vintage shiny brite spinning top ornaments from callooh callay

How is your holiday season going? Are you enjoying the sales you hoped and planned for? I promise that Arts and crafts Venture'south holiday preparation serial helped y'all get our shop(s) and website(due south) gear up!

Of form, yous might be wishing you had more traffic and sales (and who doesn't desire more sales?). It's not too tardily too do something nigh that!

Increment your shipping options

One very easy affair to exercise is to increase your shipping options (this department is geared to sellers living in the Usa, my apologies to our international friends!). Don't ship outside of the United States? Information technology's probably besides belatedly for beginning grade shipments to get in in time for Christmas, simply what virtually priority? Shipping by international priority flat rate envelope – or fifty-fifty flat rate box – is so easy! True, priority shipping outside of united states is a chip expensive, but if your customer is willing to pay for it, why not offer it?

Similarly, if yous ship first class within united states, this is the time of year to offering priority shipping! First class shipping started slowing down Thanksgiving week. One expert tempest between you and your recipient could result in an gild arriving subsequently Christmas, but priority shipping virtually always arrives within three days (and often two)!

Furthermore, consider offering express and guaranteed limited shipping. From my years of working in retail, in that location are many shoppers in an absolute panic on Christmas Eve. Give your customers an option for super quick aircraft right up to the terminal possible minute that you are able to transport. (I've been known to pay an arm and a leg for aircraft on the 23rd of Dec, and so I speak from experience!)

hand felted acorns by delica

Create fun promotions and specials

You lot might not exist able afford shop- or sitewide discounts. But you tin probably create a "loss leader" or two, to bring folks into your shop. A loss leader is an particular offered at or fifty-fifty below cost, with the intent to increase sales on more profitable items. I'k not suggesting – or advocating – losing money! Nevertheless, can you create a fun promotion? Perchance entries into a giveaway with each purchase, or buy two become ane free, or 1/3 off a particular particular (your loss leader!)?

Get the word out most your promotion or auction! Apply your mailing list, Twitter, Facebook, ads, blog and other online resources (while avoiding going overboard and spamming folks). Ask your family and friends to get the word out for yous. Cheque your favorite design and shopping blogs for sections for promotions and specials. Let your favorite blog owners know about your special – they but may choose to put it on their web log (annotation:  don't transport the same special to multiple blogs – blog owners prefer to be the simply recipient of your news or effect)!

Create an sectional sale or special for your Twitter followers, Facebook fans, newsletter subscribers, weblog readers, etc. Give your customers a compelling reason to follow you and reward them for doing so!

luxe vintage inspired ribbon by nice package

Annunciate

It'south not too late to identify a few ads for the holidays! It's never also late to employ Projection Wonderful. Simply make sure you have a visually engaging ad and that you go on in mind your target audition. You can even point your advertizing to your sale or special, rather than your overall site or shop. Check with your favorite blogs – one or two may just even so have ad space! And be sure to check with  your local newspaper and media, who are ever looking for unique gifts to share with their readers and viewers.

It's not too late!

It's hard to believe that Christmas is merely three weeks away! It's non besides late to endeavour a few things to increase your holiday sales. Of course, none of these are guarantees for increased sales, but they may just assist! Some folks resist the idea of loss leaders, worried that they'll sell as well many at the lower cost. However, unless you've hit on the perfect marketing strategy for your promotion, yous're not probable to sell out of your promotional items. I usually sell just a few of my promotional items while seeing an increase in sales for my full cost items.

Also, remember that this is your opportunity to convert in one case vacation shoppers into regular customers! Show off your superb customer service with each and every order. Exercise y'all want your customers to know you as the-fantastic-artist-and-seller-who-saved-them when they couldn't find quite the correct colour or their package was lost or they had to render something because the color didn't match the outfit or (fill in the blank)? If your service is superb and you lot become above and across the call of duty, trust me, your customers will remember y'all well into the New Year!

What nearly you? Have y'all paid for expedited shipping before, in order to receive a gift in time for a holiday or altogether? Do  yous offer it to your customers? Exercise you have client service tips for our readers, particularly geared toward holiday shoppers?

Happy vacation sales to you! Brenda from Phydeaux

Images:  Vintage shiny brite spinning meridian ornaments, 1950's, from Callooh Callay; Manus felted acorns, set up of 10, past delica

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