4 Strategies to Connect with First-Time Holiday Visitors

The holiday season can reward you with many first-time visitors interested in buying that perfect gift for someone special or just a holiday treat for themselves. While this group of shoppers can represent a significant boost to your bottom line during the holidays, their true revenue potential is in their long-term loyalty and repeat purchase behavior.

Many marketers are short-sighted, or short-handed, and don’t build the testing infrastructure needed to capture the behavioral data that will define this segment of customers during the season and foster loyalty into the new year.

Here are a few ways you and your team can connect with these new customers during the holidays and beyond.

1.Test

First-time visitors will likely have different needs than returning shoppers. As you test during the holidays, consider how these shoppers are forming their first impressions versus those who may already know what they want and how to find it. Analyzing test results from these two perspectives will help you to make mid-season adjustments as well as provide more detailed insights after the holidays have passed.

2. Collect

You will likely already have profile, account and behavioral data for existing customers that will shape the offers they see during the holidays.

Consider which pieces of data are essential to customize these shopping experiences and promotions during the holidays and ensure you are able to collect this information for new visitors. This could mean a pop-up email opt-in form for first-time visitors, incentivized requests to complete a profile, or a more detailed form during checkout to help build a more personalized post-purchase experience.

3. Message

As you prepare messaging and tests for the holidays, review your copy to see if it easily and quickly connects with someone who is unfamiliar with your brand. Minimizing friction and removing any brand-specific learning curve will help new visitors to shop with confidence.

Include links to product guides, tutorials, FAQs, or customer forums that can help shoppers to familiarize themselves with your brand if needed or test copy variations that may be less intimidating for newbies.

4. Follow-Up

Building the foundation for long-term loyalty doesn’t stop on December 26th. As you sift through your holiday results, identify patterns in your new customer segments and build a plan to bring them back to buy in the new year.

Many retailers will have new customer marketing programs and offers that encourage a first-time buyer to make a second purchase. Considering the heightened shopping activity during the holidays and the amplification of so many marketing messages, you may need some extra oomph to connect with this segment.

Consider building a customized welcome program for customers gained during the holidays. Test various promotions and copy to find out what will connect and bring them back to buy.

To learn more about how to build a successful holiday marketing plan and execute tests during the season, download “The 5 Testing Tips for the Holidays” today.