With the unofficial end of summer behind us, it’s time to focus on your business goals and plans for the rest of the year. Of course, that means planning for the holiday shopping season and the other big ones like Halloween and Thanksgiving, but there are also other promotional opportunities.

Veteran’s Day and Election Day also present opportunities for promotional specials and sales.  Consistently offering shoppers specials and discounts helps to keep them coming back to your store. They will want to check your store’s price before buying somewhere else.  Sales can also encourage increased order totals and conversion rates which results in more revenue for you.

This is also a great time to plan your schedule for 2011. After the holiday madness passes and you are left with an energy hangover on January 1st, the last thing you are going to want to think about is your 1^st quarter business plan.

That’s where this list comes in handy, I’m going to give you a holiday/observance overview of the next 6 months to make it easier for you to plan out your sales and marketing plan.

I had trouble deciding if I should list the observance in the month it occurs, or the month before. I decided to just stick with the occurring month. I think just having everything laid out in list form makes it easier to look ahead and decide what you what to focus on and when.

I’ve included the heavy hitters here along with some national holidays such as Columbus Day. Let me know if I have overlooked any that you particularly like. If you want to get wacky, there is pretty much a designation, or more, for every day, week and month.

How is it that October is National Diabetes Months, but October 14^th is National Dessert Day?

Don’t forget November 16^th is Button Day or December 5^th is Bathtub Party Day!

October 2010

Halloween 10.31.2010

Holiday Shopping

November 2010

Election Day 11.2.2010

Veterans Day 11.11.2010

Thanksgiving 11.25.2010

Black Friday 11.26.2010

Cyber Monday 11.29.2010

Holiday Shopping

December 2010

Chanukah 12.1-9.2010

Christmas 12.25.2010

New Year

January 2011

New Year

Martin Luther King Jr. Day 1.18.2011

February 2011

Chinese New Year 2.3.2011

President’s Day 2.21.2011

Valentine’s Day 2.14.2011

Washington’s B-Day 2.15.2011

March 2011

Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras 3.8.2011

St. Patty’s Day 3.17.2011

I hope this helps you in planning your upcoming promotions. Well planned, properly executed marketing and promotional plans can pay huge dividends. It may feel like holidays and observances pop up out of nowhere and before you know it, it’s too late to take advantage. But, with a simple guide and a little forethought, you will be taking advantage of your marketing opportunities every chance you get.

KingWebmaster has an easy to use tool called the Promo Manager that can help. Plan and set up your promotions in advance, and when the time is right, all you have to do is activate it.

This year, don’t just take advantage of the big holidays like Christmas. Making use of observances all year long will keep shoppers in your store and revenues on the rise.

Join fellow Yahoo! store owners September 13th and 14th in Santa Clara California for the Yahoo! Merchant Summit. This is an exclusive event open only to Yahoo! Merchants. You will have the chance to meet the Yahoo! Small Business team along with developers and partners for two days of fun and learning.

Hear what the experts have to say about Marketing, Best Practices, Social Media and more. If you didn’t have the chance to make it to Chicago in June, this is the perfect opportunity to catch up on all the latest news and product trends.

After the sessions end on the 13th, everyone will be  heading over to the Yahoo! campus to mix and mingle with Yahoo! VIP’s. Transportation will be provided between the Marriott and the Yahoo! campus.

Last but not least, meet the team from KingWebmaster!

We will have a table at the Summit both days-can’t wait to see you there!

As reported by Allison Enright for Internet Retailer, a recent study by Forrester Research Inc. concluded that the worldwide online population will increase 43% by 2014. It is projected to grow from 1.63 billion in 2009 to 2.32 billion forecast for 2014.

The report says that the Middle East and Africa will grow the fastest followed by Southern, Central and Eastern Europe.

Chinese consumers will surpass India while Brazil will continue to be at the top of e-commerce spending in Latin America.

The study also projects the US and Canadian online population to grow each year by 3%, but those users will only make-up 13% of the worldwide population by 2014, which is down 3% from 16% in 2009.

The European online population is expected to grow about 20% between 2010 and 2014. It would account for 22% of the worldwide online population.

With numbers like these, can you afford to restrict your business to your home country? Maybe you already do a fair share of overseas business, but if not, this may be the time to plan for global expansion.

Shipping, currency exchange and taxes are a few of the obstacles faced by global merchants. Fortunately, there are tools and resources that can make the transition easier. When you consider the demand for US products, the strength of foreign currencies and the growing online population, it just may be worth it.

The Advanced Shipping Manager and iShopUSA are just a couple of the services that can help make your leap into the international marketplace easier. Along with unprecedented control over how your shipping is calculated, the Advanced Shipping Manager allows you to enter tax rates for any country. iShopUSA is an integrated solution compatible with Yahoo! stores that provides solutions for a wide range of challenges.

They say that nothing good ever comes easily, and that may be true, but luckily there are tools to make the “good” come a little easier!

Client Background

Superior Nut Company started back in 1929 in Somerville, Massachusetts. Dedicated to providing high quality, small batch roasted nuts, dried fruits and nut butters; they operate a very successful online store.

The Problem

Shipping temperature sensitive products was always a challenge. In the summer, chocolate covered nuts and fruits proved especially bothersome. When the destination was out of the shipping zone, they needed to be shipped next day or second day with special insulation and ice gels. Inability to block inappropriate shipping methods and add the necessary fees for expedited shipping and specialty packing materials from the checkout page on temperature sensitive items was a problem. The customer service department had to go through every order and put temperature sensitive items on hold while they called the customer to have them change the shipping method. This was very time consuming and bothersome for employees and customers.

The Solution

We added a shipping module that communicates with the Weather Channel and checks the weather for the origin and destination locations. If the temperature threshold is exceeded in either location or the destination is out of area, invalid shipping methods are automatically blocked and extra fees are added to cover the specialized packing materials.

What the client has to say

“At times we have had orders that shipped the wrong shipping method which has resulted in the chocolate melting, the customer calling back and complaining and us having to re-ship the product. It got to the point where as a company we decided to stop shipping perishable items in the summer.  All these problems came to an end when we started using the module based on the temperature and the ship to location, the customer can only pick from select shipping methods.”

You know that a properly executed promotion can produce amazing results for your business, but it can also be hard to find real world data you can use to help you compare it to your business.

The following is taken from an actual business and their experience using Promo Manager. Names have been changed to protect the successful!

John has a small denim store. For advertising, he utilizes Google Pay-Per-Click campaigns, weekly newsletters (approx. 5,000 emails), and minor SEO work. These advertisement tools average $1,800-$2,200 per month.

Since John usually uses dropshippers, after deducting his expenses, his margins are pretty low. They average between 5% to 10% per pair of jeans. Occasionally, he gets good deals on accessories (belts, handbags, etc.) with margins as high as 25% to 30%.

Before implementing Promo Manager, John’s average order value, excluding shipping, was $120. This reflects the most common purchase of two pairs of jeans with an average profit of 10% or $12.

Using Promo Manager, John is now able to offer a “Buy 3 jeans, get 25% off any accessory in the store” promotion. He saw his average order value jump from $120 to $165 and his profit increase from $12 to $18, or a 50% increase! This is not only because customers purchased more, but also because he was able to keep his expenses down while generating more revenue.

Pretty convincing numbers, what could you do with a 50% increase in profits? Click here for another example of how Promo Manager helped to increase not only sales, but conversions.

If you are using Promo Manager and would like to share your success story, let us know!

It doesn’t matter if your business is big or small, Shopping Cart Abandonment is a frustrating part of life for all e-retailers.  Many shoppers are “window shopping”, gathering product and pricing information to get the best deal. Many consumers do this even when they plan on buying in a brick and mortar store. So, what are the major reasons for abandonment and what can you do about it?

According to a recent study by Forester Research, 88% of online shoppers have abandoned a shopping cart. The top reasons included:

44% cited high shipping costs.

41% were not ready to purchase.

27% were price checking.

35% said the price was too high.

24% wanted to save the products for later.

Now, what can you do to help combat these tendencies?

First, high shipping costs can be dealt with pretty easily. Accurate, real-time rates for a variety of shipping options gives the customer the information they need to decide which method is right for them. Another popular solution is a free shipping offer. This can encourage the customer to add another item to their cart to qualify for the promotion.

Next, if a customer is not ready to buy or if they are price checking , there isn’t too much you can do. Aside from making sure your prices are right and the checkout process is easy, the decision is up to them. Make it easy for them to remember your store and give them a secure place to shop and chances are they will come back. A  follow up email from your store sent a couple days after the customer was browsing can serve as a gentle reminder. Attach a coupon or promo code to really motivate them to return!

As far as pricing being too high, all you can do is make sure you are proving a competitive price. Many times, no price would be right for a shopper – other than free! Seriously, if you are offering a good product at the right price with a smooth checkout, that’s all anyone could hope for. Help accentuate your price with a “you save” display.

The 24% that wanted to save products for later may appreciate a secure customer log-in system. This allows them to add items to a personal wish list and they can later log-in to their account to purchase when they are ready.

It is human nature to shop around for the best deal, while writing this I started to wonder what the “abandonment rate” for a brick-and-mortar store would be. I’m willing to bet it would be pretty high.

As long as you provide a good product at the right price and a secure location, you are sure to attract the right consumers. The best customer is a savvy, educated customer that will, over time, demonstrate a high level of loyalty for your brand.

These days, social shopping is a huge buzz word. But what does it mean to you as an online retailer?

There are sites such as This Next and Kaboodle that are social bookmarking sites. Here, shoppers can bookmark and tag items while seeing reviews and ratings from other users. For retailers, Kaboodle allows you to add the “Add to Kaboodle” button to your site. Shoppers will be able to add your products to their wish lists and shopping lists. Their friends will then be able to view your products and buy directly from your store.

The coupon and deal sites like dealplumber rely on sales and coupon codes, fortunately some also offer the ability to set up a merchant profile to submit your deals and specials.

You can also “go social” on your website. The FaceBook “Like” button is fairly simple to add to your store. You can also make it easy for shoppers to share your products with the “email a friend” feature.

A product rating review system really gets online shoppers involved. Our system allows your customers to interact while you maintain control of the content, it’s also very SEO friendly. There are many compelling studies that attest to the powerful impact a product review system can have on sales and conversions. Check out this summary at SocialCommerceToday.

For a more in depth look at the different social shopping sites out there, this article from GetElastic.com is a great resource. No matter your opinion on this new trend, it isn’t going anywhere so you might as well make the most of it!

I just read a great article at PracticalECommerce.com that discusses the upcoming holiday shopping season and how some big retailers are preparing for it. I know you may not want to think about that just yet, you’re still all flip-flops, barbecues and beach, but if you plan well now, you may have a little extra in the bank for a tropical get away during the darkest, coldest part of the year.

Some companies such as Sears Holdings have implemented “Christmas Lane” in their Sears and Kmart stores. Sears has a  Christmas Club where customers can sign up to earn cash rewards based on spending between particular dates. This makes it easier for the customer to spend on necessities and create loyalty while earning a little extra cash for holiday shopping. Kmart is offering discounts on holiday merchandise and free shipping with no minimum order.

Other stores like hhgregg.com used the Christmas in July theme to move inventory with everything over $99 on sale. Toys “R” Us is using a kitschy Santa in sunglasses and surfer reindeer to advertise back to school specials and free shipping on orders over $49.

Bargains, specials and sales are definitely the name of the game. I particularly liked the idea from Sears Holdings that allows shoppers to earn credit for future purchases. July may be drawing to a close, but any holiday plan or promotion you start to implement now will only help you in the long run.

If you aren’t already using it, our Promo Manager makes it much easier for you to implement an unlimited number of promotions. From date and time specific specials to coupon codes you could send out to your email subscribers, the Promo Manager has you covered. It has been proven to increase order totals and conversion rates while promoting customer loyalty.

Take a day or two out of your summer fun to see how Promo Manager can impact your sales so you can reap the benefits later!

SEO or Search Engine Optimization is a hot topic lately. Have you researched it, or paid someone to optimize your site for you? Maybe you just nod your head in agreement when others talk of its importance, all the while having no clue what they mean?

It isn’t as intimidating as you may think – in fact you can easily improve with just a few tips. Sure, you can get into all kind of charts and graphs and other confusing looking things, but you can also just focus on a few common areas to improve your ranking.

Google recently improved their web indexing system, maybe you heard of it-Caffeine. With the rise of video, real-time updating and social media, available information is constantly being updated and changing. Caffeine allows for this updated information to show up in searches much quicker.

That said – fresh content on your site means more now than ever. You may want to increase the frequency of your blog posts, or begin a blog. With a blog, you can offer special deals or discount codes. It will also allow you to offer a RSS feed of the blog and offer your customers the chance to join your mailing list to receive advance notice of sales, product updates and special deals.

Have you ever thought about making commercials for your business or individual products? YouTube is owned by Google, therefore one could imagine it will be indexed quite frequently. Get out your video camera and get creative – -post on YouTube and link to the product or your homepage.

Do you have a forum on your site? These will be searched as well, and it’s a great chance to provide your customers with a place to share information and tips relating to your products.

You may find it a bit addicting, once you start with SEO, you may not be able to stop! I’ll Include a few more in depth links to keep you going!

Here you’ll find rankings data for different SEO factors.

Here is an E-commerce SEO checklist.

Here are some more expanded tips.

You can no longer deny the importance of social media and networking. As a small business owner, these platforms provide an extensive network to get your brand recognized. Most importantly, its free marketing!

You may be saying, “Its too late, I missed the boat and my only fans on Facebook are my dog and cat.”

Well, it isn’t too late and yes, maybe you haven’t been as active as you could of been-but that’s no excuse to keep ignoring these powerful resources. If you feel a little lost and don’t know your Twitter from your YouTube, just take a deep breath and start with one and build from there.

It will take a little time and effort, but I’ll try to make your job easier and give you a few tips and good places to start.

Mashable.com is a great site for all things relating to social and digital media.

Beginners Guide: Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, and YouTube For Business is a fantastic overview of the top sites.

In How Social Media Has Radically Changed Advertising, Hank Wasiak gives a great overview of how the advertising world has evolved and how Social Media is playing the leading role.

If think a Twitter is something a bird does, How to Build A Twitter Strategy For Your Business will give you some much needed information.

Here’s a how-to about Building Your Personal Brand on Facebook.  Here is a direct link to start setting up your page.

How To Evaluate Your Social Media Plan is a great resource to have at your planning stages.

These should get you started, and feel free to post any other links in the comments section that you have found helpful.