Matt Linder says, “Through the morning, Cyber Monday online sales rose 14% year over year. The holiday shopping season is off to a lucrative start for online retailers. Data from IBM shows that online sales grew 25.2% year over year during the four-day Thanksgiving weekend, traditionally the kickoff to the holiday shopping season. On Cyber Monday, as the Monday after Thanksgiving is called, IBM was projecting online sales to grow 18% compared to 2014 on what is often the busiest online shopping days of the year. Traffic and sales on mobile devices are helping to drive that growth. As of... [...]

Patricio Robles says, “On Thanksgiving and Black Friday, while many companies were working to lure customers in with hefty discounts, one company decided to ask customers to give it money in exchange for nothing at all.  Cards Against Humanity, maker of politically incorrect playing cards, ultimately convinced nearly 12,500 people to literally gift it $71,145. Why would anybody give a company $5 or more in exchange for nothing? As Cards Against Humanity’s FAQ explained… Because the greatest Black Friday gift of all is buying nothing. We’re offering that for the rock-bottom... [...]

Greg Sterling says, “Black Friday ain’t what it used to be. The cultural ritual (if I can call it that) appears to have lost some of its mojo, as many retailers, seeking attention and competitive advantage, make Black Friday-style deals available before Thanksgiving. There has also been a shift of some in-store shopping to online (and mobile). According to in-store analytics provider ShopperTrak, brick-and-mortar retail sales on Thanksgiving and Black Friday this year came in at roughly $12.1 billion, which is lower than in 2014. Specifically, Black Friday brought in $10.4 this year versus... [...]

Zak Stambor says, “Email accounted for 25.1% of e-commerce sales referrals on Black Friday, says one report, while another finds that marketing emails drove 25% more online sales over the weekend than they did a year ago. Email marketing may not be flashy, but the channel drove a significant share of e-commerce orders over the holiday weekend and today. 25.1% of e-commerce transactions on Friday stemmed from shoppers clicking from emails, according to report by marketing platform vendor Custora. Another report, by Adobe Systems Inc.’s Adobe Digital Index, finds email marketing accounted... [...]

Patricio Robles says, “The holiday shopping season is one of the marketing world’s annual highlights, but for many non-retailers, the last two months of the year are nothing more than business as usual. Even so, the billions of dollars that retailers pour into marketing during this period can complicate matters for non-retail brands. How can they market effectively when just about everybody is being bombarded with retail-related campaigns? Here are five tips. 1. Don’t sit on the sidelines The holiday shopping season can be an intimidating time for non-retail marketers tasked... [...]

Staples says, “It’s that time of year again: The first hint of frost is in the air, the conversations are turning to turkey and gift-giving, and holiday puns are dancing like sugarplums in the minds of social media managers everywhere. Small business owners already have a lot on their plates during this time of year, so when it comes to holiday marketing, it can all feel a bit overwhelming. Staples is here to help. Beyond being the one-stop shop for everything small businesses need to make more happen, below are some tips to help small businesses capitalize on this season’s top... [...]

Kavin Labick says, “As Cyber Monday and Black Friday approach once again, both online and in-store retailers are preparing for intense shopping—both digital and physical—across the nation. For online retailers, preparation means hours of unglamorous, behind-the-scenes preparation, endless performance testing, countless iterative tweaks, and thorough user research to ensure that websites, apps, and electronic systems can withstand heavy traffic. Meanwhile, in-store retailers engage with Black Friday consumers on a personal level, relying heavily upon customer service and in-store-only... [...]

Jawad Khan says, “One of the biggest weekends for online retailers and eCommerce companies in the U.S, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are just a few days away. Last year, Black Friday and Thanksgiving sales reached unprecedented scales with more than $1.5 billion in a single day. This year, however, Cyber Monday, in particular, promises to be even bigger and better. But did you create your eCommerce website design with buyer conversions in mind? To take advantage from the customer surge this Black Friday, here are a few things you should do immediately. 1. Switch to a Responsive Website Design The... [...]

Josh Manion says, “The battle of the titans is on again this holiday season, as commentators line up to report on Black Friday plans by Amazon, Walmart and the other big retailers, putting a spotlight on the relationship of online and in-store spending. Who’s winning that battle? And where does the truth lie for retailers like Walmart that are seeking to compete in both arenas? Walmart is the world’s biggest retailer, with $482 billion in annual sales, but its online revenue is small compared with Amazon. Now Walmart has announced it will invest $2 billion in the next two years to bolster... [...]

Ayaz Nanji says, “Consumers plan to use a combination of online and traditional channels to research and purchase gifts this holiday season, according to a recent report from the Blackhawk Network. The report was based on data from a September 2015 survey of 1,140 adults living in the United States. Some 73% of respondents say they plan to research gifts online this year, 66% plan to visit retail stores in person, and 46% plan to simply ask recipients what they want. As for actually purchasing holiday gifts, 84% of respondents say they’ll visit brick-and-mortar retail stores, 78% plan... [...]