How to Boost Sales on Gift-giving Pages

During the holidays, specialty stores often see boosts in traffic as people hunt for both common and unique gifts. Most other stores put a great deal of focus on the Christmas shopping season, but nearly any ecommerce site can benefit year-round.

It all boils down to how you market and show shoppers that various products make good gifts. Mimicking big-box stores like Walmart and Target won’t cut it. That’s because these sites focus on large, bold graphics that scream “sale,” followed by categories of featured items.

Most big retailers focus on the deals more than the items. This rarely works as well for small ecommerce businesses due to their inability to be more competitively priced on the same products.

Guide Them

Granted, sales are always nice, but shoppers first need to find the right gift. That’s where effective landing pages, banners, and showcased items come into play.

When building a gift-giving landing page, be sure to accommodate as many people as possible. The ideal page should include the following.

• Featured holiday or celebration. If applicable, include the current year’s date.
• Spotlighted items, which can be displayed in an oversized banner.
• Categories of gift types, such as apparel, housewares, sports, and gift baskets.
• Collections of gifts by price range. Many shoppers have a budget and this helps them better focus on what they can afford.
• Any promo code, sale information or offer, including free shipping and gift wrapping service.
• Links for contacting customer support — live chat, email, phone — so shoppers can get help finding the right gift.

John Deere showcases tees, a promo, and a selection of all things John Deere for women. While not the most ideal layout, this page calls attention to a nice range of products.

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Gifts.com sports a Father’s Day landing page that is eye catching and easy to navigate. Note how it provides many ways to find a gift.

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For Mother’s Day, Fitbit shows off its line of products in simple gift boxes, using a enticing line of “Pick a gift that’ll move her.”

Eliminate Frustration

Shopping for the right gift can be time consuming and frustrating, especially when a site doesn’t offer enough details. Here are some things to avoid, to make the conversion process go smoothly.

• Focusing on stellar design and little else. Be sure to also provide all the essential product information.
• Listing products that will not arrive in time. As the holiday gets closer, remove any items that can’t ship in a timely fashion. Typically this includes drop-shipped items.
• Listing items that have poor ratings and reviews.
• Not being clear about items that are oversized and may require specialty handling.
• Not disclosing in advance any products that cannot ship to certain locations, such as products that cannot be exported.
• Listing too many products. The idea is to provide a decent selection, not necessarily a massive group of products because “anything is a gift.”
• Listing out-of-stock products. Many people are shopping last-minute. Make it easy by listing products they can actually buy.

This landing page from ArchiesOnline.com sports great graphics, but it doesn’t tell the shopper about any offers. It also doesn’t provide a means to shop by price range.

You’ll also want to educate shoppers, especially when it comes to gift giving for special occasions. By providing key information, you can keep them right where you want them, rather than sending them to other websites.

Websites that sell gifts for milestones should educate shoppers. This page from Hallmark lists the traditional and modern themes for wedding anniversaries.

It may take several revisions and testing to find the right mix, but it’s worth finding the best way to feature gift ideas. Don’t hesitate to check out plenty of other online stores, including competitors. You’re not looking for what to copy, but rather analyzing how each one would work for your target audience.

Personalization Mall puts the focus on the recipient.

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Grouping gifts by type and milestone simplifies the process, as shown here by ThingsRemembered.com.

Gift-ideas sections are ever changing, as trends change. Both analytics and heat maps can help determine what’s working. Look at these often. A successful landing page or gift-ideas section entices the shopper to really navigate, so longer visit times often indicate interest, especially on mobile.

Lastly, be sure to read both pre-order questions and post-order feedback from customers. Some will share their gift-giving stories, which can help you decide what products to feature.