Cyber Monday Tips

With the approach of the holidays comes an increase in demand – people are buying more wine. More celebration, more parties, and added stress all lead people to drink more, not to mention a nice bottle of wine or wine club membership can act as the perfect gift. Cyber Monday, the Black Friday of eCommerce, is the perfect opportunity to ensure that this holiday season is a profitable one.

1. What kind of deal should I advertise?

To figure out what kind of deal you want to make, you must first understand your audience. While the most important thing to Cyber Monday shoppers is not brand loyalty, but rather finding the best deal, it is still most important to appeal to your loyal customers. Make sure that your Cyber Monday or Black Friday deals are some of – if not the – biggest of the year and that they are tailored to your wine club members, repeat customers, and new customers.

Ask yourself what kind of deal you want to make. Will you include free shipping? Offer special discounts or promo codes to newsletter subscribers or wine club members? Maybe you throw in an exclusive gift with the purchase of a case.

To choose the best deal for your business, you must first figure out your goal. For example, do you want to sell as many cases as possible, or would you rather focus on growing your wine club?

2. Prepare your website

To have a successful Cyber Monday, you are going to want to do two things.

• Make sure your website is easily navigable and your deals are clearly displayed – you don’t want to lose a sale due to inaccessibility or lack of awareness.

• Prepare your website to hold a high volume of shoppers – (If you use an eCommerce platform such as OrderPort, this step is already taken care of as the servers will already be scaled up in advance)

3. When should I start marketing?

To get the most out of your Cyber Monday and reach the widest possible audience, begin to advertise at least two weeks in advance. Send out more communication as the day gets closer, emphasizing the sense of urgency of the one-day sale, encouraging customers to act now.

4. How should I get the word out?

The three most effective ways to get the word out about your exclusive Cyber Monday deals are to use social media, email marketing, and word of mouth.

Email

Target specific audiences by creating separate email lists for each type of customer. Send out an email to your newsletter subscribers that contains an exclusive promo code. Send another email to your wine club members offering early access to a new release. Tailor your offers to what each customer expresses interest in – wine club members are clearly more invested in your product and will appreciate exclusive offers more than the average consumer, who may just want the best deal on a good bottle of dinner wine.

Social media

To reach new and returning customers, run a targeted Instagram and/or Facebook campaign and post about Cyber Monday frequently on your story and feed, increasing the amount of posts the closer you get to the sale date.

Call ‘em up

Reach out to your most valued customers. Give them a call. People may be busy with the holidays and don’t always check their email. They may not have social media. They may have completely spaced on buying wine for their upcoming holiday party and your call came at the perfect time. Whatever the case, a call is always appreciated and can secure a lifetime loyalist.

5. Follow-up plan: what is your plan for return business?

After Cyber Monday, make sure that you stay in contact with your customers. Send out an email campaign. Maybe Cyber Monday allowed a new customer to test and enjoy your wine and now they are interested in joining one of your wine clubs or booking a tasting at your winery. Cyber Monday is a great time to expose your brand to new people and it is equally important to keep in contact with those new people to turn a one-time buyer into a repeat one.