2 3 INTRODUCTION (why you should read this) At Contentsquare, we’re no strangers to Black Friday and the holiday season. With over 300 retail clients, we’ve been there in the war rooms, we’ve had the all nighters, and experienced the usual website-related madness. We know your time is precious, and we know realistically there’s only so much you can do in the build up to Peak. With that in mind, we’ve curated a guide that gets to the point and only offers advice you can actually try. It’s the condensed wisdom of our experts designed to give you concrete ideas you can test and implement for your digital visitors before Black Friday hits. And it’s all backed by data, as we analysed millions of online user sessions during peak last year. From the ‘A’ of Acquisition to the ‘Z’ of the checkout (close enough), you’ll find tried and tested advice every step of the way. STREAMLINING JOURNEYS MAXIMIZING REVENUE OPTIMIZING CONTENT Navigation Product Placement Discounting Cart Abandonment Checkout Homepage User-generated Content Technical Issues Acquisition 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Last year in a snapshot 4 Section 1 : Streamlining Digital Journeys 5 Acquisition 6 Technical issues 9 Navigation 12 Section 2: Optimizing Online Content 15 Homepage 16 Product placement 18 User-generated content 20 Section 3: Maximizing Online Revenue 22 Discounting 23 Cart abandonment 25 Checkout 27 About Contentsquare 29 4 5 Retail fashion Cosmetics Luxury Home supply & tech Traffic Conversion rates Device split Before peak During peak Desktop Mobile Tablet 2.3% 2.4% 1.08% 3.5% 3.7% 1.58% 3.8% 3.3% Retail fashion Cosmetics Luxury Home supply & tech LAST YEAR IN A SNAPSHOT 67% 28% 5% 68% 57% 67% 31% 2% 36% 7% 28% 4% Based on a Contentsquare analysis of millions online of user sessions during peak season last year. AVG PAGEVIEWS Retail fashion Cosmetics Home supply & tech Luxury 34 29 23 23 AVG VISITS Retail fashion Cosmetics Home supply & tech Luxury 2.5 2.2 2.6 3.6 AVG ORDER VALUE Retail fashion Cosmetics Home supply & tech Luxury $174 $111 $373 $3,787 Buyer behaviour 7 6 CUSTOMER JOURNEY HACKS FOR: SECTION 1 : STREAMLINING JOURNEYS Reduce page load speed before you hit peak traffic. Navigation Re-evaluate the role of the search bar on your site. Technical issues Ensure your email landing pages match your marketing. Acquisition Engaging new visitors is crucial. New visitors make up 63% of the total traffic during Peak, up by over 10% when compared to other times of the year. For many, this holiday season might be the first time they learn of or interact with your brand. Creating a clean, consistent user experience between your marketing and advertising touchpoints and your website is a great way to reinforce that brand and help you to differentiate. Let’s look at some data. Our analysis shows that channels like paid social and SEO generally stayed stagnant across all regions (with the exception of SEO in the UK, which dropped 3.2% ). Increased competition in ad spend during peak season is a likely cause of this. The proportion of traffic from email, however, tends to increase dramatically during Peak season. But we also know that 47% of visitors still exit a site after seeing only one page. Improving the ‘stickiness’ of your landing pages is an important metric to focus on over Peak. ACQUISITION Hack # 1 : Ensure your landing pages match your marketing. 9 8 During Peak Holiday Season Traffic Sources by Region UK US FR DE Email 6.2% 7.8% 6.6% 3.9% Paid Social 4.4% 5.8% 2.3% 3.8% SEO 27.3% 15.8% 28.5% 14.8% Direct 19% 27.2% 16.4% 16.5% UK US FR DE Email 6.9% 8.6% 6.1% 4.6% Paid Social 4.3% 5.6% 2% 4.1% SEO 24.1% 13.5% 27.8% 13.3% Direct 20.9% 29.4% 16.8% 20.9% ACQUISITION Before Peak Holiday Season Our advice Consider having a hybrid between a product display page and product list page, which is a product page with a product list display underneath. This way, when customers land on your PDP from an acquisition channel such as Google shopping or social, they can continue browsing on your PDP, rather than going back to browse. This is especially important on mobile, where breadcrumbs and navigation are not as easy to use. When a customer is scrolling through Instagram and sees an emotive picture of someone wearing a dress on a beach, don’t send them to a generic sales page. Instead, keep the imagery between your acquisition channels and landing page experience consistent. If the imagery in your email communication is different to your social channels, consider creating separate landing pages or consolidating the experience across all your acquisition sources. Keep imagery consistent Hybrid product display and list pages 11 10 Page loading speed and user frustration, unfortunately, go hand-in-hand. According to Google, if mobile page load time increases from one-second to 10 seconds, the probability of a visitor bouncing increases by 123%. Slower load times not only costs your business traffic, but also revenue. Slower load times cause increased page and cart abandonment and ultimately lost revenue. Even just a one-second delay in page load time could decrease conversions by 7%. That means, if your site makes $100,000 in revenue per day, a one-second loading delay could cost you over $2.5 million in lost sales every year. Improving page load times before the holidays is crucial as you’ll not only have increased site traffic during the Peak season, but you’ll also have new potential customers interacting with your brand for the first time. The data shows that your page load times might take a hit. But it’s not just your site — average checkout and homepage load times jump 50% and 23% respectively from before to Peak holiday season. https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-resources/data-measurement/mobile-page-speed-new-industry-benchmarks/ https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/loading-time-sml.jpg TECHNICAL ISSUES Hack #2: Reduce page load speed before you hit peak traffic. Improving page load speed is a more technical endeavor so you should partner with your engineering team or service provider to minimize image size, reduce redirects, improve server response time, and more. Average Page Load Times Before vs During Peak Holiday Season (2019) Checkout page load time: Before peak During peak 1.2s 1.8s Homepage load time: Before peak During peak 2.2s 2.7s 12 13 Our advice Caching comes in many forms, but in all cases, it improves site performance and lessens the load placed on your original infrastructure. Once you lift that weight, your core resources are free to handle more dynamic transactions like your checkout. Caching for dynamic content Pay attention to the number of JavaScript files on your pages, and the size of them. Even with a fast server, a large number of JS files will impact loading times. Additionally, pre-size your images for both desktop and mobile and compress where possible to reduce page load time. Downsize A CDN service can offload most web traffic from your servers — up to 99 percent in some cases. That way, your main servers don’t have to do the heavy lifting when demand is high. Consider a Content Delivery Network (CDN) TECHNICAL ISSUES Research shows that there’s an over 48.7% increase in filter engagement during peak season, especially on mobile where it tends to spike fivefold when compared to a non peak period. Additionally, shoppers are 216% more likely to convert when using a search bar during their purchase journey nad 52% more likely to convert when using filters. This suggests an increase in the number of users arriving to your site with specific products in mind. Either way, an increased search and filter use during peak season warrants a re-evaluation of how your search delivers relevant results. 3.2% 4.6% Search bar usage increases around the holidays by over 43% , jumping from an average 3.2% click rate during before Peak to an average 4.6% click rate during Peak. Hack #3: Re-evaluate the role of the search bar on your site. https://ecommerceinsiders.com/retailers-include-search-2lters-boost-sales-6015/ https://neilpatel.com/blog/site-search-killing-your-conversion/ NAVIGATION before peak during peak Click rate on search bar 15 14 Our advice Some websites, like Amazon, allow searchers to filter by department directly from the search bar—before they even click search. This can give visitors more relevant results from the very beginning of their search. If this approach isn’t quite right for your business, instead focus on search page filters that help your visitors narrow down their results. You could even analyze your most popular filters and add them as CTAs on your site to get visitors to the product page faster. This would be an interesting test, particularly for your mobile traffic where filters are normally hidden in the menu. Turn popular filters and search queries into CTAs If users typically rely on search anyways, adding clickable, pre-loaded search results is an effective way to get more users to view product pages — and ultimately through checkout. Pre-load results beneath the search bar Hobbycraft, a UK based online retailer, were able to increase the revenue generated from a single homepage module by +80% by using common search terms to influence the products shown. Understanding what users frequently search can help you merchandise your product more efficiently, particularly over Peak. Use search data to influence recommended products NAVIGATION CUSTOMER JOURNEY HACKS FOR: SECTION 2: OPTIMIZING CONTENT Prioritize your most important content. Homepage Encourage users to add-to-basket from your PLPs. Product placement Tap into UGC to build trust and drive sales. User-generated content 16 17 Up to 50% of site content goes unseen during the Peak holiday season, compared to 41% the rest of the year. So before you scrap content you think is underperforming, give it a second chance. Sometimes small tweaks—like moving an element further up a page or reducing a banner size—is all it takes to increase visibility and drive engagement. Unfortunately, you can’t test and optimize your Black Friday and Cyber Monday content on your site today, but you can get crafty to test out messages, on-page elements, and content that can influence your holiday homepage experience. Hack #4: Prioritize your most important content. HOMEPAGE Our advice We know users scroll significantly less during Peak period than other times. Consider sacrificing brand-building content and instead prioritizing revenue-generating products at the top of the page. You should also think about catering to your returning visitors throughout the peak season by keeping the homepage content fresh — visitors making multiple visits to your site probably don’t want to see the same hero image repeatedly. If users don’t see something they like immediately, they may go elsewhere. Keep it short and sweet Use this time to collect data on your homepage from previous campaigns. Timely campaigns like summer sales as well as last year’s peak shopping season will give a more accurate insight into user behavior over Peak than specific brand campaigns. Collect data from previous campaigns In the months leading up to the big shopping holidays, take a strategic approach to homepage testing. Try out new CTAs, product placements, hero banners, interactive page elements, carousels, and more to figure out what engages your customers and what falls flat. Then, use these findings to influence your holiday designs so there are no surprises come launch. Many brands do a ‘dry run’ — or a sale in the lead-up to the campaign to road-test the strategies they are thinking of implementing over the Peak period. For example, The North Face did this by doing a soft launch of their gift guide for a week before the official peak season to a specific segment of customers. This enabled the team to quickly fix anything that wasn’t working ahead of the holiday season rush. Test ahead of Peak 18 19 While interaction times and time spent on a product page are almost identical before and during the Peak holiday season, the proportion of visitors who clicked on an “add to cart” CTA from a product page is much lower during Peak. This implies that more users are browsing; seeing product pages and deciding not to purchase, or switching between multiple products. Making it easier for users to add products to their basket from a PLP is one way to capitalize on browsing behavior, particularly over a Peak period where users are likely to be buying for both themselves and someone else. Hack #5: Go the extra mile to encourage users to add to basket. PRODUCT PLACEMENT Click/Hover rate on “Add to cart” CTA from a product page Before peak During peak 1.98% 0.9% 0.6% 0.2% Click rate Hover rate Our advice Most product pages require customers to scroll to the bottom to read customer reviews. Consider highlighting some of your reviews and star ratings on top of the product page (above the fold) to build trust through social proofing and to encourage quicker ‘add-to-basket’ clicks. For example, you could add a sticker next to the product featuring a short review and the star rating to make it stand out. Social Proofing With the frenzy of the peak shopping season, it’s likely your most popular products are going to sell out fast. Add messaging such as ‘limited stock available’ or ‘only 2 items left in stock’ to create a sense of urgency for customers to add the product to their basket. Product Availability Introducing an “add to basket” option when customers hover over an item on a product listing page can be a quick win for your business. Customers who know exactly what they’re looking for can more easily add it to their carts without interrupting their shopping experience. Allow visitors to add-to-basket from the PLP itself 20 21 Your existing customers are your brand’s best advocates. That’s why more and more companies are embracing user-generated content (UGC) and more prominently showcasing it on their sites. For retail businesses, it’s particularly helpful for visitors to see customers of all different sizes, ethnicities, and ages wearing or using products, so they can better imagine the product on themselves. In fact, 79% of people say user-generated content highly impacts their purchasing decisions. We found that pages containing UGC saw more visitor engagement than pages without, proving just how influential user generated content can be in catching users attention and converting customers. Hack #6: Tap into UGC to build trust and drive sales. USER-GENERATED CONTENT https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190220005302/en/Stackla-Survey-Reveals-Disconnect-Content-Consumers- Marketers 63% higher attractiveness rate 36% higher revenue per click 61% higher engagement rate Pages containing UGC: 20% increase in click rate 120% increase in add-to-basket rate 13% increase in PDP views Interactions on on-page UGC: Our advice If you’re working in fashion retail, you could run a A/B test by switching out selected product images with those of actual customers wearing your products. If you see higher engagement, do this for the products which will be going on sale during Peak. Product images with actual customers Encourage your customers to share their content with your business. Having a branded hashtag is the first step, but you also want to nurture a sense of community with your customers. Reach out to them on social media by liking or commenting on their posts and reshare their content on your own accounts (with permission, of course) to interact with fans and encourage others to share their own content. Incentivize your customers to share 23 22 CUSTOMER JOURNEY HACKS FOR: SECTION 3: MAXIMIZING REVENUE Consider both daily deals and blanket discounting. Discounting Support customers who aren’t ready to check out. Cart Abandonment Simplify your checkout UX. Checkout Consumers are taking back control when it comes to discounts. They no longer blindly purchase a product from a brand they know and love; studies show they are much savvier when it comes to finding deals. 80% of customers admit they are willing to conduct extensive research to secure the best possible deal when shopping. Plus, browser add-on tools like Honey and RetailMeNot can instantly compare product pricing and surface cheaper options on competitors’ websites to customers. Here are a few other sneaky ways customers are going the extra mile to save: https://smallbusiness.co.uk/consumers-basket-bigger-discount-2540402/ DISCOUNTING Hack #7: Consider both daily deals and blanket discounting. Mailing list discounts: 39% of customers admitted to deliberately sign up to mailing lists to get a discount code Waiting for major sales: 30% of customers said they’ll wait on making a purchase until major online sales days, like Cyber Monday, to get a better deal Multiple email sign-ups: 6% of customers go so far as to use different email addresses on the same website to get multiple deals % % 24 25 Our advice One way brands can stay top of mind during the holiday season and offer competitive pricing to customers is to offer exclusive daily deals leading up to regular Peak promotions. These daily deals can encourage customers to shop ahead of the holiday frenzy and allow you as a brand to selectively choose the items that go on sale during the actual Peak season. Daily Deals ahead of Peak In addition to exclusive discounts ahead of Peak, a blanket discount site-wide during Peak has its benefits. Visitors can browse your entire stock without worrying about what is on offer or not, and discounts can be applied automatically — reducing the chance of technical errors. Steep discounts on specific products can also have a negative effect on customers’ perception of quality. Blanket Discounting DISCOUNTING Consider extending returns during the holiday season to give early shoppers peace of mind. Many customers are probably shopping for loved ones and aren’t 100% sure their gift will be a good fit. Extended returns allow customers to take advantage of deals while still knowing the gift’s recipient can return the product after the holidays if need be. Extended Returns The average cart abandonment rate is 70% across all industries. But why are visitors exhibiting this behavior? While many visitors are just browsing to try to find the best deals, others who have the intent to buy are actually getting caught up on the checkout page. Here are the top three reasons users abandon their carts: https://baymard.com/lists/cart-abandonment-rate https://baymard.com/blog/checkout-flow-average-form-fields CART ABANDONMENT Hack #8: Support customers who aren’t ready to checkout. Contentsquare data from the 2019 Peak season reveals only 6.8% of retail website visitors reached the cart page last year and only 22% ended up converting. That means online retailers missed out on potential revenue from 78% of those who had items in their cart. Extra costs add up. Once visitors see the full price tag with taxes, shipping, and fees, they get cold feet. Didn’t want to create an account. Visitors don’t want to have to go through the hassle of creating an account or didn’t see that guest checkout was an option. Checkout process was too long. Customers get intimidated by a lengthy checkout process and decide their purchase isn’t worth the trouble. 1. 2. 3. 26 27 Our advice CART ABANDONMENT A simple way to help returning users check out is to reload their cart when they return. Visitors will likely be comparing multiple sites; if they have to find and select several items again, they might not bother. If they don’t return on their own, re-engage them through email. Highlighting that their items are now low in stock can help create a sense or urgency — along with free shipping or a small extra discount. Make sure any discounts they had are applied automatically when clicking through via email. Re-engage returning users Many visitors use the cart to collect items they are considering, but not committed to purchasing. Offering a ‘wish list’, or the option to receive their cart by email gives these potential customers a way to delay their decision — and gives you a channel to re-engage them. This is especially useful for high-consideration and high-value purchases that might usually require several visits. Email me my cart It’s essential that users understand what discounts have been added, or why their carts don’t qualify. Confusion leads to frustration, which leads to abandonment. If possible, apply discounts automatically when clicking through from a discount link. The more work you can do for customers, the more likely they are to purchase. Make discounts clear and obvious 52% of visitors who reach the checkout login page drop off. Of the 47.8% who make it to the next step, just over half of them end up sharing their shipping information. Finally, of the remaining users who reach the payment page, 61% convert to paying customers. https://baymard.com/lists/cart-abandonment-rate https://baymard.com/blog/checkout-flow-average-form-fields CHECKOUT Hack #9: Simplify your checkout UX. Conversion rates: Checkout page 1 (login) Checkout page 2 (delivery) Checkout page 3 (payment) 47.8% 55.3% 61% Customers want a quick, easy, and seamless checkout experience. The longer your checkout process is the more chances there are for your visitors to get frustrated or second-guess their purchase and ultimately abandon their carts. 28 29 The longer customers stay in the funnel, the more likely they are to drop off. Fewer form fields reduces that risk. Aiming for 8-10 essential fields is a good benchmark. Combining ‘First Name’ and ‘Last Name’ fields and defaulting billing the customer’s billing address as their shipping address can all save time. Combine checkout fields If customers miss a field or enter incorrect information that leads to a validation error, make sure the source of the error is clear immediately. Generic validation messages can cause confusion. Highlight the field where the error occurred and describe the error, such as ‘CVV number is incorrect’ or ‘insufficient funds’. If an error is thrown, make sure the user doesn’t have to fill in their details again. Use descriptive validation messages Add discounts automatically if possible. If coupons have to be entered manually, make sure you give the codes clear names that are easy to remember. BLACKFRIDAY will work better than BLKFRIDAY or BK202093 and will also increase the likelihood your visitors will share these with their friends. If a discount doesn’t apply, coupon validation messages can help visitors understand why their code isn’t applying to their basket and can reset expectations. These messages tell users whether the coupon is valid, invalid, or used, as well as which items are covered by the promotion, and which are not. It’s important these error messages are highly visible and detailed to customers on all devices, to remove user frustration and save your support team from an influx of tickets. Make adding discounts simple CHECKOUT Our advice ABOUT CONTENTSQUARE Contentsquare empowers brands to build better digital experiences. Our experience analytics platform tracks and visualizes billions of digital behaviors, delivering intelligent recommendations that everyone can use to grow revenue, increase loyalty and fuel innovation. Founded in Paris in 2012, Contentsquare has since opened offices in London, New York, San Francisco, Munich, Tel Aviv and Tokyo. Today, it helps more than enterprises in countries deliver better digital experiences for their customers. Visit contentsquare.com to find out more. 30