The Rubicon Project reports* that buying continues to shift toward online and mobile venues, and that 22% of consumers won’t be making any in-store purchases.

If you’re doing selling this holiday season, check out some key points to keep in mind:

Prospects for Cyber Monday

Key holiday buying days are Black Friday (November 25), Small Business Saturday (November 26), and Cyber Monday (November 28). According to the above-referenced report, nearly half of consumers (47%) plan to buy on Cyber Monday, compared with 42% on Black Friday.

Mobile is meaningful now. The report found that 38% of consumers make a purchase online directly from their mobile devices at least once a week and that 10% have made a purchase based on a mobile ad in the past day!

Online selling tips

While the holiday buying season has already begun, it’s not too late for online sellers to improve their chances of success:

• Make sure your site is optimized for mobile viewing. Work with professionals to make this happen in time for this holiday season if necessary.
• Drive traffic to your site. This may be done through a myriad of activities, including Google Ads, SEO (search engine optimization), and blogs.
• Use Social media to connect with customers. For example, tweet your thanks to customers.
• Give value-added. This can be discounts, free stuff, and rewards for referrals.
• Be staffed to handle the traffic. While the orders are placed automatically, you need humans to fulfill them if you do your own packing and shipping.
• Offer free shipping. A report earlier this year found that 9 out of 10 consumers found that free shipping is the number 1 incentive to shop online. Other services valued by consumers: one- and two-day delivery and free shipping for returns.
• Keep your promises. Delivery dates are promises you can’t afford to break.

You can find more tips from:

• Ebay’s Seller Center
• Shopify
• The Balance (good list of pitfalls)

*Many thanks to Ina Steiner of eCommerceBytes, who reported on this in her daily email eCommerceBytes 411. Online sellers are advised to subscribe to stay abreast of developments on Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and other marketplaces. Cost: $49/year.