In our latest webinar, we explored actionable marketing and ecommerce strategies designed to elevate Black Friday and Cyber Monday performance. Industry experts from Ripple Junction, Chief Detective, La Jolla Group and Maropost shared proven tactics that have driven impressive results. Attendees also got unique insights and practical advice to help boost engagement, increase conversions and drive revenue. This session shared effective strategies for the biggest shopping days of the year!
What we learned:
- How to Boost Your Mobile Checkout Conversions
- The Power of Direct Customer Conversations
- How Industry Leaders Are Building Loyalty
- How To Prepare Teams for a Successful Holiday Season
Speakers:
- Vishwas Bharadwaj, Senior Vice President, eCommerce, Amazon, DTC, Ripple Junction
- Nathaniel Lee, COO, Chief Detective
- Elizabeth Krause, VP Digital and eComm, La Jolla Group
- Tim Schulz, VP Product, Commerce Cloud, Maropost
- Moderated by: Allan Dick, CoFounder, CommerceNext
Watch the replay or read the recap below.
How to Boost Your Mobile Checkout Conversions
Mobile checkout is a huge opportunity to boost revenue and it’s often overlooked. While top retailers see checkout rates around 35%, many are much lower, especially on mobile. Improving checkout flow and speed, particularly for mobile users, can double or even triple conversion rates! Keeping key promotions visible through checkout, like free shipping or discounts, reminds customers they’re getting a great deal and helps reduce drop-offs. Taking time to review your checkout process and seeing where users might get stuck can lead to big wins, especially with the holiday season right around the corner.
The Power of Direct Customer Conversations
Talking directly with customers is a key strategy that many businesses overlook. While software companies and retailers often start strong by connecting with their audience, they can lose that connection as they grow and become more focused on maintenance. By having meaningful conversations with customers, companies can gather important feedback on pricing, product experiences and promotions, which can lead to new ideas. Businesses need to reach out to different customer groups, especially after launching new ad campaigns, to confirm what their research shows and improve their strategies. This approach helps keep the brand relevant and shows a renewed commitment to customer satisfaction.
How Industry Leaders Are Building Loyalty
Ripple Junction believes focusing on customer experience is one of the best ways to stay competitive. The company puts customers first by listening carefully to what they need and ensuring their teams have the tools and freedom to ask questions, uncover issues and improve the service experience. Ripple Junction’s strategy includes keeping track of key service metrics, doing regular checks, especially during busy times like Q4 and giving customer service teams early training to handle any situation. Team members are encouraged to listen to customer calls to gain insights for everyday improvements.
La Jolla Group builds loyalty by prioritizing customer service across all their brands. They created a special team focused on improving how they serve customers, which helps them handle different products and consumer groups. This team tracks important numbers like customer satisfaction and response times through reports. They also listen to feedback from customer service reps and work with the product team to fix any issues customers mention. Last year, they noticed that many people prefer using SMS for customer support, so they started training seasonal staff earlier and assigned some to focus just on SMS. This approach helps La Jolla Group improve its customer experience and build stronger loyalty every year.
Chief Detective emphasizes the importance of focusing on the basics during the holiday season to ensure a smooth shopping experience. Retailers should pay close attention to page load speed and the checkout process, ensuring promotional codes function correctly and free offers are applied as intended. It’s crucial to verify that any requirements for discounts or free items are clear and properly implemented. Additionally, retailers often overlook backend payment methods, which can lead to missed sales. The last thing a retailer wants during peak shopping times is for payment methods to be declined or ads to be deactivated. By addressing these fundamental practices, retailers can enhance customer loyalty and drive sales effectively during the holidays.
How To Prepare Teams for a Successful Holiday Season
La Jolla Group believes in the power of preparation for running successful promotions. They know that getting everyone on the same page and planning ahead is key to making things work smoothly. Sometimes things can go wrong, so it’s important to support the team and not put too much pressure on them. To help avoid issues, they suggest being extra prepared. One helpful tip is to create a shared document that outlines who does what and when, breaking everything down into hours. This way, everyone knows their responsibilities and can work independently without feeling stressed. It also helps keep work manageable during busy times like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, allowing the team to stay focused while still enjoying their time off.
Ripple Junction creates a solid strategy complemented by backup plans to handle unexpected situations. To ensure everyone is on the same page, they create a detailed playbook and conduct practice sessions before the busy Q4 season kicks off. The company also focuses on building a library of effective marketing materials that can be quickly adjusted. Clear communication with creative teams is vital, allowing them to allocate time for any necessary last-minute changes. This proactive approach helps Ripple Junction stay agile and responsive during the holiday rush, setting the stage for a successful season.
For more tips like these, sign up for the 2025 CommerceNext Growth Show, taking place in NYC on June 24-26, 2025. Sign up here.
