There’s a reason every retailer puts so much focus on the end of the year - it’s perhaps the biggest sales and acquisition opportunity in the calendar. Very rarely throughout the rest of the year do you have such a high concentration of eager shoppers. Between snapping up a deal over Black Friday weekend, to grabbing gifts for friends and family for the holidays, there are lots of shoppers ready to spend.
But we did say every retailer focuses on this time of year. That means your competitors, big box stores, and more, are ready to catch your customers’ attention. And that’s why you need to get ready now.
It isn’t always easy to know where to start your BFCM and holiday prep. Sometimes you’ll prepare your email strategy, but you didn’t even think about your loyalty program. Or maybe you’ve decided on discount codes but you later realize how much money you’ve lost in acquisition due to discounting.
That’s where “Ready. Set. Go” comes in.
We’ve worked with some of Shopify’s top apps to put together an 8 chapter playbook with the top tasks you should have on your BFCM/Holiday prep checklist. We’ll cover everything from supply chain, to subscriptions, to digital gifting, and more. Best of all, it’s actionable advice you can use that will make a real impact on your strategy.
“Ready. Set. Go” is your playbook for BFCM and holiday season success - meet your ecommerce experts
Recharge
Subscriptions and recurring payments are a huge opportunity for Shopify merchants, bringing in regular revenue and building a solid base of highly engaged customers. Recharge is a well-known name in the Shopify space and for good reason - they power subscriptions for thousands of merchants. With the growth in subscription commerce over the last few years, they take the time to dig through data, and provide merchants with tools that will supercharge their strategies.
With their experience in the field, their chapter focuses on the benefits of having a gift subscription strategy. Plus, how merchants can provide the best gift subscription experience that will retain customers long after the holiday season is over.
LoyaltyLion
Loyalty is one of the strongest assets merchants have when it comes to sales growth - 57% of customers spend more on brands to which they are loyal. Having a great loyalty program is key, and that’s where LoyaltyLion comes in, providing Shopify merchants an easy way to design and manage an effective loyalty program. Their platform is behind some of Shopify’s biggest and best, like Reserve Bar and Skinnydip.
This makes them perfectly poised to give merchants expert advice on how to improve their loyalty program over the BFCM and holiday season to maximize retention. After all, it’s one of the toughest challenges to tackle after BFCM. Their chapter goes over the struggles of the post-BFCM boom, and what merchants can do to extend that success beyond Black Friday.
Alloy
One of the best assets of any Shopify merchant is access to an ecosystem of top tier apps and tools. However, if you want to really maximize your store’s potential then you’re going to need those apps to not only work together, but do so without you even lifting a finger. Alloy makes it possible to connect your store’s apps, automate workflows between those apps, and streamline your entire ecommerce strategy.
Their chapter will give you tried and tested strategies for automating your Shopify store that will take the stress and guesswork out of Black Friday weekend. From asking your customers for reviews, to dishing out reward points, upselling products and more…all without lifting a finger. Your team can focus on the manual work that matters, while your automated flows take care of the rest.
Loop
It’s time to turn returns into something to smile about, and Loop is the app any Shopify store needs to do just that. Rather than being seen as a negative, Loop gives you the tools to create a returns process that’s a delight for your customers and easy for your team to manage. They’re an exchange-first platform, prioritizing sales retention and customer experience all at once.
With their expertise in managing a world-class returns program, their chapter looks at how you can develop a data-led strategy to returns, and how to automate it. You’ll learn how to develop a program that’s easy to manage, and effective at improving both revenue retention and customer satisfaction.
Venntov
As one of the longest serving Shopify app developers in the ecosystem, Venntov has been powering the SEO strategies of thousands of merchants for almost a decade. Alongside their flagship app, SEO Manager, they’re also behind customer experience tool Order Lookup, and clocking in tool ClockedIn.
Their chapter dives into what you can do now to boost your SEO ahead of the holiday season, with actionable, straightforward, and easily implemented tips. Search is going to be one of your biggest channels for acquisition, and if you want to get an edge on the competition, Venntov are here to dish out their expert advice.
(Fun fact - if you weren’t already aware, our Founder and CEO, Rhian, previously co-founded Venntov!)
Ethercycle
If anyone knows Shopify strategy, it’s Ethercycle. Being one of the original Shopify Experts, they’ve been guiding merchants to success for almost a decade and have developed a reputation as one of the premier agencies for independent brands. Founder Kurt Elster also hosts the biggest Shopify podcast, The Unofficial Shopify Podcast, where he talks to the biggest names in the ecosystem to get their best strategies and advice.
Kurt has penned a chapter diving into one of the most effective tools for your BFCM and Holiday strategy - split testing. Advice and best practices can only get your store so far, and if you really want to drive conversions and see those sales soar this holiday season, split testing is going to be your secret weapon.
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