Playing up the Christmas calendar countdown

Amazon.com reigns supreme in the online shopping world, and rightfully so. It plays all the right moves to lure shoppers to its site, especially around the holidays when its free shipping on orders over $25 offer goes an extra long way.

Although not all retailers can afford to offer free - incentives, it's critical that they make shipping a priority.

Here's an easy way how: Since customers don’t want to risk that their purchases might not arrive in time, retailers should take the mystery -- and anxiety -- out of the equation by calling out shipping dates across the site, especially in the days leading up to Dec. 25.

Retailers should also send out dedicated e-mails to remind shoppers how much time is left to make a purchase so it arrives by a certain date. Use language such as “Only 48 hours left!” to create a sense of urgency.

It's simple concepts like this that go a long way.