Vahe Habeshian says, “People on Pinterest tend to spend twice as much as the general public, and 67% of them will be using Pinterest to plan for holiday purchases, according to Xenia Nosov, writing on the Pinterest business blog.That means lot of holiday shopping happens on Pinterest, and marketers can take advantage of that fact.So take into consideration the information in the following infographic to make the holidays, on and off Pinterest.For example, holiday planning on Pinterest starts early: Nearly half of Pinners start to plan for the holidays a couple of months out. Accordingly,... [...]

Ayaz Nanji says, “Some 90% of consumers say they value having a mobile device with them when holiday shopping in-store, according to recent research from Opera Mediaworks.The report was based on data from a survey of 800 consumers in the United States who use mobile devices.Nearly half (47%) of respondents say they use a mobile device to check competitors’ prices when holiday shopping in a store, 36% say they look up product reviews, and 30% say they sign up for store promotions/discounts.Some 40% of respondents say they have made a purchase because of a mobile advertisement, and... [...]

Christi Olson says, “For marketers, Christmas isn’t just one day a year — months of planning and weeks of meticulous optimization precede our celebration of the holiday season. For many retail businesses, it’s sink or swim during the holiday season, and they are moving from the planning to implementation phases of the holiday season now, with Black Friday just a few weeks away.Even if you’ve finished your holiday marketing plans through the end of the year, it’s not too late to incorporate a few additional strategies this holiday season.1. Think holistically for holiday successConsumers... [...]

Lydia Jorden says, “During the holidays, we often let a fair part of ourselves go: diet, exercise, budgets and more. But for local search engine optimization (SEO) professionals, there is something very impactful that can get away from us little by little, until it is completely out of control:Rankings.During the holiday season, we sometimes neglect a variety of strategies that help our businesses maintain positioning within the local pack during a high-traffic time. If you find yourself experiencing a case of holiday ranking drops, you may want to avoid a Scrooge-like boss muttering... [...]

Lydia Jorder says, “During the holidays, we often let a fair part of ourselves go: diet, exercise, budgets and more. But for local search engine optimization (SEO) professionals, there is something very impactful that can get away from us little by little, until it is completely out of control:Rankings.During the holiday season, we sometimes neglect a variety of strategies that help our businesses maintain positioning within the local pack during a high-traffic time. If you find yourself experiencing a case of holiday ranking drops, you may want to avoid a Scrooge-like boss muttering... [...]

Daman Beres says, “Holiday shopping? There’s an app for that — but you’ll want to make sure you’re using the right one to avoid compromising your identity and credit card information.Malicious apps designed to trick shoppers have wormed their way into Apple’s iOS App Store, according to recent reports in The New York Times and New York Post. They mimic legitimate outlets like Foot Locker and Nordstrom to fool people into handing over their personal information.Some are even ransomware, the Times reported, meaning apps that actually lock a user out of their phone... [...]

Thomas Stern says, “Google introduced the concept of micro-moments over a year ago, and since then, the company has consistently published supporting information as it relates to specific industries and user behavior across content platforms.If you’re unfamiliar with micro-moments, they’re essentially a way of framing a user’s path to purchase or to conversion, with specific focus on mobile and the needs or questions users search on Google along with way. The concept of micro-moments is easily digestible and provides a great way of conducting and organizing keyword research, something... [...]

James Green says, “Navigating change in anything is never easy. Change requires of us new ways of thinking and doing that we may not have prepared for or expected. Nevertheless, change is here to stay, and fighting it is futile.This brings me to holiday shopping. Yes, holiday shopping. Over the past few years, we’ve seen some big changes, primarily in the way people shop and the way that brands market throughout this busy time of year. Since we know we can’t fight change, let’s try to manage it.This last day of free shipping has almost become a national retail holiday, mobile devices... [...]

Rieva Lesonsky says, “You’re getting your store ready for the holidays by putting out festive décor, developing an email marketing campaign, boosting your local search optimization and planning your social media attack. But one holiday marketing tactic that might not be on your radar could actually be highly effective: direct mail.Direct mail influences holiday purchases for 77 percent of shoppers, a study by Epsilon reports. By comparison, just 41 percent of respondents say online banner ads influence their decisions.Why the love for direct mail? Respondents say direct mail usually... [...]

Matt McGee says, “A recent study from ad tech company Fluent shows that about 40 percent of US consumers plan to make at least one purchase this holiday season on a mobile device. And age is one of the key factors in whether the consumer plans to do any mobile shopping.The company surveyed nearly 2,000 US consumers in late September to ask about their holiday shopping plans and found that 39 percent said they plan to make at least one purchase on a mobile device this year. Younger shoppers are more likely to go mobile: Almost half of those aged 18–44 say they’ll use a mobile device,... [...]