It doesn’t have to be the holidays for a gift guide to be a great way to rev up your sales. Shoppers are looking for gifts for their loved ones all year long. From Valentine’s Day to birthdays, there is always someone looking for a gift

By creating a gift guide you make it easy to improve your products searchability in a way that showcases who would use it, who would buy it for them and why

So when someone searches for “what should I buy my boyfriend for his birthday” your products can have a chance to shine online, even though the shopper doesn’t know exactly what they are searching for

It allows you to advertise your products to consumers who would not ordinarily find your website.

Another great idea to keep in mind for gift guides is to include bundled discounts.

So, if you know that certain products are usually bought together, you can suggest these below the main product on the product page under the heading “frequently bought together” and then give them the option of saving a percentage, or receiving an additional product for free, if they buy the two suggested products together.

But you also can’t put every item your Ecommerce store carries on your gift guide. So how do you decide which products to include, how to categorize them and what kind of special offers to include

Here are some fool proof factors to take into consideration when creating your marketing gift guides

Winning gift guides to create

The best tech gifts, Best gifts for boyfriend / girlfriend, husband / wife / spouse, best gifts for Mother’s Day / Father’s day, Best gifts by interest group (gardeners, tech gifts, students, teens, kids, new parents, foodies / home cooks, house warming gifts, etc

Basically, you need to look at what you’re selling, think about who is using it, and then think about who might be buying something for them. Then put together the gift guide that targets both the end user and the shopper who is looking for a gift.

Look at sales data to help you decide on which items to include

 

Take a look at your top sellers and pin point which of these items will make for great gifts, and who would want them. If you feel it’s something anyone would want or need, say so. You can make a gift guide that tells your audience “10 gifts anyone would love to receive in 2019”.

Who’s already buying?

Your current shopper segments are the people who you already know want your products. Now make sure that they are mentioned in your guides so that when their mom searches for a gift for them, they come up in her SERPs.

Market trends

Don’t just look at what your target market is currently buying from you, also take a look at what their activities and interests are. What’s trending in their peer groups? Where are they spending their time (both online and offline)?

It could be that you have products that are relevant to popular activities which no one has thought of pairing with them yet – for example: If you sell high quality socks you may want to promote them towards hikers and cyclists.

Not every product used by an interest group is developed specifically for them – but that doesn’t mean they don’t need your product while they partake in their activities. Pin point people who can use your product and make them (and their loved-ones) aware that they should be getting it from you, and that it’s a great gift idea.

You can make use of free tools like Google trends to help you figure out what opportunities exist in your location or industry.

Ask around

This may seem like an obvious thing to do, but you could be surprised by the answers you get to the question “What would you like to receive as a gift?”. It is worthwhile doing some hands-on research. This can be as informal as asking your friends, co-workers and family. You could also launch a formal research project by putting together a questionnaire.

Try asking your existing customers to fill in a quick survey once they’ve received a product from you. Make sure that you make this process quick and easy for them, and never forget the power of incentivizing data collection by offering a prize or discount to those who complete a questionnaire for you.

Remember – the basic rules of supply and demand dictate that you will succeed by offering something your customers actually want

Consult your suppliers

Your vendors and suppliers probably have a fairly good idea of what is going to happen with their end products, who wants them and what they are used for. They know what your competitors are sticking up on, too, and have a good idea of what’s trending. This can work by telling you not only what’s popular, but also where there could be possible gaps in the market which no-one else is filling yet.

Include bundled deals

As mentioned above, your gift guide can include hints on what products are often bought together.

Offer your shopper the option of a discount or freebie if they buy the bundled gift set. You are not only supplying them with a gift that is already perfect and nicely packaged, but you may convince them to try it themselves and possibly convert a new end-user.

Customize your guide for different channel

It’s not enough to post a blog about your gift guide (although it is a great idea, too). You should think about all of the different places your audience may go in search of gift ideas.

Social media platforms like Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook all hold massive appeal for giving visually appealing content to viewers, being easy to share online, and easy to search using hashtags, search terms and a bit of well-placed marketing.

Another channel which is often over-looked is video. Yet YouTube is one of the biggest and most popular search engines we have. Consider having someone from your team (or an influencer if you have one in mind) run through and showcase some of your products on video. Remember to include key search terms in your YouTube or vlog description.

Learn from those who are already succeeding

Need some inspiration? Why not go online and see what other successful companies are already doing? Visit their social media pages, and maybe even try finding a gift for someone yourself!