How to Improve Visual Holiday Content for Q4

This extraordinary year is closing up with a remarkable quarter -- a time of increased conversion rates, lots of driven on and off traffic, and, in general, high shopping activity. 

But how to prepare for the season and maximize profit? Let's answer this question by breaking it into the following points. 

Getting ready for a season 

Q4 is from October to December, that’s why September isn’t a month of drastic sales changes. September is a window-shopping month. Buyers look for high-quality items and good prices, but they don’t plan on purchasing until the holidays get closer. 

While customers window shop, ACoS is rising, so if possible, brand owners need to reach the break-even point during this period to stay afloat.  

Sellers who are willing to engage a wider audience with their products need to plan a larger September budget so that October, November, and December will bring maximized income. It’s essential during the window-shopping period to introduce products to the audience and show that the product is worth their attention and money. Hopefully, you’ve already taken these necessary steps to prepare for the final push that is the end of Q4.

This final stretch can be aided by visual content, which raises an important question: Does visual content during Q4 differ dramatically from any other time, especially as it gets later in the season?

Q4 Product Pictures

What tells someone that you are selling Christmas products, without using words? How can you fully express how essential your items are for the winter season? Primarily, pictures.

Pictures are the first thing that gets users to stop scrolling down the Amazon search results page, or any other external platform where you’ve decided to reach your audience. 

While shopping for presents, when customers see a product picture that stands out among competitors -- and this image fits the buyer’s idea of a perfect holiday present -- it reinforces that it’s worth buying.

Among the qualities that define good product pictures are: 

• Listing pictures need to be presented as a kind of product guide for buyers and lead them through the photos in the order you choose
  
• The product has to take up 80% of the main picture, standing out on a white background
  
• Other images need to show product functions
  
• The images should illustrate how your target audience uses the product
  
• The pictures have to gradually explain why your product is better than your competitors’
  

When we talk about holiday content, pictures need to deliver the idea the seller wants to convey in the simplest way -- plain relatable situations, with nothing unreal. 

We at Profit Whales conducted A/B testing during Q4 to analyze how holiday visual content influences customer behavior. We compared product performance with holiday creatives and without them, measured in CVR and CTR metrics. The results showed a CVR Average increase from 17.9% to 18.4% and a CTR Average increase from 0.52% to 0.63%. As there was a much more pronounced CTR increase over CVR, it shows, in essence, that potential buyers’ interest in the products increased, but not necessarily convincingly enough to make a purchase.

Q4 Product Video

Another thing to consider is the holiday video. For example, imagine a video where the whole family is gathered around the Christmas tree, with happy kids unwrapping presents and finding your product. If the video is high-quality, professional, and has attractive colors and comforting content, there is nothing better. 

Videos are much more relatable than pictures. They can also present items from the most advantageous sides and prove to the viewer that the product fits into the planned holiday atmosphere. 

Q4 product videos can definitely increase conversion rate, but in order to make a video more profitable, sellers need to:

• Create a lifestyle video with a target group in it
  
• Be able to impress viewers in the shortest possible time
  
• Present the main idea of the product
  
• Use only appropriate content
  
• Use brand colors to develop brand awareness
  
• Refer clearly to the holidays you want to get the most attention from
  

However, if you don’t have a required budget for a good video yet, it’s better to wait. Customers usually think that low-budget videos are a sign that the product isn’t that good.

Q4 A+ Content

A+ content requires changes as well. In fact, it’s one of the most critical assets that needs to be changed. A+ content includes much more information about the product and company, so take care to maximize the benefits from the story that will be told. 

There is no shame in analyzing and experimenting. Study competitors' most successful content and experiment with your own to surpass your competitors. Consider what you would want to see on the listing as a customer and implement it in your listing. It can be anything from brighter colors to higher quality to more enticing content, and more.

Important: Visual holiday content has to be adjusted to the upcoming holiday if there is demand for the product. If the pictures still have Halloween content when Christmas is around the corner, there is no chance the product will show good results. 

Conclusion

Visual content isn’t everything. First, the seller finds the product by typing in the right search terms. Then, so your product will show up, you need to include specific keywords in the title, bullet points, description (gift for him/her, the perfect present for Halloween/Christmas, etc.). Nevertheless, only pictures can captivate, A+ content can enhance this effect, and video can assure the potential customer that your product is a must-have for the holiday season in 2021.