THE 2015
Holiday
TREND TRACKER
Table of Contents 5 1
Website & Blog
3
Introduction
4 2 Mobile & Search
Social Media
1
Introduction
The holiday shopping season is looking promising for both B2C and B2B retailers. This year, U.S. sales are expected to increase 5.7% year-over-year, reaching $885.70 billion. For ecommerce retailers, the year-over-year increase jumps to 13.9%, totaling $79.5 billion. To take advantage of the largest commerce season of the year, we created a checklist to help you compare your marketing plans to latest trends. This year, prepare for shoppers to have omnichannel expectations from your brand. Whether they shop in store, on their mobile, or even a mix of both, consumers will reward retailers who help them through the chaotic shopping season. Continue reading to learn how your mobile, email, social media, and content offerings stack up.
134 million
people shopped online and in stores over Thanksgiving weekend last year
3/4
74%
of retailers say 20% or more of their annual sales occur during the holiday season
of shoppers plan to spend the same or more than last year this holiday season
46%
of holiday browsing and buying will take place online
2
Mobile & Search
If 2014 hinted toward the rise of omnichannel selling, 2015 has proven it is here to stay. With the increase of retail apps, social commerce, and even tablets integrated into the brickand-mortar experience, the lines have blurred between shopping online and shopping in store. This holiday season, be everywhere your customers are. Remember the 38% of shoppers who will research products and 21% who will purchase all from their mobile devices. Together they are expected to bring a 32.2% increase in mobile commerce sales. As mobile use grows, consumers will increasingly expect the same high-quality shopping experience from both ecommerce and brick-and-mortar retailers. Check how your holiday offerings align with each of these best practices to make sure you are a retailer your audience loves.
To do: Make sure your product pages and landing pages are responsive for mobile viewing Check that all buttons in your emails are easy to read and clickable on a mobile device If you have a brick-and-mortar location, optimize your pages with local SEO best practices Encourage employees to know your online product catalog well so they can assist shoppers who are webrooming or showrooming
3
Last holiday season, email was the primary marketing channel for driving ecommerce purchases, accounting for 23.1% of all Thanksgiving weekend orders. This year, expect for email marketing to continue its reign. But considering the chaos of our inboxes, how can you be sure your email gets clicked? This holiday season, personalization will be the key to both obtaining net new customers and minimizing unsubscribing of existing contacts. Use email to send thoughtful content with the audience’s needs in mind. And this does not mean generalizing all of your shoppers into a single persona. Check out these tips to step up your email marketing game. And if in doubt, be helpful. The holidays are a stressful time. Craft emails that will help your audience complete their shopping list with delight.
To do: Personalize your emails with product suggestions based on what they have purchased or have expressed interest Use smart content to personalize CTAs and offer content based on their place in the buyer journey Include helpful and relatable content to guide your audience through holiday shopping stress Have a plan and tools in place to measure your email marketing effectiveness
4
Social Media
Creating a successful social media strategy is all about staying in tune with your persona’s behavior and aspirations. For example, 67% of millennials say they have never clicked on a sponsored social media post. Yet, 95% of millennials say their friends are the most credible source of product information. How does your social media calendar align with the content your target audience wants to read? This holiday season, focus your social media efforts on creating brand evangelists. Balance your posts with helpful content and product reviews your most loyal customers will want to share with their friends. Before the last minute rush of shopping begins, evaluate your planned posts with these tips and trends.
To do: Try launching contests to encourage brand evangelism and increase impressions Showcase customer reviews in a way that highlights a solution for your audience’s pain points Have a plan to publish and monitor social engagement while taking any holiday vacation
When posting about your products, strive for high quality visuals
5
Website & Blog
As you conclude your holiday marketing evaluation with your website and blog, recall the expectations of the omnichannel shopper. While it may be tempting to focus your marketing efforts on creating new holiday content, save time to assess the old. Test for usability on each device your potential customer might use — because they will use them, we promise. Finally, use these weeks leading up to the holidays to publish a consistent stream of engaging content on your blog. Last year, organic search drove 21% of online holiday orders. As you should be doing throughout the year, think of your blog as a platform to build trust between you and potential customers with valuable, remarkable content.
To do: Use your homepage and sidebar real estate to promote your best offers and CTAs Make sure all of your coupons and sales are easy to find for direct traffic Write your blog content in advance so you can focus on customer engagement and support during the height of the shopping season Reach out to guest bloggers for third party product reviews