Who doesn’t love a January sale? In nearly every industry, businesses use this time to sell their leftover stock and reset for the new year. It’s not all about selling off as much as possible though. When thinking strategically about sales, you can look at increasing brand recognition, developing customer relationships by rewarding high-value or loyal customers, or you can take the opportunity to grow your customer database or cross-sell to existing customers.  

One thing that can make all this a lot easier is by being online. We’ve seen consumer behaviour change over the last few years, with more and more opting to shop online. Having an e-commerce site is essential in today’s world. You can connect with your customer base and enter new markets more easily. You also have invaluable data at your fingertips which can be used to inform your other sales’ goals.  

If you’ve been struggling to get your online shop going or haven’t even begun it yet, the post-Christmas sales frenzy can be a great time to promote it. Consider these 5 marketing tips to get the best out of your online shop: 

1. Know your audience

By targeting specific audiences, you can push relevant offers to consumers who are likely to be interested. Consider investing in paid advertising, pushing relevant deals to consumers based on geographical targeting and consumer characteristics. 

Creating email campaigns toward segmented audiences is another option. Using a CRM system can help you compile lists of contacts based upon the data you collect. If you’re using Surf Accounts as your bookkeeping software, you have a CRM that you may not even be using.  

2.Listen to your customer

Consumers will be using socials to talk about their post-Christmas shopping plans. Keep an eye out for posts like these to see what your consumers are interested in and use this information when crafting your own special offers.  

You can also engage with your consumers on socials. Consider using tools such as polls to ask what deals they would like to see from you and try to make the most popular ones a reality. 

3. Don’t be afraid to give a preview of your sales

It’s most likely that your loyal customers will be the ones actively looking for your post-Christmas deals, so don’t be afraid to give them a sneak peek. Consider sending emails in advance which showcase some of best deals you will be offering and to encourage online shopping, you can include exclusive online deals.. 

Think about rewarding existing customers with a specific discount code. Discount codes are a great way to get your customers to purchase. However, you should be careful with this option. Make sure your discounts don’t eat too much into your profits. Consider creating specific lines for the discount code, instead of having it store-wide. 

4. Run competitions and encourage engagement

Marketing efforts can also be effective after your customer has bought from you. For example, consider creating a social media campaign asking consumers to share their purchases on social media, tagging your business and using a hashtag to be in with the chance of winning a prize. This can help your online shop reach the followers of your buyers, who may become interested in the deals you provide. 

5. Ensure your offers are different to competitors

Consumers are expecting special offers and will look around. Aim to make your offers stand out, not just on price. Think about why the consumer should purchase with you over your competitors and showcase this within your campaigns. A great way to stand out is through your branding. 

Also, consider how you can package your offers so you remain profitable while potential buyers can see real value for money. Remember, there’s no point pushing deals if you are not making a profit, so ensure the special offers you’ve come up with are worth your while.  

Final thoughts

Ultimately, January is a great time of year to promote your online shop. However, it is not the end of the world if you don’t make the most of it. Although the points we’ve made in this blog surround January, they can be implemented for any time of year you intend to push special offers, such as Valentine’s Day, summer sales, or Black Friday. 

One last point: Check your stock!

Remember, it’s pointless to plan for online growth if you don’t have the correct stock levels. If you oversell, you may end up having to cancel orders which can upset consumers, damaging your reputation. If you’re expanding your business online, you’ll not only need to have excellent stock management, but you’ll also need to keep an extra eye on invoice processing, ensuring deliveries are made on time.  

A great way to avoid these issues is to use Bright’s cloud accounting software, Surf Accounts, which provides an excellent invoice management system that can be automatically hooked up to our stock management tool. Let Surf Accounts make invoicing, tracking orders, and managing goods in and goods out a breeze.