Karissa Bell says, “You may want to check Google before you head out on your next holiday shopping spree.The company’s latest search feature makes it easier to find out how crowded stores are at any given time.An extension of Google’s “popular times” update, which shows how crowded restaurants and coffee shops are based on search trends, the new feature will show a real-time estimate for how busy a particular location is.Search for a store, restaurant or other location and Google will now provide a new “live” view in the popular times section of... [...]

Matt Lindner says, “U.S. consumers plan to buy more as the holiday shopping season kicks into high gear, and 76% say they’ll buy online on Cyber Monday compared with 55% who will do so on Black Friday.Shoppers intend to spend more over the Thanksgiving holiday shopping weekend, and more than half of that will be spent online, a survey finds.An independent research company commissioned by Deloitte LLP surveyed 1,223 adults earlier this month and found shoppers plan to spend an average of $400 each during the five days of Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday among online, stores and catalogs,... [...]

Annie Pilon says, “If you’re hosting or attending a Thanksgiving dinner this year, there’s a good chance you’ve used Google to help with the planning. And for businesses, all of those searches can lead to some really helpful insights.The search engine giant just released a search trends report that shows some of the most popular search terms around Thanksgiving. Not surprisingly, the most popular searches revolve around how to cook turkey. And people also searched for other alternative recipes, like prime rib, green bean casserole and pumpkin pie.But there are also other trends that... [...]

Vahe Habeshian says, “An infographic from Marketo and Column Five spells out five tips and propositions to help you now to reap the benefits of your holiday campaign well beyond the New Year. Among those tips…—Respond to customer feedback on social media.—The more you engage with your customers, the more they’ll spend with you in the long run.—A solid retargeting strategy can keep revenue coming in.—Provide an unforgettable customer experience every time a customer makes a purchase.For more information, including a host of relevant stats, tap or click on the infographic,... [...]

Josh Felber says, “There’s no shopping day quite like Black Friday. Whether you participate online or battle your way through hoards of determined shoppers, Black Friday can be a stressful time for retailers looking to make money.But just like how shoppers plan out their mall trips to maximize their time while getting everything they need, stores need to ensure they are equally prepared for a massive influx of shoppers. A little digital preparation can help you stay ahead of your shoppers while you compete with some of your larger competitors. As you build out your Black Friday planning... [...]

Dipanjan Chatterjee says, “Black Friday approaches. I should be breathless with anticipation. You see, I’m a brand strategist. To me, the prospect of millions of people reveling in thousands of brands and turning the bottom line from red to black is brand nirvana. It’s like Christmas came early. Which it does, in a way, on Black Friday.Yet, the tendrils of self-doubt infiltrate my exuberance. Must a weekend so treasured for time spent with friends and family be ruined by being pepper-sprayed at Walmart, by being gored in the Pamplona bull run down the aisles at Best Buy to save 50 bucks... [...]

Aleyda Solis says, “With the most important season for online retailers coming, it’s critical to make sure that your online store is optimized so you’re ready to make the most out of it. Last year, online shoppers spent $4.45 billion on Black Friday and Thanksgiving Day alone. And according to Custora’s E-Commerce Pulse, in September of this year, 22 percent of e-commerce orders in the US were driven by organic search traffic (vs. 20 percent coming from email and 19 percent from PPC).Coincidentally, in Econsultancy’s Technology for Ecommerce Report 2015 (based on a survey... [...]

Dave Davies says, “So, you’ve procrastinated until mid-November, and now you’re struggling to figure out how it’s possible to boost your organic search traffic for the holidays. While this is probably the ideal time to be planning for your 2017 holiday SEO strategy, right now I’m going to cover some tips for ranking for 2016.The core criterion of any activity you’ll be undertaking at this point is simple: it needs to focus on the quick-win areas.We’re not going to be talking about any big link-building strategies, as those are not going to pay off quickly enough without a... [...]

Jim Yu says, “Businesses that sell products and services online need to fine-tune their digital marketing strategy to attract holiday shoppers during the busy — and competitive — holiday retail season.Holiday spending is expected to reach record levels since the Great Recession — increasing 10 percent since the 2015 holiday season, according to a report from PwC’s 2016 Holiday Outlook.Digital shopping is expected to rise 25 percent, which means marketers and advertisers need to be even more creative and strategic with their efforts to get the attention of the average holiday shopper.Shoppers... [...]

Tracey Wallace says, “Despite changing demographics and consumer behaviors, the holiday season remains one of the more influential times of year to launch a campaign and seal it into holiday memory for years to come.To do that, though, your brand needs to come up with something seriously innovative, engaging, and interesting — something that’ll resonate with your customers. This usually means lights, emotions, and celebrating family and friends.Of course, there’s no harm is looking to the past to see which other brands and campaigns have made their way to the holiday retail... [...]