Summer 2021 is here, can I get a hallelujah? The beaches are calling, picnics with decked-out charcuterie boards are in full swing, and the sun is doing its thing in the sky. It’s prime time for seaside rollerblading, rooftop dining, music festivals, and—in the world of affiliate marketing—coming up with new eCommerce strategies to suit the summer season.
Let’s be real, summer is a hot time for eCommerce. Specials will undoubtedly be popping up left and right, and we’ve gotta be well-positioned to ride the wave of this summer sales period. So, in that spirit, let’s talk about some strategies businesses can use to hit the ground running for summer.
Are you ready? Grab your surfboards and sunblock, cause we’re diving right in. Wow, that was a little cheesy, but you know what? Let’s just run with it.
1. Make your website shine bright
It is summer, so this one is only right. It’s a busy time for both eCommerce shop owners and the customers that shop their sites. Considering how many opportunities people will have to snatch up sales during these months, offering the best customer experience is paramount.
Google is constantly changing its algorithm and content that isn’t optimized on your website might hurt you. So, here are a few ideas for how to tune up your website for summer:
- Spruce up your visuals: Ensure your product images are visually saying enough about your products, think about adding product demonstration videos and check in on the zoom-in function on your product pages to make sure it’s highlighting all intricate product details.
- Revisit your product titles: Just as important as positioning your products attractively is making your product titles both informative and SEO-friendly so that they’re more visible in searches. To start, you could make sure that your product title reflects the terms that shoppers will be searching for. Think product name, brand, and color, for example.
- Dial into your descriptions: Because those customers will be surrounded by so many sales, product descriptions will be vital when it comes to conversions. Get into the head of shoppers and speak to what they need. Write about your products in a way that makes them relatable to the lives of shoppers. How do the products make their lives easier or better? Things like that. Maybe even look at feedback about your products and answer questions that are always asked right in your description.
2. Prioritize convenience
We’ve already talked about the importance of optimizing your site for mobile, so we’ll skip over that one. There are still countless other ways to give your customers the gift of convenience for the summer season. Some surefire ways to go about this are offering a variety of checkout and payment options as well as a clear and frictionless checkout process.
To sweeten the experience, even more, make it one of your objectives to offer fast delivery so that customers receive what they ordered in time for all those summer pop-up events. Free shipping is also, of course, another great way to prioritize convenience. All these things may seem small, but trust me, they add up and make a huge difference, especially if your shopper is busy.
3. Get the troops (aka your affiliates) ready
What’s one thing that makes a difference when it comes to preparing for a busy season? Gathering all of your resources and gearing them up to work for you seamlessly. Stay in touch with your affiliates well before and throughout the season so you can let them know which products are a priority to promote. It’s the perfect time to offer your affiliates promotions, samples, or even a higher commission in exchange for posting campaigns on social media, shouting out your products on their blog, and the like.
4. Reward customers for their loyalty
Another one we’ve touched on in a past blog, focusing on your existing customers can provide a wealth of value to your business. For those who didn’t catch that post, it costs five times more to attract a new customer than it does to retain one, and increasing customer retention by even 5% leads to a 25% to 95% increase in profit. Need I say more? Probably not, but I will anyway.
With all of the above said, spend some time rewarding your returning customers through a loyalty program. You can offer them exclusive summer discounts, send them a small gift when they receive a certain amount of points, or maybe offer early access to new summer products or services.
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With the above strategies, I hope that you’re feeling even a little more up to and prepared to achieve your summertime sales goals. Heck, you may even find some of these useful after the season is over.
We’re also happy to help with your summer strategy where we can. We can provide you with campaign ideas, summer commission rate recommendations, or connect you with new affiliates that can bolster your business during these sweltering, sunny months. Talk to us.
