photo by Serge Melki

Mother’s Day isn’t just a sentimental holiday. Last year,  Americans spent $14.1 billion dollars on their moms. Americans purchase a combination of traditional gifts like household or gardening goods as well as spa treatments and electronics and gifts cards.

If you own an ecommerce website or website that offers services that can treated as gifts – here’s a few tips that can apply future holidays like Father’s Day.

Offer Holiday-Related Coupons Codes Gift cards bring in 1.5 billion dollars of spending during the year. When consumers are in a hurry, gift cards can’t be beat. Offering themed coupon codes such as promotional discounts on golf clubs for Dads and higher ticketed items that may not sell as well.

Keep you Customers in the Loop Using email newsletters, you can keep your customers “in the know” about special products, services, sales, and more. Don’t be afraid to talior your emails for certain audiences. For example, one email geared towards couples for wedding seasons. Plan ahead (6 months or more) and use strategy to gain the right customers.

Free or Discounted Shipping Everyone loves a deal and it’s hard to argue with free shipping. These days many people live far away from family, so if you can save them a trip to the post office, you are making their lives much easier!

Host a Contest Everyone loves contests! Introducing the contest can be done through social media (twitter or facebook). Some ideas could be naming a new product, submitting a funny photo, or answering a hard question. Offer a gift card or shopping spree to the winner.

These are just a few ideas, have fun with it. Promoting your ecommerce site during holidays should be a fun experience and help you get your customers excited about what your business is doing.

In The Navigation bar:

Contact details
Customers should be able to easily find contact details immediately. There should at least be a link in the navigation or footer.

My account / sign in
This is angled more for returning customers, or for those who want to check or track an order.

Shopping basket / checkout link
Most customers will look or expect to see this on the top right of the page. Symbols such as cart, basket or bag can help to make it stand out. Visit Barnes and Noble have a great example.

About us
It’s good to share your story about your business and make sure it’s visible. Many folks, especially if they are local, will want to know who they are buying from and that you are legit.

In General:

Search box
Help your customers find what they need in a matter of seconds! Joann.com has a nice example.

Logo & Tagline
A great way to establish yourself through color and words, your customers always know that they on the right website. Queen Bee Creations has a fun example of this!

Store address and/or store finder
If you are a brick and mortar store, this is vital. Don’t forget to include your address at the bottom of every page (just part of the footer)

Telephone number
Helps build trust that your customers can call you about transactions and talk to a real human.

Latest offers/Promo section
Always make your sales easy to find. Sometimes having a rotating banner on the homepage that can easily be updated can be the perfect solution!  Returning customers will continue to look forward to seeing what’s on sale on the homepage. Visit Threadless for a great example!

Email sign up
This is definitely an item you want visible! Give customers and potential customers the option of signing up, no strings attached! Check out Harry and David for an example!

Delivery offers
If you offer free delivery, or have some delivery offer, make sure your customers see it right way. It can help be more persuasive than you realize! Visit REI for an example.

Personalised recommendations
If your website has the programming/intelligence built in, showing products based on previous purchases can help entice returning customers.

Social media links
As with email sign up, make it easy for customers to follow you on Twitter or Facebook.

Accepted payment methods
Most sites will accept common credit and debit cards, some customers may be looking to find out if they can pay by PayPal or some alternative method.

Blog
If you have a blog, tease customers with the latest stories with fun, attention-grabbing headlines. Check out Milagros.com for examples.