Christmas Retail Planning Now - Dates To Promote

In my last blog "How To Break Through Holiday Marketing Clutter"

I promised, that I saved the best for last in this three part blog about 

holiday retail marketing.  Below are critical holiday shopping days 

that retailers need to cash in on, coupled with sales data from last

year. This powerful information will help you finalize your holiday 

marketing plans.

                 

Thanksgiving Weekend Sales 2011

In-store sales were $11.4 billion in 2011, which was nearly 7% higher

than the year before. Online spending on Black Friday was $816 

million, which was 26% higher than 2010.

Many retailers got a jump on Black Friday and were open on

Thanksgiving Day. These smart retailers raked in $479 million in 

revenue.  According  to the National Retail Federation, 24% of Black 

Friday shoppers were at a store by midnight.

Tip: Thanksgiving weekend is, by far, the most competitive weekend 

for retailers. Give customers a reason to make your store a must shop

destination.

  

                         

Cyber Monday Sales

In December 2011, Cyber Monday went down in history as the highest

online sales for a single day: $1.25 billion, which was a 22% increase

over 2010.

Tip: Create a marketing trifecta by using email, mobile, and social media

to promote your Cyber Monday online shopping.  Include free shipping

and watch your online sales soar.

  

                           

Free Shipping Day 

Free Shipping Day is a fabricated one-day event, where online

retailers offer special one-day-only free shipping deals.  Last year,

December 17th was  National Free Shipping Day. In the height of 

the season, free shipping  is the #1 reason why shoppers complete 

their online transactions. During the busiest e-retailing week in 

history, $5.5 billion in merchandise was sold online—a  14% increase 

from 2010.

Tip: Pre-promote your free shipping day on your website. Use 

mobile and email marketing to increase online traffic.

                    

The Gift Card Shopper

The average consumer spends nearly $140 on gift cards during the

holiday season, which is a 3.4% increase over 2010. 18% of all gift

purchases are represented by gift cards.

Tip:  Sprinkle gift cards throughout your stores and have your 

employee’s upsell your customers by offering a gift card during 

check out. Provide free shipping on gift card purchases for your 

online customers.

The Shopping Procrastinator

Twenty percent of consumers have not begun their holiday

shopping prior to December 22^nd this represents 23.1 million 

American consumers. Customers who plan on shopping on 

Christmas Eve include 18% of all men and 19% of all women.

Tip: These customers need a Holiday hero they have waited until  

the last minute and are feeling overwhelmed. It is important that your 

sales associates come to the rescue of these shoppers and take the 

guesswork out of their gift-giving frustrations.

Christmas Day Shopping

Just because it’s Christmas, doesn’t mean people are not spending 

money. Over 18% of all Christmas Day shopping was derived from 

mobile devices, which was 8.4% higher than 2010.

Tip:  Make sure your website is mobile friendly, to ensure that 

customers don’t get frustrated with your site and spend their money 

elsewhere. 

Closing Thought

This was my early Christmas (Hanukah) gift to all of my retail 

friends. I hope you use these blogs Part 1 and Part 2 to help

you plan a record breaking holiday season.

Sources: moneyland.com, ICSC-Goldman Sachs survey, ShopperTrak research, 

BMO Capital Markets Responsys, comscore, IBM Coremetrics Benchmark study.