Amazon has just released three major gift guides. There’s a Holiday Toy Guide, an Electronics Guide, and a Home Guide. Each one showcases hundreds of items, is searchable, and features curated collections from relevant influencers.
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We know that shoppers visit Amazon regularly – Recode reported that 55% of shoppers go there first to research products and check prices – and there’s no doubt that this is where customer expectations are shaped. With that in mind, here are four things you can do to make gift givers’ lives a little easier:
Mini Gift Guides: Short & Simple Sells
Amazon’s gift guides all comprehensive and overwhelming. Create targeted, to-the-point gift guide content – 3-5 items for a very specific audience (For the Sapphire Lover, For the Paw Patrol Fan, etc) that can be viewed at a glance and acted on immediately. To maximize the value of your mini gift guides, make them available via several channels: on your website, social media, and in your email marketing.
Highly Targeted Text Messaging Campaigns
When customers interact with your brand via chat or text message, they’re creating valuable data points about the type of products they’re interested in. Group like individuals into categories for targeted, personalized campaigns: Millennials buy gifts for themselves as well as others throughout the holiday shopping season.
Offer No Pressure Personalized Gift Suggestions
If a customer came into your store and said, “I need a gift for my sister in law, that’s really nice, for under $50”, you’d know what to show them. Let your customers know they can have the same experience via video chat: if they decide to buy, you can have everything ready for in-store pickup for them.
Create a Special Email List for Gift Givers
Email marketing is still one of the most powerful tools available to business owners, and we know the effectiveness goes up when messaging is highly targeted and personally relevant. Invite your customers to join a special email list for gift givers; among the information you gather during sign up, inquire about the people they buy gifts for often (including themselves!) Monthly newsletters with gift suggestions can include exclusive offers, but they don’t have to: the key is sending gift givers reasons to buy all year long.