I spoke last week about landing pages on your website for Christmas. This week, I'm focusing more on what you can do if you don't want to transform your whole website- whether that be due to time, or the obvious money it would cost to overhaul your website just for the holidays.
Tiffany & Co.
I said I would focus on those who had just redesigned aspects of their website, yet I thought aspects of Tiffany's website would be worth mentioning as you could draw inspiration from it. If your budget won't stretch to a overhaul of the entire landing page, the initial banner you see upon opening the web page is perhaps the most important part of the whole thing. Forget their fancy video, or the snowflakes that rain down over some of the interactive banners- these are all great, and add to the luxe feel of the website, however, if you take away all of those things, the initial banner says a lot about the brand. It reminds customers the festive period is upon us, it brings in their iconic branding with the duck egg blue box, and it shows where the brand is from with the New York skyline behind, all whilst being incredibly pretty and inviting.
Sephora
Instead of completely changing the design of their website, regular users of this site will know it keeps mainly in the same format and layout as pre-holidays. The only difference noticeable is small changes- the logo has an added bauble to jazz it up, the banners are based around products relevant for the season, and instead of the black lines of months previous to separate sections, there are big red bows across the screen.
Sephora are a great example of how banners can change an entire website- by adding some products perfect for a Christmas party, or those great for gifts, they add some sparkles and call it a day as they change the feel of their website completely. If you click further into the website, apart from a bauble here or there- again on the banners- nothing has changed and it is not noticeable what time of year it is from here, only the landing page has significantly changed.
I love how they have got this section at the bottom of every page- around this time of year, gift packaging and gift cards are always more popular than any other time of year, and this clickable banner section makes it easier than ever for customers to purchase them, and enforces to the consumer they are a great option to go with for Christmas gifts with a wide range of products and services- every business could do something similar as it only requires small icons and links to pages you may already have such as 'gift cards.'
Baudville
Proving not much needs changing on your website comes Baudville- they sell recognition gifts and custom awards/trophies – with a banner, some strung up Christmas lights and a sleigh replacing their shopping basket. With these few adjustments, they've shown their customers they have products for Christmas; it's festive without looking like Christmas threw up on it. My favorite part of the site, and probably the best part of any of the websites I've shown, is the sleigh replacing the shopping cart- ridiculously simple yet fun, festive and quirky.
Daniel Wellington
Offering no other alterations to their website apart from the banner homepage, this is remarkably simple, yet changes the whole website feel. Their product is watches, so the rest of the pages are clean and precise images of products, however this one feels warm and inviting into their website, offering 'holiday' prices when buying a specific product- and gift wrapping and free shipping as standard- in one sentence they've included everything a customer wants when buying a gift for Christmas- all consumers like discount, a freebie, or free postage/gift wrap- we all want value for money when shopping, especially at Christmas.
During the busiest time of the year for most online businesses, it is important you are giving yourself the best possible chance for maximum sales. No matter your budget, from Tiffany's complete redesign to adding a single banner, a touch of Christmas makes customers feel warmly invited onto your website, and shows them you're considering Christmas and the way in which your presents can be given and presented for Christmas gifts/ services used around this time. Use large photo and product led banners, with a splash of text quickly showing any holiday deal/discount that may be available- and don't forget to be individual and quirky!
