Christopher Ratcliff says, “This is a huge increase from the 45% of online users using click and collect last Christmas. Obviously the main benefit of click and collect is the ability to pick up purchases when and where the customer chooses. You don’t have to wait in your house all day for a package, or take a trip down to the sorting office before it closes on a Saturday morning if you’ve missed it. The other benefit is that theoretically click and collect should always be free to the customer. Almost 80% of the online shoppers surveyed said they expect click and collect to be offered for... [...]

Amy Gesenhues says, “Many are predicting strong online retail sales this holiday season. Earlier this month, theNational Retail Federation released a study claiming 56 percent of shoppers plan to buy online – a 51 percent increase over last year, and a record high according to the NRF. PunchTab, a technology provider for CPG and retail brands, is claiming an even more aggressive outlook. Surveying over 1,000 U.S. consumers last month, PunchTab found 90 percent of its survey participants were planning to shop online for the holidays. Grouping survey responses by generation, PunchTab’s... [...]

Curt Keller says, “All the great email content in the world isn’t going to do your brand a bit of good if no one opens your email—which is why you need attention-grabbing headlines. So apply these top tips and become a master at writing subject lines! 1. Use the 50/50 rule It seems absolutely preposterous that you spend as much time crafting the subject line, along with the preheader, as you do writing the entire text of the rest of the email, but savvy online marketers are well aware that it is mandatory. It takes time and concentration to write great subject lines. 2. Throw out... [...]

Katie Oakes says, “Each week, we will provide you with real time insights and trends for the 2014 holiday season: how consumers are shopping, what they are searching for and how marketing campaigns can be optimized to maximize rewards for both consumers and brands. Sign up to receive the weekly #HolidayHotSheet in your inbox and stay tuned to the blog for highlights and additional holiday coverage. The holiday season is picking up speed! This week, we bring you insights into the types of emails we expect to perform well this year. We also take a look at the mobile shopping behavior of... [...]

Ayaz Nanji says, “Christmas-themed and general winter holiday season emails have higher open rates when sent weeks or even months earlier than immediately before the target holiday, according to a recent report from Yesmail Interactive. However, themed emails for holidays that do not usually involve gift-giving (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday) have the best open rates right before the holiday or actually on it. Below, key findings from the report, which was based on fourth quarter 2013 data from the email campaigns of 30 major brands. Christmas/Winter Holiday Emails Christmas... [...]

Diana Illiano says, “Winter is coming! We’re taking you back to some of the trends we saw during last year’s peak holiday shopping days to make predictions for this year’s performance. Plus, get a sneak peek at the hot products that are sure to be on consumers’ wish lists this year. What’s hot this week: A combination of extensions of Cyber Monday sales and the fact that there will be only twenty-two days until Christmas will likely boost Tuesday, December 2nd sales into the Top 10 list again this year The best time to email on the peak days from the Wednesday before Thanksgiving... [...]

Matt McGee says, “More evidence that the upcoming holidays could be a good one for online retailers: The National Retail Federation (NRF) says a record 56 percent of consumers plan to shop online this year. That’s according to the NRF’s Holiday Consumer Spending Survey, a survey of more than 7,500 consumers during the first week of October. That 56 percent figure is up from 51.5 percent last year, and also represents a record high for the 13 years that the NRF has been doing this survey. Another record: The NRF says the average shopper will do 44.4 percent of his/her shopping online... [...]

Pamela Robertson says, “Crowdsourcing, Programmatic Buying, The Internet of Things … these are all concepts that today’s savvy marketer needs to be thinking about. We can’t emphasize it enough: the marketing landscape changes almost daily, sometimes without us even realizing it. The three concepts I just mentioned weren’t even part of our lexicon a few short years (or even months) ago, but are now important trends marketers need to know and consider when building out marketing plans. Take crowdsourcing, for example. Experian Marketing Services research showed that the number of ratings... [...]

Lindsay Kolowich says, “All right, so most of us haven’t even picked out our Halloween costumes yet. But for marketers everywhere, it’s just about that time where we need to start sipping the proverbial egg nog and thinking about our holiday marketing strategies. The good news is that the days of plenty are coming: Last year, in 2013, the average number of visits to inbound ecommerce websites on Cyber Monday grew 102%. Website traffic and sales have a huge potential to grow during this time of year — and social media will be a key player as people get more excited about... [...]

Amanda Brief says, “Marketers today know that the key to a successful holiday campaign begins with a cross-channel marketing plan. The combination of channels and tactics you should use are as unique as your customers, but the findings from Experian Marketing Services’ holiday survey can help illuminate your marketing campaigns. Email may be king but social is queen for cross-channel integration Nine out of ten marketers from around the globe plan to use email in their 2014 holiday marketing campaigns. Not only is email named the most used channel for holiday marketing campaigns by 91... [...]