News flash: The buyer’s journey does not start on your website.
With Christmas just around the corner, it’s the time of the year when brands go big to create shopping experiences that will engage and inspire their shoppers—more so than any other time of the year. In 2022, retail sales during the holiday season grew by nearly 5% year over year, and a similar gain is projected for this year.
That’s why there’s no better time to invest in discovery commerce and digital customer acquisition channels. Your existing customers may already have great engagement with your brand, but let’s dive into 4 main strategies to get in front of new customers looking to discover new products and spend big during the holidays.
1. Leverage digital catalogs to expand your audience reach
In the fast-paced world of retail, reaching your audience means meeting them where they are, and that’s not always on traditional websites and e-commerce platforms.
While websites are great at targeting customers in your acquisition funnel, that might not be the best playground to attract shoppers who haven’t heard of you before. This is where the magic of digital catalogs and display ads comes into play. Unlike websites, these dynamic tools are tailor-made to capture attention at any stage of the buying journey.
(ICYMI: We do a deep dive into what Discovery Commerce is and why you should be leveraging this strategy.)
By placing the focus on product discovery, your digital catalog won’t just follow the buyer; you’ll guide and inspire them to explore your brand offerings. It’s about tapping into an audience in the early stages, sparking curiosity, and shaping their experience from the very start.
2. Personalize your catalog to put discovery where your customer is
With digital catalogs, you can kick personalization up a notch and inspire your new customers on an individual level. You can craft a tailored journey through a virtual marketplace that resonates with each shopper’s unique preferences.
It doesn’t stop there. You can seamlessly drive promotions from your digital catalogs into expansive ad networks, creating a narrative that captivates your audience and converts into sales.
The top influences for purchasing decisions include price (50%), holiday promotions and discounts (22%), and free shipping (13%), so consider personalizing these offerings during the holidays to reel in your shoppers.
Versatile in nature, it’s the perfect time to take advantage of supporting multiple versions and purposes—whether for retail, wholesale, or corporate gifting—ensuring a customized journey that resonates for each individual. Some companies even take this to the next level, creating a virtual shopping store where you can browse different shelves, add shopping items to a cart, and even redeem free shopping credits as a holiday gift.
3. Inspire your shoppers and bring your products to life
Dive into a practical and user-friendly shopping experience with interactive catalogs that revamp the way you browse. Unlike regular websites, these catalogs are designed to grab your attention with cool features like videos and interactive elements, making your journey through products way more interesting. The focus on top-notch images and a clean layout doesn’t just look good—it makes the products more appealing and helps you connect with them on a practical level.
A simple and seamless product navigation is key. Make sure you include categorization, search options, and filters to make finding stuff a piece of cake. Interactive catalogs give a modern twist to the old-school catalog flipping, letting you breeze through pages while still enjoying quick links and efficient search tools.
It’s not just about making product exploration easy; it’s about keeping things straightforward and user-friendly. Enjoy a no-nonsense shopping experience where features like zoom, rotate, and videos add a practical touch, making you feel more connected to the stuff you’re checking out.
4. Drive sales while saving on costs
Streamline your e-commerce operations by seamlessly integrating catalogs into your purchase and ordering systems. This strategic move not only eliminates the need to invest time and resources in designing and building custom pages for individual products on your website but also leverages the catalog infrastructure you’ve already built.
By integrating catalogs directly into your purchase system, you optimize efficiency and ensure a cohesive customer experience without the hassle of creating one-off pages. You can further boost your return on investment (ROI) from digital channels by incorporating dynamic display ads.
Utilizing the dynamic nature of these ads enhances the effectiveness of your marketing spend, making it a more efficient and targeted investment. This approach maximizes the impact of your advertising efforts, ensuring that your resources are channeled towards strategies that yield a higher return within the digital acquisition landscape.
Red Pepper’s digital platform partners with you to scale your business and deliver geo-targeted, personalized digital ads. This approach is complemented by our in-house creative and insights team that collaborates with your marketing and merchandising teams to fine-tune campaigns and maximize customer acquisition.
If you’re interested in exploring new digital strategies to maximize sales and drive shoppers to your website, e-commerce, and in-store, get in touch with us or request a demo.
