12 last-minute eCommerce tips to boost January sales
January sales are always disappointing, right? Wrong. Try some of our last-minute ideas for a boost in sales to set the year off to a good start.
There's never been a better time to run an eCommerce store. This year, around a fifth of all retail purchases took place online – a fraction that's expected to become a quarter by 2026.
Now that Christmas is just around the corner, you might be looking gloomily ahead to January – a time of year that's despised up and down the land for its poor sales.
However, January can play an important role in your annual sales strategy. At the very least, it's a time to shift stock with some canny sales and offers. At best, it can be a period that turns recent shoppers into long-term customers.
Look, we know it's getting late and it's nearly January already. But in the spirit of last-minute Christmas shopping, here are some steps you can take to make your January sales really count next year.
1. Do your planning
Your site needs to reflect your intentions – after all, in the eCommerce world, it's both the storefront and the tills.
You've still got time to choose which products you're going to discount and plan any shipping offers or promotional campaigns. Get them all down on an easy-read spreadsheet.
Doing this before the new year gives you the best chance to smash your January sales goals.
2. Make sure your website is up-to-date
If you click on a web store in January, you need to know instantly that there's a sale on – whether that's because of a banner, a pop-up or both.
People don't read websites like they read print media. They tend to dart up and down looking for what they need. That's why you need to make your headings clear, concise and informative – and follow them with positive calls to action.
You can also customise existing logos and branding to make your January sales pitch clear.
However you go about it, the main thing is to be loud and proud so people know that now's the time to spend. Don't do yourself a disservice by burying your message at the bottom of a marketing email.
3. Use social media
Social media can be a great way to spread the word. In the days leading up to the new year, why not post teaser images to get people talking? You can even schedule posts so that they're ready to drop in January itself.
You could also consider encouraging customer engagement by, for instance, getting them to post a picture of themselves with your product. If they use a special hashtag, they get a discount on their next purchase. This kind of tactic generates sales and publicity free of charge – win-win.
4. Sales and discounts
This is the big one – but it's not always done well.
For many, Christmas is a season of over-spending – so come January, they're tightening their belts. That's why we have January sales in the first place – not just to shift stock, but also to keep customers buying through a lean month.
That means free or discounted shopping, freebies, voucher codes and customer rewards. It means time-sensitive offers that stir FOMO in your customers' hearts.
The main thing is to get all of this on your website and in your marketing. A January sale is something to shout from the digital rooftops.
5. Diversify your revenue streams
Are you across all major online storefronts? If not, January could be a good time to explore.
Incidentally, if you partner with us for online fulfilment, we have the software to integrate major platforms with your fulfilment and packaging. It's as easy as telling us who you're selling with.
6. Enable wish lists
Encourage customers to make a wish list on your web store – then, come January, send them an email reminder. It might just bag you some extra sales.
7. Expedite a new product launch
Got a new product ready to go in your back pocket? January could be the time to let it fly. If all goes well, it could boost your first-quarter revenue and set things nicely in motion for the rest of the year.
8. Communicate with existing customers
Whether you have long-term customers in your files or have picked up some new ones in the run-up to Christmas, you want to make sure that they know all about your January sales.
A well-targeted email campaign can go a long way. It could include teasers, exclusives or related content – the main thing is that it all points towards your web store when the sale starts.
9. Use live chat
Increasingly, eCommerce companies are using live chat to convert site visits into sales. Keep it open and active throughout your sale so you can point customers in the right direction.
10. Optimise your website for mobile use
More and more people use their phones for online shopping – so if your website is a little clunky on a phone browser, people will click away and go elsewhere.
Don't let this happen – make sure your web store is accessible, clear and beautiful on all major devices.
11. Advertise at check-out
You know when you're in the supermarket for your weekly shop and end up adding some chewing gum, Aspirin or protein bars to the conveyor belt? You can do the same online by showing sale items at the check-out.
12. Keep marketing
Yes, sales tend to decrease in January – but that's not a good reason to slash your marketing budget for the month. It's far better to right-size it and pick up the sales you can than to cut it altogether.
Final thoughts
It's never too late to make your January sales count. This year, why not try implementing some of these ideas?
We wish you all the best this January. Here's to a happy Christmas and a profitable new year.
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