Set Now Solutions specializes in online marketing and web-based productivity solutions.

Despite the continued economic problems, consumers are expected to spend more this year than last. Web-savvy teens are getting their first credit cards, and are more likely to shop online than their in-store-oriented seniors.

People are shopping before Thanksgiving and the online shopping season is expected to have peaked by December 20th, since people allow time for shipping. More consumers are predicted to save time by shopping online, utilizing off-hours or time at work to make their purchases. To be successful, a commerce website must be visible to the search engines, friendly to their website visitors, competitive in price and offer secure online commerce.

Know your customer's pain and solve it. Knowing why customers shop online may help you when developing your email, social media and website campaigns.

• Save time by not going to the store
• Avoid holiday crowds
• Can shop when stores are closed
• Might find better Pricing
• Can find products online more easily
• Easier to compare prices online
• Can find products online that are not available in the store near them
• Can have gifts sent directly to the recipient

Your Company's Website

Now is the time to take a critical look at your website and internal operations. Ask yourself the following questions, and be prepared to strengthen your weaknesses.

Can you handle the traffic?
Many websites aren't able to keep up with online shoppers. Web pages are slow to load, products are hard to find, images are missing, strange error messages pop up during checkout, the transaction processing takes longer because more orders are being processed, and some sites fail to come up at all entirely. The result -- lost sales.

Can you provide the goods?
Make sure your business has the ability to fulfill orders when they come in. Draw a flow chart documenting the steps of ordering and fulfillment, including customer service. Is the customer experience friendly? Gain your customer's loyalty this year, and they will return next year.

What do online shoppers want?
They want what they want when they want it -- that generally means right now. Consumers become frustrated after having to click more than six times to complete a purchase, and 83% of online shoppers surveyed moved to another web site after becoming frustrated by too many clicks.

What else do they want?

• A site that is easy to navigate so they can find what they want
• To trust the information on the site
• Frequently updated websites with new information

Conclusion: Use this Pre-Season Performance Checklist

Have a very merry and profitable Holiday season!    :)