David Bernstein says, “The holidays are coming quickly. Are you ready? Maybe you’ve already started your prep work so you won’t struggle when the orders start rolling in. If not, now’s the time to start decking the halls. Sometimes you need more than a brief overview to get everything organized. That’s why this checklist is everything you need. Ready to get started? 1) Mobile Responsiveness Not set up for mobile shopping? Your customers will go elsewhere. Projections say 30-35% of shoppers will complete their purchases on mobile devices. 2) Site Traffic Not used to an influx of visitors... [...]

Paul Cook says, “It’s Black Friday, and you’re quietly confident. You’ve planned your marketing campaign in meticulous detail. You’re expecting a lot of extra website traffic, but you’ve taken steps to make sure you can deal with it. Your beautifully crafted home page and offer pages are as light as they possibly can be – images are fully optimised, and redundant content has been removed. Your systems have also been thoroughly tested, and they should be able to cope with visitor numbers far in excess of your wildest hopes and expectations. So when someone tells you your website... [...]

John Fetto says, “This holiday is poised to be the first mobile-dominant season for retailers and marketers need to be ready. A growing number of Americans are turning to their smartphones and tablets as their primary device for accessing the Internet. In fact, one-third of all U.S. adults (33.7 percent) say they access the Internet more often through a mobile device than through a computer, up from 24 percent in 2013. Furthermore, Millennials are the first generation to be mobile dominant, with 53 percent of consumers aged 18 to 34 reporting that they use their phone more often than a computer... [...]

Matthew Whitehead says, “It’s nearly ‘that time’ of year again. So what are the key things to consider if you’re still putting the final touches to your digital marketing strategy for the holiday shopping season? The pace of change in digital marketing means there are always new trends and opportunities to consider as retailers think through their plans to maximise sales at the busiest time of the year. So here are five areas to consider this holiday season: 1. Look again at how you approach Facebook ads Facebook knows that retail advertisers come to it to drive business goals, such... [...]

Georges Berzgal says, “Over the last few years Black Friday and Cyber Monday have developed from being a purely US phenomenon to a global sales event, marking the start of the all-important Christmas shopping season.  In 2014 the effects of Black Friday saw UK retail sales rise at their fastest annual rate in more than 10 years, with £810m spent and online sales jumping 13% year-on-year. For commerce marketers, the four-day sales weekend is a critical one to capitalise on. So to help you design a smart and efficient communication strategy for some of the busiest shopping days of the... [...]

Patricio Robles says, “For many retailers, Black Friday is a crucial shopping day that can make or break a year, so it’s inconceivable that a major retailer would choose to sit it out. But one large American retailer has decided to do just that. REI, which has over 140 stores, 11,000 employees and $2 billion in annual sales, created headlines by announcing that it will close its stores on Black Friday. In a letter posted to a campaign microsite, Jerry Stritzke, the company’s CEO, explained: For 76 years, our co-op has been dedicated to one thing and one thing only: a life outdoors.... [...]

Jonathan Long says, “The holiday season is right around the corner, providing businesses with an incredible opportunity to generate record sales online. Ecommerce sales have increased year after year, reaching $53.3 billion in 2014, which was a 15 percent increase over 2013. Cyber Monday alone generated $2.038 billion in sales, a 17 percent increase from the previous year. Those numbers are impressive, but even more impressive is the fact that they only account for desktop sales. Consumers are becoming more comfortable conducting ecommerce transactions on their smartphones and tablets, providing... [...]

Zak Stambor says, “Twitter also adds ads to Moments, the social network’s latest effort to make its platform easier to use. When the holiday season arrives, consumers increasingly turn to Twitter to discuss what they’re thinking about buying, according to a new report that social media consultancy Converseon produced on behalf of Twitter. The report finds that shopping-related conversations jump an average of 83% from 8 p.m.-midnight across the season and soar 87% on Sundays in November, when retailers often release their weekly promotions. Converseon based its report on an analysis... [...]

Amy Gesenhues says, “Going on last year’s campaign results, Yesmail says retailers are waiting too late to send their Black Friday-themed emails and Facebook posts. According to a report from the email marketing provider, open rates for Black Friday emails were the highest on the Monday and Tuesday preceding Black Friday, but the majority of email campaigns — 33 percent — were sent on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday. Yesmail notes the Monday prior to Black Friday also saw the highest deletion rates: “While Monday before Black Friday saw the highest open rates for Black Friday-themed... [...]

Scott Rayden says, “Mobile advertising is poised to make or break 2015 goals for millions of companies over the next six to seven weeks. As we head into the holiday season, I posed a few critical questions to two of the brightest minds I know in mobile: Hathway CSMO Kevin Rice and 3Q Digital VP of Mobile Strategy Craig Weinberg. (Disclosure: Mobile agency Hathway is a 3Q Digital partner, and 3Q Digital is my employer.) If you’re looking for any edge you can get in your holiday mobile campaigns, these guys have answers“. Mobile Strategy For The Holidays: Two Industry Insiders Answer... [...]