7 Tips to Increase Your July 4 Online Sales 

If you are like many online retailers, you likely dread the month of July. Historically, July is known for its sluggish sales and uncomfortably hot weather. However, large retailers like Amazon and Wal-Mart have successfully bolstered their summer sales with their Christmas in July promotions. If you’d like to create sales fireworks early in July with July 4 promotions, check out our seven tips below.

1. Know your July 4th buyer. Nearly a quarter of Americans buy patriotic merchandise as July 4th approaches and billions of dollars are spent on food. Other popular products include fireworks, beer, and barbecue supplies. Depending upon the nature of your e-commerce business, you may wish to feature one or more of these items in your sale.
2. Extend your sale to the days surrounding July 4th. Roughly 10% of purchases are expected to be made online, creating a need for e-commerce business owners to develop a strategic plan to optimize their Independence Day sales. In particular, make sure that your buyers are able to place orders and receive their items before July 4th. You may also wish to extend your sale 24 hours after July 4th to capture more buyers.
3. Use the holiday to promote overstock items. An Independence Day sale is a great way to sell any overstock items you happen to have on hand. Check your inventory before you launch your promotion to identify any items on hand that have been slow to sell to feature in your promotion.
4. Launch an exciting e-mail campaign. A well-crafted e-mail campaign is a great way to promote your sale to existing customers. Begin promoting your sale in June to ensure that your customers can plan to take advantage of your promotion.
5. Showcase your sale on your website. Create an eye-catching banner for your website to prompt new and existing customers to place orders. Make sure you have a compelling call to action to motivate customers to take advantage of the offers you are advertising.
6. Begin promoting next year’s sale this year. Emphasize the “annual” nature of your sale to give your customers something to look forward to next summer. You can do this by giving your promotion a special theme or name and advertising it on your website’s calendar of upcoming events.
7. Offer your customers some relevant holiday tips. This strategy will delight your customers and help drive inbound traffic to your e-commerce site. Examples of helpful tips to feature include the following:

• How to throw the perfect 4th of July party
• Firework safety
• July 4 recipes and food preparation

By following the tips above, you can help ensure that your online business does not fall prey to slumping summer sales. With a Christmas in July approach and some strategic planning, you can transform July from one of your slowest months into one of your strongest sales months.