With the holiday shopping season under way it’s a good time to look at some trends in seasonal marketing. Here are four that we found interesting!
1. E-Commerce Rules the Roost
According to IBM, 2015 is the first year that consumers have done more shopping on mobile devices than on desktops or laptops. And as a consequence, e-commerce advertisers have made changes to better match market behaviors.
eMarketer data indicates that smartphones will be the most popular way to shop via mobile. “As consumers become more comfortable buying on their phones—which, on average, have larger screens than those released just a few years ago…and by the end of 2016, 25.0% of all retail e-commerce sales in the U.S. will take place via mobile devices.”
So when you’re creating your holiday marketing measure, think to yourself, will this appeal to people who are on the move?
2. Integrity Matters
Sporting good giant REI received heaps of praise for deciding to stay closed on Black Friday as did a number of other big brands who opted out of the Thanksgiving-night openings. Aside from boosting employee morale, it’s also sure to boost brand perception among consumers for whom integrity is increasingly vital.
As Chief Marketer notes,
Over 40 years of psychological research has proven that values are one of the most powerful drivers of purchase behavior. How we prioritize them speaks to the heart of our identity–where we live, what we do, the brands we buy. Going far beyond demographics, values segmentation can offer richer, more actionable strategies to communicate to specific customers.
3. It’s Not All About Black Friday
Everyone talks about the importance of the Friday after Thanksgiving, in part because but it turns out that Black Friday for most items is actually not the best time to get a deal, and consumers are becoming savvy of this. Additionally, the deal to be had are often available online before Black Friday and well into the New Year.
Even FourSquare is reporting a small decline in actual foot traffic to retailers on Black Friday proper.
Once you account for other retail days, like Cyber Monday and Small Business Saturday, it’s time to realize that Black Friday’s revered status is fizzling as quickly as it grew.
4. Social Media Matters
It seems like every big retailer has been doubling down on utilizing social media this holiday season.
As Retail Dive notes,
Social media marketing is seeing its moment in the spotlight thanks to retailers like Macy’s and Target that are leveraging it for their seasonal campaigns. What’s more, for the holiday marketing season, Facebook is offering advertisers a new targeting segment called “holiday shopping season” that reaches users engaged with holiday planning and retail-related activity.
Target specifically boosted their social marketing budget by 30%.
And for anyone doubting the power of social media during the holiday’s, Facebook has created this handy infographic.
As for us at the CBS Altitude Group, we’re excited for another great year, and some much needed rest and relaxation when it’s all over!