Covid-19 and Online Sales During the Holiday Shopping Season

The mandatory confinement that took place during the first nine months of the year, and now, the social distancing that will continue indefinitely, have been necessary to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. These actions have generated a transformation in shopping habits, where technology has become a key tool to overcome these difficult times. The holiday shopping season is approaching, where online sales will make a difference for retailers.

People have not stopped consuming, but their shopping behavior and preferences have changed.

The holiday shopping season is the best time for retailers. It is the period that goes from October to the end of December when consumers’ Christmas calendar is at its maximum purchase level.

Throughout this holiday shopping season, there are numerous moments such as Halloween, Black Friday, Christmas, and New Years, which have historically been more focused on the physical point (in-store), to e-commerce opportunities (eCommerce) more current like Cyber ​​Monday and Singles Day.

Related Article: Amazon and Walmart Lead in Online Grocery Shopping

After almost a year of crisis, people are spending more time “connected” than they used to.

Telefónica, the most important telecommunications company in Europe and the fifth globally, obtained a 30% increase. Simultaneously, Verizon Wireless, the largest mobile telephone operator in the United States, achieved a 20% increase in web traffic in just a week.

News and entertainment websites are also experiencing unprecedented traffic, increasing 57% year-on-year. Netflix, for example, the American entertainment company that operates globally, increased the number of subscribers by 16 million in the first quarter of 2020.

Just as entertainment, information, and communication applications have taken advantage of the crisis to make their “party,” retailers also have an excellent opportunity at the end of 2020 to counteract, in some way, the bad situation they have had to endure in what is running out of the pandemic.

The holiday shopping season generates an increase in internet sales, but success in sales has to do, not only with taking advantage of the Christmas period but with a retail strategy attractive enough to attract and retain customers.

As we all know, email marketing, in addition to being a key resource for online commerce, is a good instrument to generate purchases and keep the brand in the minds of prospective customers and make them loyal. The best thing about this tool is that it has a low cost; only a smartphone or a computer must send the emails.

4 Useful Tips for the Holiday Shopping Season, in Times of Coronavirus

  1. Price comparison. In gift-giving time, most people check prices on the web. In these, buyers not only confront the costs of the products, but they can also know your store. It is an excellent opportunity to increase your sales.
  2. Product information. People do not enter online stores to buy: they are looking for information. This is why it is important to design demonstration videos, clear up doubts, and create a blog for people to reach your company through search.
  3. Smart devices. The website must be compatible with smartphones. 90% of the phones currently used by online shoppers are smart devices.
  4. Personalized attention. The website must convey credibility, and nothing better than a website with direct and fast customer service for the holiday shopping season.