With holiday ecommerce sales <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/press-releases/a-tale-of-two-holiday-seasons-as-a-k-shaped-recovery-model-emerges-consumer-spending-heavily-bifurcated.html" target="_blank" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">predicted to grow by 25% to 35% YoY</a> this year, all eyes were on DigitalMarketer&#8217;s Richard Lindner during our <a href="http://www.bigcommerce.com/make-it-big" target="_blank" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2020 Make it Big conference</a>. During my conversation with Richard, we discussed ways retailers can create an experience-driven holiday strategy this year that will delight customers with <a href="https://www.bigcommerce.com/blog/ecommerce-personalization/" target="_blank" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">personalized</a> touches.
The holiday season always benefits brands and consumers alike. But in order to compete during the busiest season of the year, Richard shares his perspective on what brands can do to go far beyond having an online presence.
<h2>Richard&#8217;s Key Takeaways</h2>
<h3>1. Shift your brand messaging during the holiday season</h3>
<blockquote>
“It’s critical to change your every day marketing approach and adjust to the season that people are in. You can do this by taking a step back and acting more like a big brand than a big box.” &#8211; Richard Lindner
</blockquote>
Richard believes that online business who highlight their brand and who they serve versus the products they sell can help them win holiday business. To accomplish this, he encourages brands to focus on storytelling. Engaging your customers in a way that sparks emotion can help tie your brand to the season — and give your desired consumer more of a reason to shop with you.
For a visual example of what powerful storytelling looks like in content, Richard offers the example of Apple’s “The Surprise” commercial. In this commercial, the product is highlighted not by its features, but by how it fits into customers’ lifestyle. The power that comes with this narrative is unmatched as, in turn, customers feel understood and connected with the brand. This is especially important in the 2020 holiday season when consumers are faced with challenges due to the <a href="https://www.bigcommerce.com/blog/covid-19-ecommerce/" target="_blank" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">coronavirus pandemic</a>.
Creating a meaningful connection with consumers can go a long way, Richard suggests. “It doesn’t matter what you sell, you can always tie it back to the holiday season. Tie your storytelling back to  your customers’ average day and what they are going through right now.”

<h3>2. B2Bs aren&#8217;t exempt to the holiday season</h3>
In our conversation, Richard reminds <a href="https://www.bigcommerce.com/articles/b2b-ecommerce/" target="_blank" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">B2B businesses</a> that they aren’t excluded from the holiday narrative. His leading tip? “B2B companies must remember that they are marketing to a person.” Thus, the importance of holiday messaging and understanding customers’ day-to-day can help position B2B companies to boost sales during the holiday shopping season.
Once you have crafted your holiday messaging, be sure to give your business ample time to plan for holiday inventory. For many this poses the question, what items should I promote and sell during the busy season? What products do I lead with?
<h3>3. Create a holiday merchandising strategy</h3>
<blockquote>
“A lot of mistakes I see brands make is to try to use the holiday shopping season as purely a liquidation of overstock — which is another way of saying, selling what no one else wanted. It doesn’t mean you can’t sell those items, but it’s not what you should lead with.” &#8211; Richard Lindner
</blockquote>
Once you determine what you’re selling, consider how you will merchandise those products. You may create holiday gift guides or a holiday category on your navigation. But, to sum it up, Richard shares, “If you make gift buying easy, that’s going to buy you a lot this holiday season.”
Between creating meaningful connections with consumers, offering personalized online experiences, and providing holiday shoppers with added conveniences and peace of mind, retailers can reach their end of year goals.
To learn more about what your business can do to win this holiday season, stream Richard’s session today.

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Make it Big 2020 Spotlight: How to Create Holiday Magic During Retail’s Busiest Season with Richard Lindner