Karissa Bell says, “You may want to check Google before you head out on your next holiday shopping spree. The company’s latest search feature makes it easier to find out how crowded stores are at any given time. An extension of Google’s “popular times” update, which shows how crowded restaurants and coffee shops are based on search trends, the new feature will show a real-time estimate for how busy a particular location is. Search for a store, restaurant or other location and Google will now provide a new “live” view in the popular times section of... [...]

Matt Lindner says, “U.S. consumers plan to buy more as the holiday shopping season kicks into high gear, and 76% say they’ll buy online on Cyber Monday compared with 55% who will do so on Black Friday. Shoppers intend to spend more over the Thanksgiving holiday shopping weekend, and more than half of that will be spent online, a survey finds. An independent research company commissioned by Deloitte LLP surveyed 1,223 adults earlier this month and found shoppers plan to spend an average of $400 each during the five days of Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday among online, stores and catalogs,... [...]

Annie Pilon says, “If you’re hosting or attending a Thanksgiving dinner this year, there’s a good chance you’ve used Google to help with the planning. And for businesses, all of those searches can lead to some really helpful insights. The search engine giant just released a search trends report that shows some of the most popular search terms around Thanksgiving. Not surprisingly, the most popular searches revolve around how to cook turkey. And people also searched for other alternative recipes, like prime rib, green bean casserole and pumpkin pie. But there are also other trends that... [...]

Vahe Habeshian says, “An infographic from Marketo and Column Five spells out five tips and propositions to help you now to reap the benefits of your holiday campaign well beyond the New Year. Among those tips… —Respond to customer feedback on social media. —The more you engage with your customers, the more they’ll spend with you in the long run. —A solid retargeting strategy can keep revenue coming in. —Provide an unforgettable customer experience every time a customer makes a purchase. For more information, including a host of relevant stats, tap or click on the infographic,... [...]

Josh Felber says, “There’s no shopping day quite like Black Friday. Whether you participate online or battle your way through hoards of determined shoppers, Black Friday can be a stressful time for retailers looking to make money. But just like how shoppers plan out their mall trips to maximize their time while getting everything they need, stores need to ensure they are equally prepared for a massive influx of shoppers. A little digital preparation can help you stay ahead of your shoppers while you compete with some of your larger competitors. As you build out your Black Friday planning... [...]

Dipanjan Chatterjee says, “Black Friday approaches. I should be breathless with anticipation. You see, I’m a brand strategist. To me, the prospect of millions of people reveling in thousands of brands and turning the bottom line from red to black is brand nirvana. It’s like Christmas came early. Which it does, in a way, on Black Friday. Yet, the tendrils of self-doubt infiltrate my exuberance. Must a weekend so treasured for time spent with friends and family be ruined by being pepper-sprayed at Walmart, by being gored in the Pamplona bull run down the aisles at Best Buy to save 50 bucks... [...]

Aleyda Solis says, “With the most important season for online retailers coming, it’s critical to make sure that your online store is optimized so you’re ready to make the most out of it. Last year, online shoppers spent $4.45 billion on Black Friday and Thanksgiving Day alone. And according to Custora’s E-Commerce Pulse, in September of this year, 22 percent of e-commerce orders in the US were driven by organic search traffic (vs. 20 percent coming from email and 19 percent from PPC). Coincidentally, in Econsultancy’s Technology for Ecommerce Report 2015 (based on a survey... [...]

Christi Olson says, “For marketers, Christmas isn’t just one day a year — months of planning and weeks of meticulous optimization precede our celebration of the holiday season. For many retail businesses, it’s sink or swim during the holiday season, and they are moving from the planning to implementation phases of the holiday season now, with Black Friday just a few weeks away. Even if you’ve finished your holiday marketing plans through the end of the year, it’s not too late to incorporate a few additional strategies this holiday season. 1. Think holistically for holiday success Consumers... [...]