11/ 19/ 2007
by Tamara E. Holmes
For retailers, the holiday season is a crucial time for reaching customers. One way to do that and to boost the online presence of your small business at the same time is to create an online gift guide.
Online gift guides are groupings of merchandise that retailers recommend as holiday gifts. For shoppers who are trying to decide what to buy for family and friends, gift guides can provide inspiration and save customers the time and energy of searching for the ideal present. For retailers, online gift guides provide a showcase for certain products and foster a connection with customers.
An online gift guide need not be complicated. It can consist of a separate page on your company's Web site featuring photos and descriptions of certain products, or it can be as simple as an e-mail newsletter advertising items that might make good holiday gifts. To maximize your gift guide's effectiveness, keep the following tips in mind.
Include your bestsellers. When selecting items to feature in your online gift guide, be sure to add some of your most popular merchandise. The holiday season is one of those few times a year when people are searching for items to buy so you're likely to get the attention of consumers who are willing to make purchases immediately. Since you already know what your customers like, offer more of it. If you only feature new items or those that haven't garnered a following, there's more of a risk that your gift guide won't interest potential shoppers and they'll look elsewhere.
Add something new. Your bestsellers are likely to capture the interest of shoppers, but a gift guide is also a good place to add one or two new items you're trying to push. The online gift guide is technically giving certain products some extra promotion, so take advantage of the opportunity to introduce customers to a couple of items you suspect will do well.
Make it easy. Group items in a way that makes it easier for shoppers to find what they're looking for. For example, separating items by gender might make it easier for customers to find gifts for males as opposed to gifts for females. Likewise, you might group merchandise according to the age of the person you think the gift may appeal to. For example, toys might be grouped in a section of items for children between the ages of 5 and 10.
Be price-conscious. Holiday shoppers typically have multiple people to shop for so they may be particularly sensitive about price. By separating merchandise according to what customers want to spend, you make it easier for them to find what they're after, which may lead them to use your gift guide to shop for more than one person on their gift list. Let customers easily sort potential gifts by price; for example, listing items that cost $15 or less, then $16 to $30, etc.
Add promotions and incentives. Merely highlighting your merchandise isn't enough. You want to convince shoppers that they are getting something special by doing their holiday shopping at your store. Emphasize holiday specials so customers believe they're getting a deal. You might also offer specials on gift-wrapping or shipping to make it easy for customers to purchase gifts for people who don't live near.
Keep customers coming back. Turn your customers into repeat customers by offering them an incentive to come back to the store after the holidays. Whether it's a coupon that's good the day after Christmas or a sneak preview of your spring collection, let the customer know that while the gift guide is impressive, it's only a taste of what your business offers year-round.
