There are only 25 shopping days this year between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Last year, there were 31 shopping days. This year, Hanukkah even falls before Thanksgiving. You may have noticed other big box retailers advertising their sales immediately after Halloween or even before.
In 2012, holiday sales accounted for 25% of all e-commerce sales. With the shorter holiday shopping season, online retailers need to be ready. During Google’s third-quarter earnings call, they declined to forecast results of the holiday season but did state that there has been a decline in spending this fall. In addition to the shorter holiday shopping season, many consumers are using their mobile devices to “window shop” and compare prices. Big box retailers such as Target are now willing to match prices consumers may find online.
You should have your website ready to go by now. This includes ads, marketing strategies and sales. This way, you can take advantage of early bird shoppers. According to a recent Google article, 30% of shoppers will be shopping before Thanksgiving. You must also allow enough time for show-roomers as people tend to not be brand loyal and more cautious of prices. According to a recent NBC News article, Kimberly Greenberger of Morgan Stanley expects e-commerce to account for about 12 to 13 percent of all holiday retail sales up from 11 percent last year.
Mobile will be very big this year for customers because so many shoppers use Google and other search engines to find the lowest price for items. Your website needs to be mobile friendly in order to gain these shoppers. Be sure your website loads quickly for both mobile and the website. You should also have your product copy optimized. This will help attract those shoppers who use search engines to find the best prices. Product imagery is also huge–we recommend having 360 photos and video of your products. Incentives like free shipping are also a great way to attract consumers or incentives to purchase early.
Snap Agency E-Commerce
We manage 7 of our own eCommerce stores and their social media sites. Snap Agency has over 10 years of experience in managing eCommerce SEO and marketing for online stores. Give us a call at (763) 548-2297 or shoot us an email. Snap Agency is an digital marketing company that helps businesses grow through the power of digital marketing.