re on Facebook, your Facebook presence and marketplace needs to be sharp.
Around Christmas time, Black Friday and during this current lockdown, you may want to consider strategies for drawing people in. Initiatives like discounts, loyalty bonuses and new customer gifts are excellent ways to draw new customers in during what can be an incredibly profitable time of year. Being aggressive with your marketing and advertising now should pay dividends.
Consider Hiring More Staff For Expansion
If you are looking to expand your operations during the festive period - which is not a bad time at all to do so - then you may need to hire more staff. As orders pile in online, it’s good to have a team of temporary employees to help you with the additional burden. If your business continues to grow after the festive period is over, having additional staff available may become a springboard for long-lasting expansion.
Keep Key Dates in Mind
There are many key dates to keep in mind during the festive period - as well as during lockdown - which will be instrumental for your marketing strategy, re-stocking strategy and your sales. During November, all of the prep you have done during the previous months must be moved online and ready for customers. You should have already stocked up, decided on the types of discounts you want to offer and have an archive of content to publish. Most paydays are at the end of the month, so having absolutely everything uploaded by the 1st of November, at the very latest, will ensure you don’t miss out on sales.
In November, you’ll need to keep people interested in your products throughout the month and schedule big marketing pushes for both Black Friday and Cyber Monday, on the 27th November and 30th November respectively.
During December, things begin getting more down to the wire. In this period, it’s a good idea to begin offering free next day shipping for items above a certain price. This can entice the latecomers who do their Christmas shopping in a mad dash at the end of the month. You should also keep a close eye on the very latest shipping dates and make that clear to your customers through the last push phase of your marketing and advertising.
Optimise For Mobile
More and more shoppers now do their shopping on their mobile. With that in mind, consider investing in a mobile-friendly app or, at least, a mobile-optimised website. Making the experience as easy as possible for your customers is critical when seeking to increase sales and profit. By ensuring that they do not become overly frustrated with the purchasing process, you can increase the likelihood that they will return.
Streamline Checkouts With a Digital Wallet
As well as optimising for mobile to increase efficiency, adding a ‘digital wallet’ to the checkout process will further improve the ease of transaction for your customers. Adding the ability for your customers to use tech like Apple Pay will ensure that they don’t have to go through the laborious process of filling in all of their details every time they want to purchase from you.
Consider ‘Live Chats’ For Increased Customer Service Quality
Customer service is vital for any business during any time of the year. However, during Christmas and national lockdowns, tensions are likely going to be high. If a customer has a bad experience and isn’t receiving the quality customer service they deserve, they can easily become hostile and start leaving bad reviews which have a material impact on your business. Giving them updates quickly and efficiently, with clear and honest information, is critical. One of the best ways to do this is to have a live chat feature on your site - with a real person at the end of it - to ensure that your customers feel valued and can have any issues resolved as quickly as possible.
If You’re Looking For Storage Containers For Safe Stock Storage in Manchester, Contact Manchester Cabins
Here at Manchester Cabins, we rent out high-quality storage containers in Manchester for all of your needs. Whether you run an eCommerce site and need storage containers for your stock, or you are moving home and need storage containers to keep your possessions safe, we can help you today. Our storage containers come in either 10-foot or 20-foot sizes, so there will be a solution for you.
No matter what items of stock or possessions you need to keep safe, our range. of storage containers can provide you with a solution. Our storage containers are made from steel for high-quality security, have an anti-tamper padlock cover, are insurance approved and fitted with storage shelves at the rear-end of the container.
We’ve been manufacturing portable buildings for more than 40 years and have helped countless clients with a vast range of projects. If you’re looking for storage containers for your business in Manchester, look no further.
To find out more about our services, please feel free to contact us today. You can find us at Tweedale Way, Chadderton, Oldham, Lancashire, OL9 7LD. Alternatively, call us on 0161 684 3333 or email us at info@manchestercabins.co.uk.
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