Berry Levine says, “Like parents with young children, marketers with marketing technology can see a new level of maturity in each new holiday season.As we enter this year’s holidays, I checked with three marketers to find out what differences they’re seeing in marketing tech at the ground level, compared with just a year ago.Campaign Monitor CMO Kraig Swensrud, whose company enables email campaigns for two million customers, says that these small-to-medium-sized businesses “simply want do-it-yourself.”More than in previous years, he said, SMBs now expect one-click integration... [...]

Ben Davis says, “Some retailers are making basic errors preparing their landing pages for Black Friday.As we’ve discussed previously, retailers need a year-round Black Friday landing page to ensure that they achieve decent search rankings and keep their audience informed.Granted, Black Friday only truly hit the British consciousness during 2014’s elbow-fest, but some websites have missing pages or redirects where their Black Friday landing pages once were.I’ve had a look at the landing pages of some British retailers that sell TVs. Let’s see how they compare.LittlewoodsStarting... [...]

Ayaz Nanji says, “For this holiday season, 80% of consumers plan to spend as much as or more than they did last year, according to a recent report from SAS.The report was based on data from a survey of 3,458 consumers in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand.The US leads expected spending growth, with 29% of US respondents saying they plan to spend more this year. Most Canadian shoppers, on the other hand, say they are tightening their budgets this year.Millennial respondents (age 18-29) are the most likely to say they will increase their spending this year, whereas older... [...]

Michael Guta says, “As Black Friday 2015 fast approaches, shoppers and retailers are getting ready for the single busiest day of the year. In the U.S. alone, $9.1 billion was spent by shoppers in stores in 2014, which doesn’t include online sales.However, a new survey conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics on behalf of the National Retail Federation (NRF) reveals almost half of holiday shopping (both buying and browsing) will be online this year.In the 10 years the NRF has been tracking this trend, this year’s projected 46.1 percent represents the high mark thus far for online... [...]

Ayaz Nanji says, “Do people prefer to receive Black Friday promotional messages on the day itself or beforehand? Is there a difference between how consumers engage with emails and Facebook posts in the week leading up to retailers’ big sales?To find out, Yesmail examined 2013 and 2014 data from 50 major retailers, including Macy’s Target, Best Buy, Toys R Us, and Nordstrom. The researchers examined marketing email and social campaigns deployed throughout the week leading up to Black Friday.Below, key findings from the report.EmailBlack Friday-themed emails had higher than... [...]

Ginny Marvin says, “Black Friday has begun looking more like “Cyber” Friday for many online retailers, according to new analysis from Criteo.As mobile research and purchasing increased, retailers saw online sales on Black Friday nearly equal those of Cyber Monday last year.“The path to purchase for today’s consumer has evolved and, as a result, people are doing a tremendous amount of online shopping across all devices on Black Friday,” said James Smith, EVP, Americas at Criteo. “Sales on mobile especially have hit record numbers, according to 2014 data.”Mobile Sales Volume... [...]

Tom Tate says, “It’s that time of year again. And for lots of small businesses, that means making sure your emails stand out in a crowded inbox. Whether you’re running a special promotion, or just want to send a little holiday cheer, don’t miss this lucrative opportunity to connect with your subscribers.Here’s our checklist to make sure your next email campaign is holiday ready:1. Check Your List… And Check It TwiceLet’s face it: It’s probably been awhile since the last time you’ve done some list cleanup. Before you start sending, take the time to remove subscribers who... [...]

Katy Keim says, “It feels like we’ve just barely ushered the kids back to school, but the faint sound of “Jingle Bells” is already wafting through the air. Thanksgiving? An afterthought.Some brands are already airing holiday-themed TV spots or putting holiday decorations on display in-store. The holiday season is approaching — and it’ll be here in full force before we know it.At this point, you have two choices: 1) continue to fear the inevitable; or 2) make the necessary preparations to ensure that your brand, across all its customer touch points, is ready (and willing) take... [...]

Shelley Kessler says, “As the holiday season gets underway, it’s quite clear that mobile will play a major role in the consumer experience this year.For example, in our last Holiday Hot Sheet we found that 35 percent of all Website visits came from smartphones or digital tablets during the week ending October 17, 2015. And the number of mobile visits to retail sites is only expected to increase as we get closer to the holiday.Email engagement via mobile is on the riseBased on October 2015 mailings, we saw that 55 percent of email opens occurred on either mobile phones or tablets. This... [...]

Zak Stambor says, “A new Facebook report finds consumers are shopping across more channels and devices than ever. One of the social network’s executives says retailers are taking note.This will likely be the most complicated holiday season yet for marketers. 59% of consumers plan to shop differently than they did a year ago, according toFacebook research released today, including 40% who say they plan to shop more online this year.The research also finds 53% of consumers plan to shop across multiple channels and 37% plan to do most of their holiday shopping before Black Friday.As the... [...]