Shoppers should be ‘delighted’ by festive online marketing

Ecommerce businesses should concentrate on their newest and most exciting tactics when planning their online marketing strategies for Christmas.

At the same time, they should make sure that they are not loading themselves up with too many tasks within that strategy as they face on of the busiest trading periods of the year.

That’s according to Sophia Haynes, director of marketing and communications at the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB).  She suggests that businesses test and refine their most innovative ways of reaching online shoppers whilst internet traffic is at a peak.

She says: “The core recommendation would be to focus on a few things and do them really well. Test and learn. Don’t jump in and try to do everything at once.”

Haynes also says that businesses must provide useful information to Christmas shoppers. Website design should include making contact details clear and stating opening times for high street retailers and other shops connected to them.

She also said that shops need to be at their most effective and accountable during the festive season: “Make sure that the company can deliver against what it set out to [do], because people get very disappointed at Christmas if things don’t arrive.”

Her advice comes as a recent report suggests that online shopping revenues will rise to £9bn this year.

How Britain Will Shop for Christmas 2011, produced by Verdict and SAS, also predicts that 63% of customers will research online before buying an item.