Blue Monday, the 3rd Monday of January is statistically the saddest day of the year. The festivities and time off are behind us, and promising that’s the last mince pie we’d have 5 pies ago has left us in a slump. Not only that, but the carnage of Christmas shopping, eating and overall merriment has left our wallet, well, a little on the sad side.
It's easy to appreciate then that January puts us in the dumps. This is where your business has the chance to offer salvation. Be the beacon. Be the best thing since sliced bread. But definitely be something, because your customers want to feel good, and if you're not selling, they're not buying.
Industries that can best take advantage of Blue Monday are Entertainment, Food, Health Care and of course, Retail (as is the essence of retail therapy!). Use this time to reach out to customers offering a day of deals and savings to help them beat the blues.
Not only are you able to bring shoppers cheer, but by bringing them great bargains they won't succumb to buyers’ remorse, especially when the bank balance was already a little low. So more spending, and less returning.
It’s not all about funnelling your customers to the checkouts though. Even though Blue Monday isn’t scientifically proven, the knowledge that it’s coming up and the talk around Blue Monday - or the simple fact it’s cold and miserable out - still leaves individuals feeling glum.
Sometimes a kind word or message is all it takes. Whether you do that online, in your bricks-and-mortar stores - or both - your customers will appreciate the time and thought taken for a positive message to be spread.
Drop your customers an email with some motivational quotes; add some cheerful images to your store windows; or maybe even spread awareness of health issues during this time, and you’ll find your message will go a long way in improving your brand’s image, which has positive knock-on effects for the future. If you give a little to your customers, they will most definitely give a lot back.
Another huge factor contributing to better brand presence and less returns are all your brilliant customer reviews. If shoppers can read information written by individuals similar to themselves, a number of things happen:
A) Trust in your product and/or service increases
B) Detailed feedback leaves little room for error, resulting in smarter purchases
C) Interaction with on-site reviews encourages reviews to be left!
If you've found that after Christmas your review conversion peaked and has plateaued in the following weeks of January, Blue Monday is a fantastic opportunity to shake off your own blues.
Due to the surge in spending both online and in-store, now is the time to boost reviews. The majority of individuals will be spending to reverse the effects of Blue Monday, therefore purchases will most likely be for themselves. This leaves no excuse not to leave a review - because if you've put a smile on your customers' face, they're going to want to shout about it.
If your business didn't collect reviews during the holiday season, don't miss out now with Blue Monday round the corner.
Review collection enables your business to see a host of benefits, facilitating greater brand presence, a bigger customer-base, and overall growth in conversion and revenue. Not only do you see great rewards, but your customers also reap them too - review collection, publication and management is mutually beneficial.
Collecting reviews with a Google licensed review partner, such as REVIEWS.io, means your review stars (Seller Ratings) can appear alongside any of your paid advertising, such as Google Ads and Google Shopping campaigns. Google themselves even state that your paid ads aren’t fully optimised if you don’t have stars alongside them.
“Your ads aren't as prominent as they could be if you used seller ratings. Seller ratings are automated extensions that help highly rated advertisers stand out. Gathered from reputable sources that aggregate business reviews, seller ratings show with Search Network and Google Shopping ads. You can get reviews to build your seller rating by signing up with Seller Ratings services.” - Google
Stars against your business and products help your brand stand out against competitors, which is exactly what you want during the feel-good spending in January and the year ahead. With an improved visibility and standing within the listings, reviews and their accompanying stars drive traffic, and when displayed on-site improve conversion.
Shoppers see validation within an initial search, and when on-site can educate themselves without ever having to leave your business. In a nutshell, due to a star rating's visual appeal, they make consumers say "they look reliable and well-liked".
Stars alongside paid advertising increases CTRs by 22%, and saves you up to 17% on PPC spend. And due to greater trust and a wealth of information at their fingertips, customer interaction with reviews encourages an 11% increase in spending.
To wrap up, reviews are an asset that continues to get better with time. The more reviews you collect, the more your review total increases. And with an abundance of stars and reviews on-site and in the listings, the more you build your reputation as a reputable seller and a trusted brand name. With trust well-established, your customer base is enhanced and thus sales too. Which only means more reviews!
With REVIEWS.io, gathering your customer feedback, showcasing your great service and products, and managing your reviews is made simple.
Collect reviews to best suit the way you communicate with your customers using either email, SMS, or our In-store app, to gather customer-generated feedback right at the point of purchase.
Review publication is a breeze with a host of widgets to choose from. Display reviews elegantly, discreetly or boldly across pages of your website in a few clicks, and as a Google licensed review partner reviews collected with REVIEWS.io will enable you to see those review stars in your paid ads too.
Finally, with active review management you can reply to and stay on top of what your customers are saying in a heartbeat within your streamlined Timeline, as well as pull out customer sentiments and review data metrics for actionable insights.
Whether you decide to offer your customers great deals, or simply give them a cheerful message, make sure you're spreading the feel-good factor this January to stop Blue Monday in it's tracks. You'll begin to see the returns which puts you in great stead for review collection, and the chance to engage your customers and improve brand presence.
If you're looking for your own feel-good factor this January, check out some REVIEWS.io clients who are offering some nice little pick-me-ups!
Head to Oliver Bonas for some homeware and clothing therapy; Check out some peaceful getaways with Waterways Holidays; Treat yourself to some little gems at Grace & Co; Or give yourself a health and fitness boost at Pro-Form.
To find out how you can incorporate review collection into your business strategy, head to our website, or call a member of our team today.
