Everyone wants to give their family and friends that perfect, personalized holiday gift. However, with so many places to shop online, the choices can be overwhelming. The holidays are also a time where consumers shop around and will look to purchase from a new store or brand. This is a great opportunity to gain traffic. But where do shoppers start as they are trying to pick the right gift for everyone on your list? Gift guides! Gift guides are a great way to help narrow down some choices to find the right item with just a few clicks.
Here are the Five W’s to help create the ultimate online gift guide:
The Who on your list. Think like your consumer. Who are they shopping for? Who are they trying to impress? Whose holiday party are they attending? It is important to break down a gift guide based on who your target audience is, and who is on that person’s list. Break down the shopping guide by types of people. For example, “Gifts for the Fashion Diva,” “Gifts for The Tech Nerd,” or “Gifts for the Foodie.” Or you can make categories based on more broad terms such as “Gifts for Him,” “Gifts for Her,” or “Gifts Under $25” depending on how your target audience shops. Keep in mind that if you do not normally sell to sports fans, now is not the time to start. Stick with your market and focus on what you do best.
What product should you include in your gift guides? This will tie back to the who and how the list is broken out. Are you keeping things broad with “Gifts for Her?” Make sure you include things that are versatile such as a jacket (every woman could use one of these). Is your guide more specific such as “Gifts for the Fashion Diva?” Include products that are new arrivals such as a recently released line of scarfs or jewelry. Remember to keep things simple. If you sell accessories such as handbags or shoes, do not bury them under a confusing subcategory. Consumers do not want to go digging – especially with so many people on their gift list.
Where should your gift guide live on-site? If possible, it is best to keep the gift guide within the top or side navigation. Gift guides receive a high amount of search volume, and you want users to be able to easily locate them so they come back as they continue their holiday shopping. Holidays are busy times for everyone and you want to create the most pleasant shopping experience for your consumer. Think of your website as an extension of your store. If you were to welcome someone into your store during the holidays, you would keep the gifting display section at the front where it can easily be seen.
When should you create your gift guides? The sooner the better. Research from the 2014 holiday shopping trends Google survey, shows that 45% of holiday shoppers said they did the majority of their shopping on or before Cyber Monday. And one-fourth said they did some holiday shopping before Halloween (which is now).
Why is it important to keep holiday guides clear, concise, and searchable? Holiday guides are helpful to consumers because they organize shopping lists into manageable tasks. It can be overwhelming to start shopping for a list of a dozen people without having a reference guide. Therefore, it has become common practice to turn to a gift guide containing new ideas for those people who are hard to buy for.
Gifting should be fun and personal if shoppers have the right place to look. Be sure to get your gift guide ready this shopping season!
