The festive season is almost upon us, meaning everywhere we turn is about to get a makeover with a light dusting of glitter, plenty of snow and touch of magic. Supermarket shelves are packed with selection boxes, people are starting to put up decorations, and John Lewis has launched their Christmas Advert encouraging us all to give a little love. So when it comes to your online shop, what should you do to mark Christmas and help boost your sales figures after a pretty gruelling year? Luckily the team here at Actuate took the time recently to sit down with a mug of hot chocolate, and put together our top tips to increase your online orders this Christmas.
<h2>Give Your Website That Festive Feel</h2>
Imagine some of your favourite brick and mortar shops at Christmas time; it's probably a safe bet to  say they are decorated to the nines with lights, a tree and plenty of ornaments to add a magical  feeling to the shop. With an eCommerce shop, you can still go all out and make your visitors feel  the joy of Christmas with festive banners, tweaks to your logo and the general design of your site.  Little touches can go a long way in helping boost your sales, the subliminal effect of those Christmas  reminders helps add a sense of urgency and unlock their gift-giving side, ultimately leading to more sales.

Our graphic designers here at Actuate understand the importance of visual elements in the festive  sales journey and can help with the smallest of changes to extensive site makeovers.
<h3>Offers, Deals and Seasonal Sales</h3>
Let's get serious; when it comes to the festive period, everyone loves a bargain, so give your  audience what they are looking for and at the same time have some fun with it! Consider  advertising Santa's Super Sale or a December Daily Discount and encourage people to shop shop  shop.

Our "technical elf" division here at Actuate is ready and waiting to help you with setting up seasonal  sales and organising your offers within popular eCommerce systems such as Magento, Shopify and  BigCommerce. Reach out now to get the bauble rolling!

We Wish You A Merry Christmas...

You didn't think you'd get away without wishing your customer base a Merry Christmas this year, did  you? Encouraging past customers to return and spend more on your website is much easier than finding new customers, so jingle their jangles and do it with style!

There are many ways in which to do this as we are sure you know... After all unless you've been  living under a rock, you will have seen plenty of festive wishes sent your way by shops over the  years. Put together a plan to reach as many of your past customers as possible. If some of your  ideas overlap that's even better, consider things like:
<ul>
 	<li>Email Newsletters</li>
 	<li>Social Posts</li>
 	<li>A real Christmas card through their door</li>
</ul>
The list of ideas is endless, and the effort won't go unnoticed by those receiving your well-wishes  and kind gestures.

If you don't have the time or inclination to do this yourself, Actuate are here as an extension of your  in-house team to bring your ideas to life. From print work to digital, we promise you won't be  disappointed.
<h3>Customer Service Angels</h3>
With the hustle and bustle of Christmas, it's easy to forget about the things that make your business  stand out, things like fantastic customer service. Make sure this year you remember the little things  and challenge yourself to be the best in your niche. A great example may include challenging your  customer service team to become "customer service angels" during the festive period and coming  up with ideas on how customer service can be used to increase returning trade after Christmas.

Consider adding a hand-signed Christmas card into each parcel you send out on the run-up to  Christmas. The card can be signed by the person who packs the order and adds a personal touch to  your company and emphasises the human element of your business. You could also consider  extending the return period for items ordered in the months leading up to Christmas; it may help  increase sales and also displays your commitment to customer service.