In 2023, we saw an increase in retail conversion rates during the holiday season, with many shoppers making their purchases well before Black Friday. This year, only 24% of shoppers plan to postpone their holiday shopping until Black Friday.

To help your brand stay ahead of the curve, we’ve gathered some tips directly from Quantum Metric customers, who represent 40% of the world’s internet users.

1. Effectively manage product availability

Nothing frustrates customers more than investing time searching for the perfect item only to find out it’s out of stock at checkout. Avoid this by:

• Communicate availability up front: Clearly display product availability (e.g., “In stock” or “Available online”) before the customer adds items to their cart. Use real-time inventory updates to ensure accuracy. Track how often products are marked as “out of stock” and set alerts if there is a significant increase, which may indicate supply chain issues. If an item is out of stock, offer alternatives like Bass Pro Shops did.
• Manage temporary unavailability: Instead of simply marking an item as “out of stock,” include expected restock dates and provide the option to notify customers when the item is back. Customers who opt-in to notifications are 3-4 times more likely to purchase once the item becomes available again.
• Streamline product variations: If there is only one item type left, remove unnecessary variations that could confuse customers. This simplifies the decision-making process and reduces the risk of cart abandonment.

Effective management of product availability, combined with proactive monitoringwill improve customer satisfaction and reduce cart abandonment rates.

2. Monitor promo codes and search terms

Promo codes and search functionality can be powerful tools during the holiday season, but only if they work correctly:

• Promo Codes: Set up alerts for failed promo codes and review any friction-causing codes. Common problems include confusion between similar characters such as “O” and “0”. Track customer behavior following failed promo code entry to understand the impact on conversions.
• Search terms: Track search terms that lead to “No results found” and update your query library to include these terms. This ensures that customers can find what they are looking for, reducing frustration.

Resolving issues with promo codes and search terms quickly can make or break your holiday sales, so stay vigilant and responsive. Canadian Tire worked with Quantum Metric to optimize promo codes to drive a 40% increase in online sales.

3. Plan for peak load

Make sure your infrastructure is ready for the holiday rush:

• Capacity planning: Pre-size your environment to support expected peak loads. Regularly test your site under simulated high traffic conditions to identify potential weak spots and set up alerts for increased load times, especially on key pages such as product and checkout pages.
• Error monitoring: Keep an eye out for error messages to customers, such as 404 messages or payment failures, and fix them quickly to maintain customer trust. Configure real-time alerts for critical errors to ensure rapid resolution.

By planning peak loads and site performance monitoringyou can ensure a smooth and reliable shopping experience during the busiest time of the year.

4. Refine your mobile strategy

Mobile is set to play a central role this holiday season. To boost mobile sales:

• Optimize the shopping experience: Make sure your mobile site offers clear navigation and simplified purchasing journeys. Use A/B testing to identify and eliminate friction points in the mobile user journey. Track mobile session durations and compare them with conversion rates to identify breakpoints.
• Minimize payment errors: Simplify payment forms and offer multiple payment options to reduce friction at checkout. Monitor payment success rates and set alerts for spikes in failed payments.
• Improve mobile views: Make sure all views, especially product pages and checkout, are easy to interact with on smaller screens. Test your site regularly and set up alerts for increased mobile cart abandonment rates, especially at checkout.

By refining your mobile strategy and closely monitoring key performance indicatorsyou can turn these browsing sessions into actual sales.

With the holiday season approaching, now is the time to make sure your digital brand is ready to meet the demands of eager shoppers. By following the tips above, you can create a seamless shopping experience that drives conversions and increases customer satisfaction.

I want learn more on how Quantum Metric can help you succeed this holiday season, check out our product visits for direct insight into how you can optimize experiences based on customer behavior.