5 Tips to Mastering Cyber Monday Chaos

4. Don't forget the little things. Consider implementing the following strategies during the holiday sales rush:

• Target messages: To capitalize on the droves on cyber surfers, push sales messages now. Use confirmation pages and email to send messaging about upcoming sales bonanzas, especially if you're offering a discount code or voucher.
• Return policies: During the Cyber Monday and holiday sales frenzy, shoppers tend to overlook obvious guidelines. Make sure your return policy is clear and easy to find. If hosting an above-average policy such as free returns, make this highly visible on the sale landing page.
• Delivery dates: The second biggest concern for shoppers after ensuring the price is right is whether their gifts will arrive in time. Put minds at ease with explicit delivery information.
• Upsell and cross-sell: Raise average order values by cross-selling associated products at checkout. Place upsell and cross-sell products next to the basket, especially if offering a free delivery threshold. Recommend spur-of-the-moment stocking fillers, focusing on cheaper, lower consideration goods. Provide enough information in the description to facilitate the purchase without needing to return to the product page. Don't overdo it, however. Limit upselling and cross-selling to a maximum of three items.

5. Don't have Cyber Monday tunnel vision. The savviest online retailers are the ones that plan ahead for post-Cyber Monday shopping; they allocate specific budgets to capture additional pre- and post-holiday peaks. With gift buying in the rear view, retailers need to quickly adapt their websites to cater to the veteran bargain hunter.

To find out how you can optimize your website even more over the holidays, download our whitepaper here.

Graham Cooke is the CEO and co-founder of Qubit, a company that gives online retailers the power to optimize their sites and drive sales in real time.