The holidays (and holiday shopping) are upon us and, like most, you might be thinking through the promotions you’re going to run, how you’re going to acquire more customers and ultimately sell everything on your website. That is the goal, right? Each year more and more customers migrate to online holiday shopping. Why? It’s faster, you can find anything and everything you want through a few quick searches, and you can do it all from the comfort of your couch - it’s a win-win. But the unfortunate reality is, even with this continued push towards e-commerce, very few company websites are actually prepared for this influx of online shoppers. Don’t be that company! Here are five easy ways to make sure that holiday shopping your site is an enjoyable experience during the holiday season (and always).

Easy to Navigate

Simple. Is. Better. Don’t complicate people’s lives by using “unique” naming conventions no one can understand, and don’t use overcrowded navbars. Keep it simple!Good hYOUman does a great job of this. Their navigation is simple and gives shoppers options between gender, collection, or featured items. There is also a very clear search bar in the upper right corner, which is clutch for the busy shopper!About 61 percent of users will only look for a product on your site twice before giving up and looking elsewhere. And in this day and age, users are very impatient, so eliminate any stressful shopping experiences by laying it all out for them.

Offer Support Instant Chat

Holidays are the time for the confused gift giver. Spouses are shopping for each other, grandparents are trying to find the new trendy gifts, and everyone has 101 questions. The easiest way to keep those people from going elsewhere is giving them a simple way to ask their questions and get immediate answers, such as installing a live chat feature.Live chats are my best friend. Not only do they help with things such as sizing issues, coupon code issues, and shipping questions, but they can also be an extremely useful up-selling tool. When people have all the information they need about a purchase, they have confidence in that purchase and are less likely to abandon ship, or their cart in this case.

Make Your Offers Front and Center

You ran an ad with a discount and drove hundreds of interested shoppers to your site, but now the discount code is nowhere on the site. When people can’t figure out how to collect their discount, they’re pissed, and now they’re gone. It happens more than you think!Either drive people to a page with the discount already taken at checkout. Or, use a lightbox to capture emails and then email shoppers their coupon (that way you get an email AND a sale - a double whammy).

Gain the Trust of the Shopper

Gaining shopper’s trust and building loyalty are probably two of the most important things you can do for your business. Trust and loyalty drive larger sales and more lifetime revenue for your company.For example, ASOS free shipping and free return policies make your purchase regret-free and help to simplify your shopping.

Gift Sections

Gift sections are always great during the holidays, especially if you carry a wide range of products.Lulu & Georgia allows you to select a gift based on price as well as by type. Giving people options to tailor their gift choices is always a good idea. You can also try other options, such as gifts for her and gifts for him. All in all the important thing to remember during the holidays, and year-round, to be frank, is simplicity. Make the shopping experience on your site intuitive, make it easy for people to find exactly what they need when they need it, and build trust with your customers to keep them coming back! Happy advertising!