A very merry Christmas for online retailers

By Guest Writer on Tuesday, November 24th 2009, 12:30

Patricia Davidson believes this Christmas holds major opportunities for online fashion retailers.

Almost of all of us will be shopping online this Christmas, according to a new survey. Couple that with the fact that the clothing and accessories sector has seen continued growth year on year, while the high street has been suffering, and there’s an obvious opportunity for online fashion retailers to have a very merry Christmas.

Retailers need to offer the services customers seek, such as express delivery and gift wrapping, and making those services clear.

If they’re not household names, retailers can establish trust by signing up to schemes such as IMRG’s Internet Shopping is Safe. Customer reviews, using a properly integrated system, can increase sales by up to 12%.

Effective communication with customers and subscribers drives traffic and sales. Set up a weekly email newsletter informing customers about enticing special offers and services. Include pictures of bestsellers which click straight through.

Work at Twitter and Facebook; tweet offers and services regularly in a relaxed, friendly voice. Twitter is a free way of getting ‘out there’. ASOS believes social media is one of the factors underpinning its growth.

Retailers should be making a real effort with social media, starting right now.

Written by Patricia Davidson, author of The Shopaholic’s Top 1000 Websites and founder of The Site Guide

Follow The Online Fashion Agency on Twitter