Q4 is the busiest time of year for eCommerce brands, with the holiday season driving a surge in sales. The quarter marks key retail dates such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Boxing Day, with opportunities for brands to make the most of retail sales before the year ends.
2024 has been a year of financial uncertainty, with declining consumer confidence and rising cost-of-living pressures making shoppers more selective about their spending. As the busy November trade period approaches, consumers will be focused on value—comparing deals across platforms and favouring brands that offer clear savings, strong incentives, and trustworthy experiences. To capture market share in this environment, it is important for brands to understand these shifts and adapt their strategies to meet consumers' heightened sensitivity to price and quality. The path to standing out this Q4? Focus on quick, impactful wins.
Quick wins are small changes or adjustments brands can make to boost sales. These positive marketing strategies are relatively easy to implement and don't require a lot of upfront investment. More importantly, they help businesses stay ahead of the curve during the busiest period of the retail calendar. For brands in the eCommerce space, implementing quick wins within their affiliate marketing and overall strategies is a smart way to capitalise on Q4 opportunities. Here are some key solutions to consider.
Affiliate Marketing Quick Wins
- Recruitment: Brands should work with top-quality affiliates from all channel types. This helps to diversify risk and also helps reach different customers at different stages of their conversion journey. Brands should also review their affiliate applications frequently to avoid missing partnership opportunities with new affiliates of potential.
- Targeting: Due to the current economic climate, customers have become more selective than ever when it comes to where they choose to shop. Ensure to partner with publishers who have access to databases of your ideal audience to guarantee your marketing efforts reach the right customers at the right time.
- Creatives: Regularly update your creative assets and ensure key campaign elements, such as Black Friday and Boxing Day promotions, are clearly labelled. After uploading, share asset links with affiliates via the Message Centre to streamline promotion efforts. Repurposing creative assets from other channels ensures consistent online messaging while also saving time and resources on asset creation.
- Commissions and Tenancy Placements: Strategically increasing CPA rates and securing tenancy placements in advance allows you to reward affiliates, boost their engagement with your brand, and claim premium e-commerce real estate across their platforms. This proactive approach strengthens relationships, incentivises continued promotion, and drives long-term affiliate loyalty and revenue.
- Placements Marketplace: Apply to publishers' upcoming campaigns in the Placements Marketplace where affiliates host their partnership opportunities across key periods such as Cyber-weekend, Christmas, Boxing Day, etc.
- Reporting: Commission Factory has a wide range of reports available to advertisers to compare performance across key periods, and benchmark efforts against the industry standard. We also have a suite of eight cross-channel attribution reports, designed to help brands understand the role of affiliate marketing in the customer journey. Take the guesswork out of Q4 and start using data to make informed, cost-effective decisions.
- Integrations: Commission Factory's Integrations Marketplace has several third-party tech partners who integrate directly with the MasterTag, designed to help you address strategic challenges or objectives. Seamlessly reach business goals this quarter, such as increasing AOV, retargeting lost customers, or decreasing exit intent.
- Message Centre: Monitoring and responding to messages from affiliates who are looking to optimise their efforts is a valuable chance for brands to maximise their ROI opportunities and maintain a positive relationship with their affiliates. It also provides a platform to ask questions and explore potential incentives such as increased CPA or exclusive offer codes in exchange for placement opportunities, such as homepage banners or email inclusions. Additionally, brands can utilise the message centre to keep affiliates informed about their best-selling products, new developments within their brand, and upcoming promotions. Consistent communication is key to staying at the forefront of affiliates' minds and fostering strong partnerships.
General Quick Wins
- Starting the Earlier, the Better! More brands are launching their promotions earlier, turning November into a "Cyber Month" rather than just a Cyber Weekend. This shift helps retailers capture consumer attention ahead of the holiday rush, offering more time to secure deals and boost sales. It also plays into the concept of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), with consumers securing their desired products quicker and before they sell out.
- Run Limited-Time Offers: People are more likely to buy something if they know it's only available for a limited time. Consider running flash sales, early bird discounts, or other limited-time offers. Keep the momentum going throughout November by rotating your offers, ensuring there’s always something fresh and enticing. This not only aligns with the ‘Cyber Month’ trend but also taps into the FOMO effect, encouraging consumers to act fast before missing out on top-tier deals.
- AI and Personalised Offers: As the peak shopping season spans a month, e-commerce brands can leverage AI to analyse customer data and deliver personalised offers tailored to individual preferences, rather than relying on generic '30% off sitewide' promotions.
- Optimise your Website for Search Engines: Brands should optimise their keywords for potential customers to search for products. This will help brands get more organic traffic on the website, which can lead to more sales.
- Improve the Checkout Process: Make sure the checkout process is quick and easy. Avoid unnecessary steps and ensure customers can easily enter their payment and shipping information.
- Offer Multiple Payment Options: In the current financial climate, customers prioritise convenience when making purchases. Provide various payment methods, including popular alternatives like PayPal or buy-now-pay-later services, to accommodate their preferences.
- Dominance of Social Media: An ongoingly powerful tool for reaching potential customers and promoting your brand. Share engaging content, run interactive contests, and utilise targeted ads to connect with your audience. Collaborating with influencers can also further amplify your reach, as their trusted recommendations enhance credibility and drive conversions.
By integrating quick wins into their comprehensive marketing strategy, eCommerce brands can set themselves up for success during the crucial Q4 shopping season.
If you're an eCommerce brand wanting to boost your sales during peak seasons, get in touch with us about working with the Commission Factory. Alternatively, register as an affiliate or an advertiser on our platform today.