Top eCommerce & mCommerce Tips for Christmas & 2021

As we are approaching the end of the year 2020, the celebration vibes are increasing. After another record-breaking Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, it’s time to prepare for the end season festive occasion, i.e., Christmas. You might have observed the eye-opening numbers that illustrate how busy online retailers were from November 27-30. If not, then we have brought you the stats that will be a jaw-dropping experience for you:  

• Shopify’s data shows that their sales increased by 76% during the Black Friday to Cyber Monday (BFCM) stretch in 2020 compared to 2019.  
• Adobe estimates that USD 9 billion was spent online in the U.S. on Black Friday alone.   
• Amazon posted a 60% increase in sales in its marketplace.  
  
  

Mastercard coined the phrase “The 75 days of Christmas” to cover this extended run of increased online spending. It begins in October and continues until after Christmas Day. If we look at the broader context, there were some clear winners and losers in the year 2020’s frenzied shopping period.  

The winners were the ones who quickly adopted the COVID-19 economy. With brick-and-mortar stores closed, shoppers switched to eCommerce in unprecedented numbers this year. With the eCommerce facility being convenient and easy to adopt, we are also witnessing a more permanent shift in shoppers’ preferences. Though many brick-and-mortar stores reopened, but shoppers still preferred the convenience and safety of online delivery.  

To proceed with the topic, let’s first understand the difference between eCommerce & mCommerce. 

What is the difference between eCommerce & mCommerce? 

eCommerce or electronic commerce is the online purchase and sale of goods/services.  

mCommerce or mobile commerce is shopping online without a desktop device, usually through a handy smartphone.  

The definition of mCommerce falls under the broad umbrella term “eCommerce,” but the distinctions are important to figure out.  

When we talk about mCommerce, it is more about increased consumers’ convenience, who can shop from anywhere and any hour of the day. It also means improved location tracking for retailers, along with the potential for innovative technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and in-app payments.  

It is advised that retailers should consider both eCommerce and mCommerce. Hence, should have two-pronged strategies that cater to the unique strengths of each.  

Now let’s move on to check how to make the most of eCommerce for Christmas and into 2021. 

 eCommerce tips & trends for Christmas 2020 

To help you understand the points, let’s first consider some retail statistics from the first lockdown period.  

In April 2020, eCommerce websites in the U.S. processed more transactions on average every single day than they did on Black Friday 2019.

 

This was natural. As stores were closed, people choose to shop online.  

With this, it flashes lights on the facts that retailers must accustom themselves to address this level of demand, leading to what will be particularly busy during Christmas.  

Salesforce predicted that this year 30% of global holiday sales would take place online. eMarketer puts this figure at 35.8%. Here's a graphical presentation:
 

 

SEO & Content Tips for eCommerce  

1. Work on optimizing the first-time customer experience:
 

This year has brought many ups and downs in people’s life. With social distancing being strictly followed, many buyers will shop online for the first time this year. This will surely create many opportunities for retailers to go the extra mile to convert these new customers into lifelong online shopping fans.  

The first plan should be to create content marketing and retargeting strategies, to follow up with the new customers in the future – for everything from loyalty offers to cart abandonment.  

BrightEdge research (disclosure: I work for the company) showed that people buy more items when they shop online. They may purchase a smaller value item, but to maximize their visit, ensure that you provide them the option to buy more via discounts. 

                             

2. Consider the machine learning insights & automation  

Machine driven real-time insights, personalization, and automation on eCommerce stores are finally taking off, while voice commerce continues to rise. One can use their existing eCommerce technologies to add personalization to their website.  

Meanwhile, the development kits for Google Actions and Alexa Skills allow for quick deployment. 

3. Lookout new keyword opportunities  

This festive season retailer can update their long-standing festive product pages with the latest year and observe the traffic roll in. It’s important to match your audience’s search behaviors. You can be on the list of early-mover advantage in SEO. Search the latest keywords trends of the present time to better understand and include them in your content strategy before competition rises.  

mCommerce tips & trends for Christmas 2020  

With the shifting interest in the use of mobiles, mCommerce has become a significant shopping channel. Its demand will continue to accelerate worldwide as more people will go for the mobile-first or mobile-only idea. 

                                                 

During the holiday season, mCommerce is typically the primary beneficiary of Christmas shopping, with customers reaching their smartphones while spending time with family.  

Criteo found that Christmas Day is actually the busiest day of the year for mCommerce. Here are some supporting stats:  

• Over half of the UK shoppers actually buy items for themselves on their phones on Christmas, which is around 52%.  
  
• Nearly two-thirds, i.e., around 62% of online purchases made on Christmas Day, are carried out using smartphones.  
  
• Only 28% of shoppers choose to buy on a desktop.  
  

mCommerce provides the opportunity to offer a lot more than just a small-screen version of the desktop site for retailers. You can make use of everything from streamlined, in-app payments to augmented reality experiences so that there is no shortage of mCommerce options. 

SEO & Content Tips for mCommerce 

1. Focus on speed  

Conversion rates (CR) on mobile devices are rapidly increasing, but shoppers can be impatient when your site is slow to load. Seek out quick wins to improve the website speed, which Google may reward with improved SEO rankings.  

Google PageSpeed Insights will provide some free tips to ensure your customers stay on your site to complete their purchases.  

2. Create social-friendly content  

Social commerce and mCommerce are closely linked, as most social media purchases take place on smartphones. When you create content for your app or website, make sure that text and images can be shared on popular social media platforms.  

These social sites provide the opportunity to sell directly on social channels. Also, you should consider the persuasive potential of social media for increasing sales on your website. Viewers who will find you on social media platforms will expect a mobile-first experience across all of your platforms.  

3. Think local  

The increasing demand for “Buy online, pickup in-store (BOPIS)” creates an opportunity for mCommerce. Look out for increases in “near me” searches in your product category, which may encourage customers to shop with retailers with a local presence. For better results, update your Google My Business profile and ensure that your purchase and pickup offerings are highlighted across the website. 
 

Concluding 

As a retailer, you cannot overlook the lessons from the Black Friday sales, and those who act now will reap the rewards in the coming future.   

Although eCommerce and mCommerce are closely aligned, savvy retailers know that they must implement a two-pronged strategy to take full advantage of their potential.  

Following the above tips, you can align your SEO and PPC eCommerce programs to prepare for a prosperous Christmas period and a successful start to 2021.  

If you don’t have your SEO team or PPC team, worry not. Hire a digital marketing agency that provides the solution to both PPC and SEO services.   

Panacea Infotech is a digital marketing company with a great history of providing digital marketing services.   

Why wait?  

Contact us now to become the winner in the 2020 Christmas period and kickstart the new year 2021.