Whether your business is a household name or just making waves in the world of ecommerce, you know that many of your biggest promos of the year use a promo code. The impact of proper Q4 holiday planning can’t be overstated, and despite a majority of businesses knowing they need a solid, cohesive strategy, many on-site holiday promotions still make basic mistakes. To ensure your promos are set up properly—and in a way that drives visitors towards your desired conversion—check out this quick list of UX best practices to help maximize the effectiveness of your big sales that use promo codes.
1. Fully Display Your Holiday Promotion From The Get-Go
People on the lookout for holiday deals aren’t in the mood to be teased with information. Regardless of if your featured promotion lives statically on your homepage hero or you’re using more dynamic promos to target across the user journey, being coy is NOT the way to entice your customers.
Proudly and prominently display your offers wherever they’re present and never bury the information people want to know. Every question you’re not immediately answering is a chance for customers to disengage, and the more direct and visible you are with them, the more trust and goodwill you generate.
2. Make Your Sale Instructions Crystal Clear
The fastest way to lose a holiday sale is to leave any room for misinterpretation. Specifically, we mean not clearly communicating to your customers how the sale works, what it’s for, and how they can benefit from it. The sale can work however your experience manager is set-up, but UX best practices include clarity no matter what.
If your promotion automatically triggers based on the cart, make sure there’s a message confirming the trigger and that users know which or how many items will make that happen. Even momentary confusion on the part of the consumer can result in a lost sale, so take steps to ensure your holiday promotions are clean and easily understood.
3. Decide Your Discount Code Strategy
While it may seem simple or even inconsequential to some, the way your customers input or ‘activate’ your promo codes can make a major difference. In general, discount codes fall into either the ‘automatic trigger’ or ‘manual input’ category, and each has its benefits.
Automatic codes are great for minimizing confusion and eliminating the potential of user input error. On the other hand, the user input required for manual codes can generate more buy-in from your customers and create a sense of excitement about completing a purchase.
Determining your code strategy is a great way to bolster your sales funnel. Review your site analytics to better hone in on what kind of experience is best suited to your specific consumer profiles.
4. Cross-Sell Items At POS To Increase Value
If you’re not utilizing the final Point Of Sale as an opportunity for additional conversions, you’re limiting your promotion potential. Making use of widgets and pop-up tools for cross-sale purposes is a great way to increase order value at the POS and even build brand cohesion.
Combined with a well-optimized product page, you can easily help windmill a customer’s decision to purchase into multiple conversions. Obviously, no one wants to be “spammy,” but cueing in your customers to similar promotions at this stage can have a major impact on overall revenue.
The holidays are stressful enough without having to deal with sub-par UX. Set up your holiday promotions for success through a clear, seamless UX to help mitigate customer frustration, maximize order value, and increase customer satisfaction.
If you’re looking for more UX best practices and guidance in the near future, Hawke Media is here to take the load off of you. Just fill out the free consultation form below. Happy holiday promotions!
