James Green says, “Navigating change in anything is never easy. Change requires of us new ways of thinking and doing that we may not have prepared for or expected. Nevertheless, change is here to stay, and fighting it is futile. This brings me to holiday shopping. Yes, holiday shopping. Over the past few years, we’ve seen some big changes, primarily in the way people shop and the way that brands market throughout this busy time of year. Since we know we can’t fight change, let’s try to manage it. This last day of free shipping has almost become a national retail holiday, mobile devices... [...]

Rieva Lesonsky says, “You’re getting your store ready for the holidays by putting out festive décor, developing an email marketing campaign, boosting your local search optimization and planning your social media attack. But one holiday marketing tactic that might not be on your radar could actually be highly effective: direct mail. Direct mail influences holiday purchases for 77 percent of shoppers, a study by Epsilon reports. By comparison, just 41 percent of respondents say online banner ads influence their decisions. Why the love for direct mail? Respondents say direct mail usually... [...]

Matt McGee says, “A recent study from ad tech company Fluent shows that about 40 percent of US consumers plan to make at least one purchase this holiday season on a mobile device. And age is one of the key factors in whether the consumer plans to do any mobile shopping. The company surveyed nearly 2,000 US consumers in late September to ask about their holiday shopping plans and found that 39 percent said they plan to make at least one purchase on a mobile device this year. Younger shoppers are more likely to go mobile: Almost half of those aged 18–44 say they’ll use a mobile device,... [...]

Shubhomita Bose says, “Black Friday, traditionally the biggest day for retailers, is losing its sheen. That’s according to the latest forecast by in-store data analytics firm RetailNext. According to the report, Black Friday is neither the biggest nor the busiest day this holiday season. The Busiest and Biggest Shopping Day of 2016 In terms of sales, Friday, December 23, is expected to be the biggest shopping day of 2016. Store traffic is expected to be highest on Super Sunday, December 17. “This year, with Christmas falling on a Sunday, most shoppers will want to cut short their shopping... [...]

Tracey Wallace says, “The holidays signal a change in consumer behavior. Buying increases near parallel with a little R&R and family time. This means more people are watching –– just like Santa does all year –– to see which ads strike their festive chord. Holiday marketing campaigns run by brands aren’t kept on any psychic naughty-or-nice list, but consumer memory might as well be just that. Get your holiday campaign just right, and consumers will begin to associate your brand with the start of the season. Others have done it –– both brands expected, with large marketing... [...]

Nikki Gilliland says, “With Thanksgiving just around the corner, many online retailers are preparing for one of the biggest days of the year – Black Friday. However, with increasing backlash over the ‘Black Friday creep’ – is it still all it’s cracked up to be? Here’s a closer look at the opportunity it presents, as well as how retailers can best capture consumer interest through organic search. What happened last year? Despite murmurings that consumers are becoming fed up of Black Friday madness – and some retailers like Rei even taking a stance against it – last year’s... [...]

Rob Wu says, “The air is beginning to cool. We’re decorating with pumpkins and gourds, spiders and witches. Fall is definitely in the air. And for organizations that rely on year-end fundraising to round out their budgets, it’s “go time.” According to the 2014 Digital Giving Index, over 30% of giving occurs at the end of the year, meaning that it’s absolutely necessary for organizations of every shape, size, and mission to schedule fundraising campaigns to capture those dollars. One way to amplify your year-end fundraising efforts is to run a #GivingTuesday campaign. Since #GivingTuesday... [...]

Matt McGee says, “Amazon is telling online retailers that are new to its Fulfilled By Amazon shipping service that they won’t be able to send their inventory to Amazon warehouses until December 19. One merchant affected by the new policy posted the text of Amazon’s notification in the seller forums: Hey everyone, I got my amazon account and I got all the items I had for sale up into their system, and I wanted to send in my first FBA shipment, and I get this message: “We are restricting shipments from new-to-FBA sellers to ensure we have the capacity necessary to receive and store inventory... [...]

Frances Donegan-Ryan says, “With the summer over, many companies have begun thinking about capturing consumer attention in the run-up to the holidays. With e-commerce sales during the 2015 holiday season having grown 13.3% year over year, this year is set to be a bumper holiday season for retailers, and they are busy kicking off campaigns even as we speak. If pay-per-click (PPC) advertising on search engines like Google and Bing is in your marketing plan, here are a few tips to help you get ahead (and stay ahead) of your competition this holiday season. 1. Start putting your campaigns together... [...]

Susannah Morris says, “Pumpkin spice is reappearing on menus and fantasy football is now the hottest hallway topic – fall is finally here. With the change in the leaves comes the inevitable countdown to Cyber Monday for ecommerce marketers. In 2015, one out of every six dollars spent over the holiday season was spent online. To capture your share of that revenue, you need to plan early (and often). To help you get started, we’ve put together a three-part guide to help you succeed this holiday season. The first part, 1. Before the Season, kicks off the series by helping you reflect on... [...]