By Omri Yacubovich | Head of Marketing @ Commerce Sciences
Over half of online marketers feel that the ability to personalize web content is fundamental to their online strategy, according to Adobe and eConsultancy research. Personalizing the experience you offer each site visitor by triggering messaging and offers based on their behavior is an incredibly compelling way to answer individual needs.
Use these 7 website personalizations to convince more of your Black Friday and Cyber Monday visitors to take action:
1. New vs. Returning Visitors
Meet your customers ‘at the door’ with an acknowledgment for returning visitors and offers for first-time visitors.
2. Location
Trigger geo-specific offers, ie.: ‘15% off our most popular rain jackets’ targeting visitors from Seattle, vs. ‘15% off sun hats’ for visitors from Arizona. Or, use location information to reassure visitors that you ship to their state or country, thus overcoming any psychological objections to conversion.
3. Time of Day
Personalize the experience for your evening and nighttime visitors by displaying security and trust badges, to combat the psychological trend of not trusting websites visited after business hours. You can also use time of day to personalize offers by displaying a countdown to a time just a few hours away. This builds urgency and taps into a visitor’s fear of missing out (FOMO).
4. Search Keywords or Referring URL
If you have some way of knowing what need brought a visitor to your site, why not greet them with the answer? Customers in search of a particular product, with great and immediate intent, aren’t likely to browse and search around — they will stay on the site and make a purchase from the company that offers the best and most timely solution. Be that company.
5. Showcase Social Proof
Seeing that others have made a certain decision makes it easier for people to make the same decision themselves. No one wants to stand out from the crowd! Use social proof to show people how popular a certain product or category is, helping to create the feeling that they, too, should become part of this exclusive group.
6. Recommendations for Upselling/Cross-Selling
Use the behavioral targeting options available to you — over 40 of them within the Commerce Sciences platform — to suggest similar products, or other products that sell well to specific types of buyers. For example, your data might tell you that men who buy a diamond bracelet on Cyber Friday are likely to purchase diamond earrings, as well. However, your female shoppers are more likely shopping for themselves and will add a less expensive personal item like a scented hand lotion. You could then create an offer that will trigger for each visitor. Gender is just one parameter; imagine the possibilities.
7. Make Offers with Abandoned Cart Messaging
Email customers who abandoned a cart to let them know which items are still available to them, and sweeten the pot with a special offer. Try free software like Tickle Train and Follow Up to trigger abandoned cart emails.
Location specific targeting, building trust, social proof, abandoned cart messages, real time offers and remarketing; these are the tools for successful e-commerce. Personalize the experience you offer your site visitors with our behavioural targeting tools, and you’ll be able to look forward to your own celebration for the best holiday season ever! Download our free 2015 Holiday Guide to get started now.