Indian businesses eagerly look forward to different festival seasons. It is when customers tend to open their wallet strings to go on a shopping spree. Out of all the festivals, Diwali, which usually falls in the month of October-November, witnesses a sharp rise in business sales. Diwali sale offers and discounts available both online and offline attract the buyers to shop more.
Even when the Covid-19 pandemic had put the world to a standstill in 2020, the Indian e-commerce GMV (Gross Merchandise Value) was recorded at US$ 8.3 billion (IBEF data) – a tremendous growth of 66% in comparison to the previous year.
Many traditional business owners believe that a major proportion of their total annual retail sales happen around Diwali. Amidst the flurry of shopping in the markets – both online and offline, businesses compete with each other to get a bigger pie from the Diwali sale online.
Eye-popping Diwali discounts on almost everything and strong customer intent to shop lies at the core of business during this festive season.
The question is – What’s your plan to increase Diwali sales and rake up the profits?
To stay ahead of the competition, grab eyeballs, and attract customers with Diwali offers online in India, you need the right plan in action. We have compiled seven ways you can follow to boost Diwali sales and build a base of ‘happy customers’:
Expand the product range
If your brand already has an online presence and garnered considerable sales, think of Diwali season as the time to sell more products than usual. Try to find gifting opportunities within your line of products and build your inventory further.
Let’s say you sell decorative lighting online. For this season, you can add a wide range of fancy lighting products which can be purchased as Diwali gifts. Promote these products to target customers who are shopping for gifts online.
A wide range of products in your inventory when promoted to the right audience during Diwali can lead to massive sales and substantial profits for your business.
Offer special Diwali discounts
At the centre of Diwali shopping hype lies discounts. It is a quick way to attract new and existing customers and allow them to save money as they buy items from you. With exclusive Diwali sales or Diwali discounts, you can draw the purchasing power of consumers towards your business.
On the brighter side of Diwali sale offers on your online store, you will benefit from higher sales during the discount offer and build a loyal customer base. If you have been struggling with a high cart abandonment rate, Diwali discounts can help you reduce it.
While creating Diwali sale offers, you can also bundle products that are less in demand with attractive options to boost sales.
Upsell and cross-sell
Upselling and cross-selling will be beneficial for your business, irrespective of the products you sell. The obvious benefit of using these business strategies during Diwali sales is higher revenue.
If your customers have already loved using your products in the past, they are more likely to take action on your product suggestions under ‘You May Also Like’ or ‘Frequently Bought Together’ categories.
But to see real success with cross-selling and upselling, you must understand the difference between the two. Here are a few things you should keep in mind:
- Decide which products can get the best results
- Offer cross-sells and upsells that are related to the products viewed or in the cart
- Showcase value or benefit before you make the pitch
- Reward your customers for their loyalty
Recommended Read: All About Customer Lifetime Value
Invest in getting a social media push
Having a website that sells products for Diwali sale is not enough unless you do your part in making the customers know about it. As social media platforms have a huge customer base, you can put social media marketing into use to promote your Diwali discount online in India. It will serve as a useful tool to boost customer engagement on your brand website.
You can run Diwali-oriented contests and dedicated hashtags on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter to establish the much-needed social connect during the festive season. If your brand already has a significant follower base, they are likely to engage with the products you offer.
Pep up your customer service
Next to an aggressive business marketing plan for Diwali season, you cannot afford to lose customers because of inapt support services.
Hence, it is important that you stay prepared to deal with all the customer queries and grievances on an immediate basis. There should be no room for human discrepancies to make the most of your Diwali sales. Keep in mind that even a single dissatisfied customer can do significant harm to your brand image built over the years.
So, gear up for the exciting period of the year with efficient support service management to bring out the best your business can offer.
Simplify payment experience for your customers
While you are more focused on offering the right type of Diwali discounts online, it is crucial to think about the customers’ payment experience. Sales, online payments, and customer experience are quite interrelated. A long checkout process or lack of the most preferred payment methods can increase the risk of losing potential customers.
At its core, it is the right selection of payment gateway that enables customers to buy from you without any hassle. Make sure the payment gateway you choose for your website is trustworthy, easy to integrate and activate, and supports a wide range of payment sources – credit cards, debit cards, wallets, to name a few.
Read More: How the Right Payment Gateway Can Enhance Customer Experience
Start selling online
This is particularly meant for the businesses that have a significant offline presence with their brands but want to target online customers. If you are a part of this business league, you might have thought of increasing sales during the festive season by launching Diwali gifts online.
It is only possible when you make the first move at the right time.
Start with having your brand website ready and highlight the festive mood through the offerings. Your website must communicate the exclusive Diwali theme. Optimize your website pages with keywords related to the products you offer and the festive season trends like ‘Best Diwali Deals’ or ‘Diwali Offers Online in India.’ Besides this, you can simplify the payment acceptance and reconciliation tasks by switching to Paytm Startup Toolkit.
The bottom line
Diwali shopping is no less than a mega event for both customers and businesses in all parts of India. Amidst the prevailing trend of online shopping, you can plan to harness the power of this festive season and expect a hike in your sales numbers. Make your customers feel good when they buy from you and you will get your share of happiness to be taken back home this Diwali.
Switch to Paytm Startup Toolkit
