Dropping the C-word: website design updates for Christmas

Firstly, an apology for dropping the C word so early on, however, for many businesses in Christchurch, it’s never too soon to start preparing for the most important sales season of the year: tis the season to make serious sales. Christmas is often the busiest time for both physical stores and online shops, with website traffic becoming significantly more profitable.

In New Zealand, the Christmas retail season typically spans from October to December. In more recent years, however, there's been a noticeable shift, with many consumers beginning their Christmas shopping as early as September. Shoppers are actively hunting for bargains, festive promotions, and discounts online, making this the ideal time to attract new customers.

Every visitor to your website holds value, however, the rising costs of customer acquisition means it’s wise to capitalise on the seasonal surge and maximise sales opportunities during this festive influx. People browse online with a different mindset when they are Christmas shopping—they’re on a mission to buy gifts, find deals, and make decisions faster. To cater to this mindset, the website design should be developed to satisfy holiday spirit with seamless navigation, and well-organised, clearly marked promotions – all with a focus on boosting conversion rates.



Make your website navigation sleigh the competition (pun intended)

User experience is a key indicator to Google to rank your website design on the search engine results pages (SERPs), and under that umbrella falls navigation. Christmas shoppers are often looking for specific items, so if visitors have to jump through hoops to find a product, their frustration will result in them clicking off site.

Including a simple, visible search bar is incredibly helpful. It allows users to type in exactly what they’re looking for rather than sifting through multiple categories. Keep it visible and easy to access on every page.

Update your website design to include streamlined navigation specifically for the festive season to guide users directly to what they need. Create dedicated pages like “Christmas Gifts Under $50,” “Top Stocking Stuffers,” or “Best Gifts for Him/Her.” Clear categories, easy-to-use search functions, and intuitive filters boost online sales. Help visitors to quickly find what they need, add it to their cart, and make a purchase.

On-the-go customers need on-the-go sites: the power of responsive website design

Christmas shoppers are busy people, often juggling many activities in their schedules. They’re searching for gifts during work breaks, while waiting in queues, or at the beach. This means they are accessing your website via their smartphones.

If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, it’s likely you are losing out on a major portion of sales. A mobile-optimised website gives users a seamless experience, which ultimately translates into higher sales conversions. Updating your website to a responsive website design means you offer a faster, efficient, and aesthetically pleasing mobile experience to keep these shoppers engaged. A great mobile shopping experience also reduces cart abandonment rates—a big plus during the Christmas rush when people are in a hurry.



Seamless checkout: where convenience meets conversion

How many times have you been flummoxed by a website checkout process? A significant percentage of abandoned carts are due to complicated or lengthy checkout processes. The Christmas season is stressful as it is, without overcomplex check out processes adding to it: customers want a straightforward checkout experience.

Review your current checkout flow and look for opportunities to streamline it—do you need all the form fields to be completed? Can you offer an online booking system? Do you offer guest checkout options, are there multiple payment methods? One-click options for returning customers or integrating digital wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay, or PayPal is attractive to consumers. People want to spend money, but they value convenience too.

Trust in every click: enhancing trust and security

With the rise in cyber scams, customers are more cautious than ever, especially during peak shopping seasons like Christmas. Updating your website to reinforce trust is crucial. Clearly display trust signals, like secure payment badges, customer reviews, and satisfaction guarantees. An up-to-date SSL certificate (so that the site has “https” in the URL, signifies it’s a secure site) gives reassurance to consumers.

To further emphasise you are a business that can be trusted, emphasise your return policies, shipping timelines, and have easy to find customer support options. Letting customers know they can trust your website increases their confidence in making purchases.

Fast track your website design: improving speed and performance metrics

It’s not enough for your website to simply look good; it also needs to load quickly and perform smoothly. The average consumer’s attention span has shrunk dramatically, and nowhere is this truer than in e-commerce. Research shows that even a one-second delay in page load time can reduce conversions by 7% - ouch. People simply aren’t prepared to wait around for a slow website design to load. If your site isn’t running at optimal speed, potential customers will move on to a competitor who offers a smoother experience.

Collaborating with a web designer in Christchurch like Digital Presence means your website speed is optimised. This includes compressing images, reducing the number of plugins, and ensuring the hosting servers can handle increased traffic. Performance optimisation is the backbone of a successful digital marketing strategy, as it directly impacts both search engine rankings and customer satisfaction.



Search and engage: creating SEO content to connect

Christmas is about more than just shopping; it’s a time of sharing and celebration. Engaging SEO content that taps into the festive spirit fosters a sense of connection with your brand and is at the heart of content marketing. Consider updating your blog or homepage with festive-themed articles relating to your products, such as “Top 10 Holiday Gifts for Garden Lovers” or “How to Decorate Your Home This Christmas.”

Make use of eye-catching banners, sticky headers, and pop-ups to communicate your best deals. Incorporating website design elements like a countdown timer for special deals creates a sense of urgency and provokes immediate purchases. Clear calls-to-action (CTAs) such as “Shop the Christmas Sale,” “Last Chance for Free Shipping,” or “Get Christmas Discounts Now” make a big difference in driving conversions. By clearly displaying promotions or bundles makes shopping easier for consumers and increases the average cart value.

Even if your website isn't an e-commerce site, you can benefit from publishing festive content. Sharing practical, seasonal advice keeps visitors on your site longer and increases the success of SEO efforts with relevant content that search engines value: all published content is an opportunity to convert.



No stress, just success: Digital Presence, Christchurch's best web designer

Updating your website may feel like a daunting task, especially during the build-up to such a busy season, but partnering with a professional web design agency, like Digital Presence, makes all the difference. With a free website design, easy to use CRM software, and free monthly editing time, Digital Presence’s small business website design packages are an investment that pays dividends all year round, enhancing your brand image, increasing customer loyalty, and improving long-term conversion rates for year-round success. Don’t wait until it’s too late to make these crucial updates, and together, we can make this season the most successful one yet.

Ready to take your online sales to the next level? Contact Digital Presence today, for a free no obligation chat.