Holiday shoppers are spending away online as we speak! In
fact, online shoppers spent a whopping $27 billion dollars in 2009, a figure
that is projected to be even higher this year.
How can you steer customers your way? Check out our top five
ways for powersports dealers to grow online sales:
Free shipping : Boost
your online sales with free shipping. Nearly 85% of online retailers will offer
free shipping at some point during the holiday season according to a recent
report from www.shop.org.
This means your competitors are likely offering free shipping, can you afford
not to?
Gift cards plus a little something extra: Ah, the almighty gift card! Year after year sales
have gone through the roof because they are quick, easy and very tempting –
especially when paired with an extra something for the gift card buyer. Try
offering an incentive with purchase, try this: “receive a $20 gift card for yourself when you purchase a
$100 gift card for some one on your gift list!”
Use social media to spread the word: Optimize your blog posts by including generic keywords
pertaining to the season (gift giving, Christmas ideas, husband holiday gifts,
gifts for her). When referring to your products, use strong, emotional images
with links to your website product pages for a quick sale.
Use Facebook to let only your fans in early on the best
deals. This creates a sense of community and urgency that prompts users to act
fast. Try these for example:
“Today only,
our loyal fans receive an additional 10% off”
“The sale is on Facebook friends; check it out today before
it’s gone!”
When it comes to Twitter, try giveaways. Users of Twitter
love the real-time nature of these offers and winners are likely to tweet like
crazy about how excited they are to be the one who received a special gift from
your dealership. That’s free advertising from a satisfied, very excited
customer – it doesn’t get any better than that.
Share your passion: Discretionary
spending is up compared to last year, according to the National Retail
Federation.
Take advantage of this fact to heavily promote the passion that drives your
business. Again, turn to your social media channels to connect with your
customers on an emotional level by sharing stories about why you love what you
do, why you are in the Powersports business, and why you love your customers!
Let them see a different side of you and your business, and they will return
the favor. This one-to-one connectio
is primed for word-of-mouth marketing.
Coupons…get ‘em while they are hot! Tap into the bargain hunter mentality by offering
special deals available for a very short time period, such as 24 hours or two
days only! Narrow the scope of the deal even further by requiring the purchase
to be made in your store. This will increase your foot traffic and give you a
chance to charm customers for an easy upsell.
