eCommerce Strategies to Make the Most of Q4
In the US, holiday eCommerce sales surpassed $221 billion in 2023 , growing by 4.9% over 2022 numbers. However, in 2024, experts are predicting a 9.5% increase , bringing spend to surpass $271 billion. With so much opportunity, what Q4 strategies can you implement to make the most of this holiday season?
Start early.
A lot of brands started planning for Q4 over the summer, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late for you to implement strategies now! October shopping events like Target Circle Week, Prime Big Deal Days, Walmart Deals week, and more, the holiday shopping season begins earlier than ever.
While these strategies to follow are those you can still implement if you’re only starting to think about Q4 now, they’re also a great starting point as you get into a cadence of planning your Q4 strategy earlier.
Take it back to the data.
The holiday season is an almost guaranteed boon to your sales volume. However, this does not mean that it’s a “savior” to poor-performing products.
Go back through your product catalog to review your sales history. Which products are top performers? Are there products that it’s time to liquidate? Perhaps those just need to sell passively while you direct your attention toward your stronger performers.
If you’re selling through multiple marketplaces or your own website, also look at your sales volume across those channels. Is Amazon your top performer? Walmart? TikTok Shop? Make sure you have adequate inventory either in the respective warehouses, or within your own warehouse to fulfill all of your orders. Remember that your sell through rate will need to adapt for the holiday season.
Take a peek at your competitors.
Utilize a tool like Trellis’ free Google Chrome extension to take a peek at your competitors. With the extension, you can view estimated sales, BSR, and even price history! If there’s enough historical information and sales, the extension will even tell you the recommended optimal price based on our demand elasticity models.
While they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, remember that your business is different from your competitors’ businesses. Looking at this data can help give you an idea of what might be possible (or where you’re doing better), but only you know your business and potential buyers.
Update your listings and Storefront.
Do you know how many listings aren’t retail ready? How many sellers aren’t taking advantage of the basics available within a product detail page? Brands part of Brand Registry who don’t utilize Storefronts ? Too many.
There are, of course, a few key pieces of your listing that you absolutely need to have in order before any hopes of Q4 success.
- Product Title: Make sure your title is clear. You can use seasonal words and phrases, but don’t keyword stuff! This is, of course, where you want your top keywords to be placed for best chances at discoverability.
- Feature Bullets: Treat your bullets just like you’re reading now. Lead with key features and provide additional details that will target your SEO as well as engage shoppers.
- Product Description: Don’t skip out on your description! This is yet another opportunity for SEO keyword placements, as well as telling your product and brand story.
- Product Images ; Videos: Make sure you are using the maximum amount of space available to help you visually sell your product. Include measurements, different views, 3D renderings , etc.
- A+ Content: Play with this section of your listing! Make the imagery seasonal or focused around entertaining and gift-giving.
Some other critical tips to consider for your listings:
- Make it look professional; capitalize the first letter of every word in your title, product name, etc.
- Provide specific and accurate measurements, weight figures, etc. with numerals rather than numbers spelled out. This is more shopper-friendly and helps save you characters.
- Avoid using too many symbols: ~ ! * ; $ ? _ ~ { } # < > | ; ^ ¬ ¦
- Always focus your content to match the intent of the user, leading with benefits not features. Put yourself in your shoppers’ shoes!
- Keep your descriptions “fluff-free,” meaning no unnecessary phrasing or drawn-out sentences.
- Utilize seasonal lifestyle images within your A+ Content or product listings (without breaking Terms of Service).
Focus your advertising strategies.
The best approach is to increase your ad spend while ensuring you make money on every sale. If you don’t do this when Black Friday starts, for example, your current spend limit may be blown before the middle of the day – and that means you’re missing out on more sales since people won’t see your ads!
You can also utilize the Amazon Sponsored Products Bid+ feature, which is like speed-dial for boosting keyword bids by up to 50 percent. You may benefit from temporarily higher-ranking listings this way, though ads should be maintained and kept active over time to ensure optimal sales potential.
Whether you work with an agency, use software, run ads in-house, or some combination of these, go into the holiday season with a clear plan, and be ready to adapt that plan based on real-time data.
Play with your pricing.
As the sales volume picks up, it’s a great time to utilize a Dynamic Pricing strategy to help you find a price that helps increase your margins without compromising your sales. While this is something you can do manually, there are plenty of other things on your mind this holiday season.
Opt for coupons or Lightning Deals.
While the deadline for “official” Lightning Deals on Amazon (and other major retailers) has passed, you can still take advantage of promotions. Implement a strategic promotion strategy throughout Q4. Remember, shoppers are looking for the best deal this time of year.
If you need some inspiration, here are some simple ways to get those promos out to your audience:
- Offer a marketplace coupon. Lightning Deals are unique to shopping events, but any product and seller can have a coupon.
- Post a discount on social media.
- Share an offer with your email list.
Plus, most marketplaces reward driving traffic from external sources, so it’s a win-win.
Plan for Chinese New Year.
The year of the snake kicks off Wednesday, January 29, 2025. If you’re working with suppliers in China, you’ll need to be prepared for the factory closures. Before you wrap up 2024 and take a breather after the holidays, make sure your inventory scheduling is good for January and into the rest of Q1.
Make the Most of Your Q4 Strategies with Trellis
Did you know that Trellis can help you implement all of these strategies? Whether with our software or our managed services, our team can help you make the most of Q4 and grow your margins at the same time.
Book a no-obligation demo with our team today for a tour of the platform and more details on how Trellis can help this holiday season.
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