Q4 Ecommerce and CPG Wholesale Tips You Need to Know for a Successful Holiday Season
Fall is in the air. Leaves are changing. There’s that perfect breeze asking and your favorite sweatshirts calling your name. Hints of fall are just starting to show, but your Q4 ecommerce prep should be well underway if you plan on having a successful holiday season.
In 2021, retail spending grew 16.1%, and ecommerce sales alone saw a 10.4% surge. This year, ecommerce sales are predicted to see an even higher spike, estimated at 15.5% in 2022. Are you ready? Or are you scrambling to ensure you end the year on a high note?
The Importance of Nailing Q4 Ecommerce and CPG Sales Prep
Businesses are gearing up for record-breaking Q4 sales in 2022, especially in the ecommerce and CPG industries. Here’s why you want to nail your Q4 sales strategies.
Q4 is the busiest time of year for ecommerce and CPG businesses. Consumers spend during the holiday season, so you need to grab their attention, meet their needs, and exceed their expectations.
Take advantage of upcoming events and holidays. Q4 is full of opportunity! Preparing for all of the holidays and events and using them to leverage sales will help you move your Q4 products.
Consumers are in a buying mindset. Multiple gatherings, holiday gifts – people are primed to buy in Q4. Take time to prep your Q4 sales strategies if you want to get your products in front of the right audience.
Don’t be intimidated by the number of companies vying for consumer attention. Build a tactical business plan that aligns your Q4 products to sell with target DTC customers to come out on top this holiday season.
Here are some of my tips for any ecommerce or CPG business prepping for a flood of sales – and tackling Q4 like a pro.
Q4 Ecommerce Prep Tips
You don’t need to have complex Q4 sales strategies to make sure your DTC customers are satisfied. All you really need to grow your revenue is to give them what they’re looking for. Here are some easy ways for companies building relationships with customers to push their Q4 products to sell.
Email Marketing Campaigns
Email marketing campaigns help keep you connected with your customers. Think beyond general sales campaigns for new products or featured products. Use strategic lists in a tool like Klaviyo to segment and build relationships with customers based on their specific buying behavior. Create abandoned cart sequences or "we thought you’d like these products" sequences, too.
Product Descriptions and Holiday Photoshoots
Updated product descriptions and photos are a must before the holiday rush – whether you’re rolling out seasonal products or just highlighting fan favorites. Adding a festive flair to your products attracts seasonal shoppers and should be a big part of your Q4 sales strategies.
Gift Bundling
Gift bundling is the perfect solution to upsell items and create personalized, easy-to-buy gifts. Consumers are always looking for deals around the holidays, and gift bundling gives them a quick and easy way to buy your products.
Even better? It’s an opportunity to push Q4 products because you can strategically place them with inventory that already moves quickly.
Free Shipping Minimums
I don’t know about you, but paying for shipping, especially during the holiday season, is off-putting. In fact, 66% of consumers expect free shipping on every online purchase, and 80% of consumers expect it when ordering a specified dollar amount.
The key factor: Consumers are more likely to spend a little more money on a product than pay a shipping fee. By setting free shipping minimums, you entice consumers into purchasing more products and reward them with that oh-so-coveted free shipping.
Building Foundational Consumer Relationships
Q4 is NOT the time to start building relationships with customers. Save that for the first three quarters of the year. This way, asking for the sale in Q4 is much more successful.
Use your email campaigns, social media channels, and website to keep customers in the loop on your newest products and bundles. When the holiday season rolls around, they already know which products they want to buy.
Holiday Recipes and Your Products
The holiday season is one of the busiest for cooking and baking. That covers a huge array of products – from groceries to bakeware and even appliances. Creatively sharing your products with holiday recipes can help you drive sales and offer your customers a little something extra in the process. And who doesn’t love a good holiday recipe?!
Creatively Marketing Your Goods
Can your items be stocking stuffers? Get creative in your marketing efforts. Educate consumers on how to best use your products. If you can show consumers how easy it is to gift or use your product, the need to purchase it skyrockets.
Q4 CPG Wholesale Customers and Accounts Prep Tips
As a CPG business, you spend a chunk of the year staking your claim on the shelf. Well, it's time to move those products off the shelves as fast as possible! If you had a tactical business plan in place in Q1, Q2, and Q3, chances are your holiday prep will only require a minor shift. Here’s how to make the most of the holiday season.
Drive Sales on Established Products
If you’re on track, your products should’ve been built into the shelf space in Q2 and Q3. Now is the time to drive sales and get consumers to move those products off the shelf.
Create Promotional Holiday Plans
That time you spent building relationships with customers becomes handy now. Create promotional holiday plans with your retailers that focus on sales through holiday SKUs. Creative selling is key in Q4 – the consumer base is higher but harder to attract. Consider doing some demoing in stores so customers can test your product on the spot.
Sell Beyond the Holidays
Sure, Q4 might be the end of the year, but your sales strategies shouldn’t end there. Part of your Q4 sales strategies needs to be pushing product and seasonal SKUs through the holidays. If you’re accounting for a rise in inventory and it doesn’t sell, you need a plan to keep moving products off the shelves. Think of creating holiday flavors that might be able to extend beyond the holidays if there is still excess inventory.
Use the relationships you’ve built with your wholesale stores to work together and develop promos and sales plans that carry you from this year into the next.
Self-Promote on Your Website
Reminder: You’re responsible for driving in-store sales. You promise to move the product, so it’s your responsibility to do everything necessary to make that happen.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to list stockists on your website Show customers where they can find your retail locations so they can purchase products in-store – right alongside the other holiday items they’re already shopping for.
Precision Planning Takes Time, So Get Moving!
When is the holiday season 2022? If you’re a CPG business, it’s now! It’s time to finalize your Q4 sales strategies so you’re primed for success this holiday season. And these tips can make a huge difference in how your CPG business’s Q4 ecommerce sales go.
All ecommerce and CPG businesses want a successful end to the year, but Q4 can feel stressful and overwhelming if you’re trying to meet or exceed your annual goals. But when you take time to prepare for the busy holiday season, you’ll come out on top. And it all starts with tactical business strategies focused on consumer trends, upselling products, and building relationships with customers and retailers.
If you still feel overwhelmed by the upcoming holiday season, let me ease some of that stress. Monthly operations management is my forte! I can make sure you coast into Q4 with ease and confidence.
Ready to see some ROI on the time and passion you put into your business this year? Schedule a call with me today!