Ben Davis says, “We’ve been looking at some analysis of search performance in the lead up to Black Friday.Electrical retailer Currys has had its strategy licked for some time, whereas Amazon has the odd improvement it could make to its usually omnipresent site.Both sites show a consistent (and year-round) landing page is important for brands capitalising on annual events.The opportunityFirstly, it’s worth noting the scale of the opportunity on Black Friday. Last year, Amazon sold 5.5m items, a record.And across the UK, Google trends shows how established the day became last... [...]

Jess Stephens says, “The holiday season is approaching quickly, so now is the perfect time to get your mobile marketing strategy in place.E-commerce holiday spending topped $100 billion last year, according to the National Retail Federation, and seasonal online spending will continue to grow at double-digit rates, studies indicate.That means more potential profits are on the table for companies that align their marketing strategies with evolving consumer preferences. And mobile is playing a larger role than ever in consumers’ behavior, accounting for about half of all visits to retail... [...]

Ginny Marvin says, “As retailers are gearing up for a holiday sales surge, the National Retail Federation announced Thursday that it expects sales to increase 3.7 percent to $630.5 billion in November and December, down slightly from last year’s robust increase of 4.1 percent over 2013. Online sales are once again expected outpace overall growth, increasing between 6 and 8 percent to as much as $105 billion.The NRF estimates holiday sales will account for approximately 19 percent of the retail industry’s total annual sales of $3.2 trillion. These estimates exclude autos,... [...]

Sujan Patel says, “Fall is upon us, with the holidays waiting right around the corner. Holidays are a perfect time to connect with your prospects and celebrate those feelings of camaraderie, gratitude and interconnectedness. Marketers can leverage these feelings to deeply engage with their customers on an emotional level and build trust and credibility.The holidays are a popular time to market, so it’s important to put a lot of thought into your holiday marketing campaign. You want to appeal to everyday emotions while also standing out from the crowd. There’s a lot of spending that... [...]

Ayaz Nanji says, “Approximately one-third (38%) of holiday shoppers say they will not shop on an e-commerce site that doesn’t offer free shipping, according to a recent report from Bronto and Ipsos.Moreover, 84% of holiday shoppers say free shipping influences their online holiday purchase decisions to some degree.The report was based on data from a survey of 1,000 US holiday shoppers who were asked about what they want to see from retailers during the season and what makes them want to buy. A separate survey was sent to 100 major US retailers asking how they plan to entice shoppers... [...]

Business.com staff says, “Now that pumpkin spice is everywhere, it is definitely time to prepare for Black Friday—the big dance arriving on the heels of Thanksgiving. Even if you’re not a brick-and-mortar retailer, this huge day and its cousins, Cyber Monday and Small Business Saturday, likely drive a lot of sales for your business.It’s not enough just to hire a few extra people and hope for the best. You need a plan and you need one now if you hope to leverage the power of Black Friday.“Many small business owners feel intimidated when it comes to Black Friday, that holiest of... [...]

Katie Oakes says, “It’s October, and you know what that means; leaves are changing, sweaters are being pulled out of the closet, pumpkin-flavored items are taking over coffee shops. For many marketers, this is the most exciting (and stressful) part of the year. Holiday marketing is ramping up, and it will only increase in intensity as the weeks go on.Luckily, we’re hard at work here at Experian, analyzing data from past holiday seasons to bring you the insights you need to make your holiday marketing programs successful. We’ve examined search and email behavior to compile a list of... [...]

Ayaz Nanji says, “The Facebook ads of e-commerce companies last holiday season (November and December) drove twice as many purchases as their ads during the other months of the year, according to a recent report from Nanigans.The report was based on an analysis of the Facebook ad spend, clicks, and impressions of e-commerce advertisers using Nanigans software in 2014. Purchase-related metrics were calculated by aggregating data across sampled e-commerce advertisers that have same-day purchase attribution.Purchase rates during the 2014 holiday season doubled for nearly every day of the... [...]

Joseph Brady says, “It’s September, and the majority of your customers (and potential customers) are still enjoying the last warm, sunny days of summer. But for business owners, it’s time to get into the holiday spirit.Waiting too long to form your game plan for boosting holiday sales can cost you big time. Now is the time to begin planning to ensure that 2015 is your best year ever for holiday sales.Many businesses depend on their sales from Black Friday and Cyber Monday to keep them in the black for the entire rest of the year. Making the most of this enormous profit opportunity... [...]

Andrew Waber says, “In 2014, consumers demonstrated striking differences in their online buying behaviorduring the holidays compared with the rest of the year — a trend that is likely to continue in 2015.The latest study, published as part of my work at Nanigans, examined a year’s worth of Facebook advertising and corresponding same-day purchases across more than a hundred e-commerce brands.While the report explores a number of important trends, the most impactful takeaways for online marketers are explained below:1. Last Holiday Season, The Share Of Purchases Conducted On Mobile... [...]