cyber-monday-ecommerceConsumers love the opportunity to save money on products they may have been considering for a while, but that doesn’t mean ecommerce retailers should rely solely on discounts for every offer they send out. In fact, if you’re not offering anything but a coupon every time you contact your buyers, you miss out on the opportunity to really create a relationship that lasts longer than the next purchase.

With Black Friday and Cyber Monday quickly approaching, you may be considering various offers for your ecommerce site. If these offers include a percentage off a purchase, you might just want to reconsider. You can still create a draw for those buyers without selling yourself short. Still not sure what you might offer for these new and loyal customers? We’ve made a list of seven possibilities that might be just what you need to build an exciting and lasting relationship with your buyers.

Limited Edition Products

Who doesn’t love knowing they’ve got something no one else can have? With limited edition products, you give buyers the chance to own items no one else can. To make the experience even more powerful, personalized offers for these products goes a really long way. You’ve already been collecting the necessary information to provide relevant recommendations both on your website and in your emails to buyers. Simply consider that information when choosing the limited-edition products you offer for the holidays, and then enjoy the excitement those offers generate.

Free Shipping

One of the top reasons buyers abandon shopping carts before making a purchase is because the shipping fees take them by surprise. You can retain those shoppers throughout the holiday season by simply offering free shipping. A CTA, email, and social media shout could let all those buyers who walked away before know they can have a second chance, too.

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First-Look Shopping

Just as buyers love the opportunity to be the only people who own particular products, they also relish the chance to buy things before anyone else can. By presenting your holiday collection to your most loyal customers a week before the general public can see the catalog, you could inspire several purchases just so buyers can say they were first. Never underestimate the power of bragging rights, and by giving those bragging rights, you earn customers for life.

Contests

A giveaway is a great way to get people to stop by your ecommerce site, but you don’t have to part with products every time you turn around just to get better traffic. As mentioned in the previous point, sometimes bragging rights are prize enough. To make the most of your contests, simply involve social media so your message spreads as far as possible. In return, you’ll see greater traffic to your site and cultivate more pre-transactional contacts as new visitors vie for the prizes in question.

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User Guides

Not every offer should be about extending your reach or selling something. To foster your relationships with customers you’ve already earned, consider educational offers to inspire consumer trust. These are perfect for those products that might require some form of assembly, products that could have more than one use, and gifts that have greater potential than the item suggests. For instance, a beautifully illustrated scarf-tying guide could be the perfect accompaniment for that scar an aunt just bought her niece. A collection of food pairing ideas might be the perfect offer for those customers who regularly purchase wines from your ecommerce site.

Behind-the-Scenes Look

Building a relationship involves both sides giving parts of themselves. You already know your buyers through the information you’ve collected during the time you’ve known them. What better way to share the personal side of your company than through a behind-the-scenes look? A video or collection of images introducing your employees, showing your products being created, or sharing the silliness that happens when no one else is looking can help to form a bond between you and those customers.

Gift Guides

When you take some of the work out of shopping, your customers will appreciate your efforts. Gift guides that separate your products into categories for each and every particular recipient will help take some of the guesswork out of holiday shopping. Rather than search for hours, your customers can simply download your gift guide and then head over to purchase the items that fit those lucky people on their gift lists. The best part of all? You don’t have to offer discounts, free shipping, new products, or giveaways. All you have to do is organize the products you already offer into comprehensive categories that take the hard work out of holiday shopping. Your customers will love it.

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Now that you have some better offer ideas, you’ll never again need to offer coupons. Remember, the idea is to continue building better relationships with your customers. You want them to stick around for a while rather than running in for a quick purchase every time you offer 25% off.

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Originally published Nov 22, 2013 10:00:00 AM, updated January 18 2023

Topics:

Ecommerce Holiday Marketing