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Archive for the ‘holiday’ Category
The early holiday numbers are in, which has led digital marketing software provider Kenshoo to unveil its 2011 Online Retail Holiday Shopping Report.
Key findings from the report include:
- Holiday revenue that is driven by search advertising increased 22 percent year over year (YoY), while average order size grew 5 percent.
- Search advertising budgets increased by 29 percent YoY throughout the season, and average cost per click increased 9 percent, but overall return on advertising spending (ROAS) was $5.22.
- Search advertising conversion rates on Thanksgiving increased 28 percent YoY and sales revenue grew 40 percent.
- Search advertising impressions decreased 9 percent YoY during the 5 days from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday; however, total clicks increased 16 percent.
- Overall search advertising click-through rates for the holiday season increased 11 percent YoY.
Some tips for online advertisers during the remainder of the holiday season include the following:
- Focus on quality as keyword costs increase.
- Capitalize on timely opportunities by scheduling budgets and bids.
- Connect data sources to understand how paid search influences – and is influenced by – other media.
- Hold some holiday budget back for post-Christmas spending, which allows advertisers to take advantage of less competition and consumers' focus on returns and gift card spending.
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Just because Cyber Monday is over, doesn’t mean that holiday website traffic is going to slow down.
And while this may be welcome news to retailers, it is important to make sure that websites are optimized for the holidays – Check out these Website tips from content delivery network Mirror Image.
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Mobile Shopping Patterns of the Holiday Season
posted by AllisonH @ 8:45 AM
Friday, December 2, 2011
Hopefully your site is already optimized for mobile, because it has proven to be a popular avenue for consumer shopping – especially during this holiday season.
According to a study from Internet platform and services company Limelight Networks, 20 to 25 percent more consumers will research and/or purchase holiday gifts on their Internet-connected mobile devices this year compared to last year.
“As ownership of smartphones and tablets continues to rise, more consumers are shopping on these devices, making it imperative for retailers to seriously consider their m-commerce strategies,” says David Hatfield, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Limelight Networks. “Retailers who optimize their mobile shopping experiences will have the opportunity to increase sales conversions this holiday season and boost brand loyalty for future shopping.”
Further results of the study reveal:
Smartphones
- Eighty-nine percent of consumers intend to research and/or purchase holiday gifts on their smartphone this year, compared to 71 percent last year
- Thirty-five percent of consumers intend to research and/or purchase 20 to 100 percent of their holiday gifts on their smartphone
- Eleven percent of consumers report that they are not planning to use their smartphone to research and/or purchase holiday gifts this year – a decrease of 62 percent compared to last year
Tablets
- Eighty-nine percent of consumers intend to research and/or purchase holiday gifts on their tablet this year, compared to 74 percent last year
- Forty-nine percent of consumers intend to research and/or purchase holiday gifts on their tablet for between 20 to 100 percent of their holiday gifts
- Eleven percent of consumers report that they are not planning to use their tablet to shop for holiday gifts this year – a decrease of 58 percent compared to last year
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Drop The Turkey, Get Back to Work
posted by Peter A. Prestipino @ 7:00 AM
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Xobni has released the results of its 2nd annual survey of holiday email behavior and it's pretty dismal. If you're planning on not checking work-related email over this long weekend, then you'll be in the minority.
Hightlights from the study include:
- 79% of U.S. working adults say they receive work email on traditional holidays
- 19% of people said that they are actually “thankful for the distraction” or “relieved” to receive work email on holidays.
- 37% of people surveyed admitted to feeling annoyed, frustrated or resentful after receiving work-related emails on holidays.
- 41% of people that admitted to checking email because they believe doing so would ease the work load once they return from the “break.”
So who are the worst offenders? According to the Xobni survey, employed, middle-aged adults. 58 percent of those age 35-44 admit to checking work email around the holidays.
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Social Geo-location Strategies for Black Friday
posted by AllisonH @ 12:00 PM
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Big names in the retail industry are jumping on the geolocation bandwagon, especially for the busiest shopping weekend of the year.
For example, Sports Authority is offering $25 cash cards for customers that check-in with Foursquare and spend $100 or more, JC Penney will donate $25 (up to $100,000) to the Salvation Army for every Foursquare check-in, while American Eagle is unlocking a 15 percent off coupon to every customer that checks-in on Foursquare. However, these promotions don’t have to be limited to big name corporations, small businesses can jump on the geolocation bandwagon too.
Here are three tips for merchants that want to create social geolocation promotions for the busiest shopping weekend of the year:
Foursquare Specials - Foursquare provides merchants with the ability to create many different types of offers that are available for customers upon check-in – which can be very valuable during the busiest shopping weekend of the year. For instance, merchants can create a discount with purchase offer, like $10 off of a $50 purchase, or free gift with purchase specials. So if your business isn’t already on Foursquare, use this as an incentive to create a merchant page today.
Facebook Contests – It is time to think outside of the box. Organize a contest that gives away a free gift through a random drawing of the customers that check-into your store on Facebook Places over the weekend. Also, to ensure your winning customer comes back and shops more, make the free gift a $50 gift card to your store.
Reward the Early Birds - Although your store may not be opening at midnight like many other retailers on Black Friday, merchants can still reward the early birds. Promote a free gift or special discount for the first twenty customers that check-in either on Facebook or Foursquare on Friday morning.
For more holiday-related social media tips, check out these tips from Website Magazine.
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