The Holiday Season is upon us! We all know that it’s the most active and most competitive time of the year for retailers. And with the explosion of eCommerce this year, the competition will be fierce!
We assume your marketing strategies are ready and up and running. At the same time, we want you to prepare fully for what’s coming. So we laid out five simple — yet effective — marketing tactics that you still have time to develop.
Before we start, we want to see the full scope of what this year will bring. Let’s review the numbers and projections for the 2020 Holiday Season, shall we?:
- According to Salesforce, 30% of all holiday sales will take place on digital channels, with eCommerce setting a new precedent vs. last year’s 23%.
- This type of online shopping experience is on the rise, even after brick-and-mortar stores started to reopen. It has been reported by Adobe that eCommerce sales reached $73 billion in June, up over 76% from the previous year.
- Personalization and hyper-relevant engagement in social media will be key. 10% of mobile orders will be through social channels, with peak days reaching 12-15% of mobile orders.
- COVID-19 will set a new precedent, as 30% of global retail sales will be made through digital channels this holiday season.
- Store pickup has never been more important. It is predicted that sites offering this service will see a 90% increase in digital sales in comparison to the previous holiday season. Stores and fulfillment centers will be critical this time again!
- Around 71% of U.S. adults plan to do more than half of their holiday shopping online this year, following a study by DaVinci Payments.
Here are a few tips and tricks that you can pull out of your sleeve at the last minute to get an advantage over your competition.
1. Make a video!
Shoppers are more stimulated by visual content, and at this particular time of the year, you need to create content that’s easily digested.
Create part of your marketing campaign on video. It doesn’t need to be a massive production or even a long video. Just a few seconds can do wonders for your marketing campaign. A well prepared live video can work just as well!
The holidays are a great moment to get closer to your shoppers, and people like to see things in motion. Instagram — be it Reels or stories — and TikTok will be your allies in making short, engaging, and shareable videos on social media.
2. The Power of Mobile
The numbers don’t lie, and if you paid attention to the statistics we showed above, it is THE time to focus on mobile. Shoppers spend more and more time on their mobile phones, so it only makes sense to target them directly at the source.
It’s time to venture into creative digital campaigns. Traditional marketing still works, sure, but when you need the highest impact in a short amount of time, digital is the way to go. And mobile is the perfect channel for this.
3. Still, don’t forget about email marketing!
We’re all guilty of ignoring promotional emails during most of the year, but the holidays change everything. People value easy access to promotions and gift ideas. Your email campaigns come to serve them on a silver platter.
Pro tip: Use a simple copy in your campaigns. Many people will be browsing quickly through their promotions tab for quick gift ideas, promotional offers, or discounts.
4. Think Omnichannel
This point encompasses all of the previous points, but we can’t stress this enough: Make good use of the marketing tools that you have at hand.
Omni-channel marketing means giving your customers a consistent and cohesive shopper experience over multiple marketing channels. You have to make an impact on shoppers in the store, with emails, on social media, or on their mobile devices.
Don’t overthink it, though. You don’t have to create original content for every single one of your channels. Create one big marketing campaign and adapt it to the different channels so it doesn’t seem repetitive.
You don’t need a big budget, either. Be creative! Make sure that the message is personal, appropriate, and relevant to your customers.
5. Start Webrooming
A webroom is the opposite of a showroom. Shoppers use websites as a digital catalog to browse before they go to the brick and mortar store to purchase.
The concept of webrooming is thriving thanks to the surge in BOPIS (buy online, pick up in-store) transactions. During the pandemic, BOPIS has experienced record-breaking 208% year-over-year growth.
Essentially, shoppers research their products online and go to the store, knowing what they want, saving a lot of time. Use your website to offer exclusive offers or promotions for online purchases.
If you’re on SuiteCommerce Advanced, you can use some of the merchandising features that NetSuite offers to make the most of this holiday season. It’s the perfect opportunity!
In conclusion
Whether your holiday marketing campaign is healthy and in full swing, or if you’re a little behind and trying to catch up, these tips and tricks will come in handy to give your shoppers the best experience you can offer.
If you want to maximize the potential of your Holiday Season marketing campaign, we can help you. Contact us today!
P.S. you might want to check out this brand new website from one of our customers, Tree Time, not only to see all the features but for Christmas decoration ideas, too!
If that doesn’t qualify as an all-round service, I don’t know what does!
