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"Cyber Monday is the day retailers love and hate. They love the huge revenue potential, but hate the pressure to perform.  \nHowever, the phenomenon is now a well-established consumer holiday, so it's important to avoid a technical meltdown. And even if your site is stable and responsive, there are still ways to grow your sales on Cyber Monday.  \nSee also: 14 Tips to Avoid Holiday Shopping Scams\nAssuming you\u2019ve got the basics in place, these seven practices can maximize sales in this critical period.\n1. Be real time.\nTrends and fashions develop fast during this intense shopping movement. The latest gift craze or must-have toy can change in a matter of hours.  If you want to maximize sales, track activity in real time and respond in immediately with creative merchandising and offers.  If you\u2019re only reviewing analytics occasionally, you\u2019re going to miss a trick. And if your competitors see the trends first, you could lose out badly.\n2. Think about the weather.\nWeather can have a huge impact on shopping habits at any time of year, but it's particularly important during the holiday season.  Simple trends, such as increased reliance on online shopping during heavy snow, can be leveraged to drive sales.  More subtly, a colder than normal holiday period will lead to increased demand for wintry gifts, which you can match through creative marketing and product presentation.\n3. Think about location.\nOffline stores have long taken it for granted that they serve local shoppers, not some imaginary national archetype.  After all, a shopper in California might have a different gift list from one in New York, and you\u2019ve got to recognize and respond to those demands.  But the ability to serve different sites to users in different locations is a must if you want to increase your conversions over this competitive period.\n4. Think about content.\nHoliday shopping is one of the least focused retail missions of the year; shoppers roam virtual aisles in search of the ideal gift.  Therefore, it's the time of year when retailers can influence a shopping mission through content and merchandizing.  Preparing creative and colorful gift guides via video or text can help the confused shopper make his retail choices on your site, rather than your competitor's.\n5. Manage abandonment.\nWith the lack of shopper focus, basket abandonment can be a real issue; indecisive shoppers put products in their virtual baskets before heading elsewhere, many times without completing the purchase.  However, abandonment doesn\u2019t necessarily mean a lost customer \u2014 follow up with registered users via email. On-screen messages might jog their memory, too, reminding them to come back and complete their shopping journey.\n6. Online and offline customers are equal.\nCyber Monday shoppers aren\u2019t necessarily a single-channel phenomenon. Online shopping is becoming ever more a dual-channel experience.  Align your marketing and offers between your on- and offline presences to ensure shoppers get the same experience and value wherever they interact with you.  If a user sees a product on special offer in your store, they\u2019ll expect the same when they go to your website. A failure to deliver could cost a valuable sale.\n7. Offer reliable delivery data.\nDelivery times are most critical around the holiday season, as shoppers will only purchase those products that will arrive in plenty of time for the big day.  Clear and concise delivery information is good retail hygiene any time of year, but on Cyber Monday it's critical. Give your shoppers clear, accurate and regularly updated information about when products will arrive and you\u2019ll clear a significant retail hurdle.\nClearly, the intense pressure on every retailer around Cyber Monday means a huge amount of effort goes into just staying afloat and keeping everything going.  However, if you\u2019re well-prepared and have the infrastructure to cope with the seasonal surge, spending some of your time on these simple tricks can boost your sales and make it a holiday to remember.\nHave something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.\nImage: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2013/11/26/cyber-monday-brands/>