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... [...]

Jack Simpson says, “Black Friday is less than half a week away, which means it’s almost time to forget about the woes of the world for one day and get lost in some good-old-fashioned consumerist escapism. In light of this being the UK’s biggest 24 hours for ecommerce and what with us being a digital marketing blog, we thought we’d better bring you some of the best Black Friday stats we’ve seen so far. UK will spend £1bn this Black Friday UK shoppers will spend £1.07bn on 27 November, according to data from Experian and IMRG. In 2014 consumers spent £810m on this date, meaning... [...]

Stefany Zaroban says, “Kohl’s today rolls out deep online-only discounts to run beyond Cyber Monday, and smaller web merchants like UsTrendy reap the rewards of early promotions. It’s only Tuesday, but Black Friday deals are everywhere on the web this week, as a slew of online retailers unveil deep discounts to garner early holiday market share online. Today, department store Kohl’s Corp. announced what it calls its “cyber week spectacular,” or eight days of online discounts. Starting Saturday and running through Tuesday, Kohl’s is offering 20% off all items in stores and online... [...]

Jordan Elkind says, “For many marketers in the US, November 11 was an opportunity to promote Veterans Day specials or just a part of their campaign buildup to fast-approaching Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. But for more than 100 million shoppers in China, November 11 is known as as “Singles Day.” Aggressively promoted by Alibaba since 2009 as an exhortation against the alienating effects of consumerism on Valentine’s Day, this day was created to expand the opportunity for celebration beyond romance. Purchases made on Wednesday generated sales in China topping $14.4B in revenue. In... [...]

Matt Walker says, “If, like many vendors, you’ve waited until now to get your holiday marketing plan together, do not fret—we’re here to help. The holiday season is one of the most profitable times of the year, and you need to capture every sales opportunity during the next few weeks. Research firm eMarketer predicts that U.S. retail sales in November and December could grow 5.7 percent over the same period last year. With unemployment having dropped from 5.8 percent at the beginning of the year to 5 percent today, more Americans have more money to spend on loved ones. Review this... [...]

Parry Malm says, “This week, your inbox is probably filled with Black Friday emails. And they’re all pretty much the same. “20% off now!” or “Don’t miss out!” or “Buy this TV or else I’ll club this baby seal!” And since every retailer seems to follow the same approach, everyone else follows suit. You don’t want to be that one brand that misses out on one of the biggest shopping days of the year. But have consumers become desensitised to hard-discounting? This is the question I had, and here are the statistics to answer. It’s no secret that more emails during peak sales... [...]

Jose Cebrian says, “On September 28, Google announced the release of its Google Customer Match advertising product. If you’re not yet familiar with it, it’s a new way to leverage email addresses to connect with your customers and prospects on the web. Some of how it works is similar to Facebook Custom Audiences or other media in which an email address can be matched with a media site’s user list. In essence, you’re checking to see if you have any customers in common and, if so, leveraging that knowledge for targeting or suppression on that network. Google has offered this connection... [...]

Martin Beck says, “Last minute shopping for holiday customers? There’s still time on Facebook and Instagram. The social network is rolling out a new ad-targeting segment to enable brands to zero in on people who are highly engaged with content related to holiday shopping, including Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The segment, which will run from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day, can be used on any ad format on either network. Facebook will pull together the audience by sniffing out holiday-related keywords in posts that people publish and posts they like, comment on and share. Like... [...]

Carly Stec says, “The malls are decked with holly, your inbox is filling up with holiday-themed promotions, and you’ve deemed it socially acceptable to start listening to your favorite holiday playlist on Spotify … or maybe that’s just me. Either way, the holiday season is here, and marketers are gearing up to finish off the year strong. But just like shopping for gifts, planning your holiday campaign is something you don’t want to shove off until the last minute. There’s going to be a lot of spending going in over the next month or so, which is why it’s... [...]