Whether you sell services or products to consumers, I’m confident your sales strategy for the holiday season is well underway. However, have you taken into account the predictions for the holiday season? More importantly, do you have an understanding of how consumers are using the internet to laser focus on your products and services to making a buying decision?
Competitor Beware
I came across an article on Sizing up 2014’s Black Friday by Clark Howard, a recognized Radio and TV consumer expert, who shows consumers ways to save more, spend less, and avoid getting ripped-off. His prediction is that retailers will frontload promotions heavily in October and for online shoppers the closer it gets to Christmas, free shipping will not be an option.
A few additional predictions revealed by USA Today’s Top 10 List include:
BLACK FRIDAY WILL GET CRUSHED BY CYBER MONDAY. We saw the start of this for the first time ever last year and this year it will be even more pronounced. Store-wide sales and discounts on Cyber Monday will outshine most of the offerings on Black Friday. Cyber Monday will also become a two-day event.
STORES WILL RUIN THANKSGIVING AGAIN. Did those early start times and all-day Thanksgiving openings bother you last year? The holiday creep will be even more radical this year.
Consumer Shopping Secret
Perhaps the biggest secret retailers and service providers need to be aware of is how the consumer are making their buying decisions by using the internet.
- Showrooming-this is when shoppers use their smartphone to comparison shop when they are in a store and find a better deal somewhere other than the physical store they are in.
- Webrooming-this is when consumers shop on the web to locate the best price before they go out and buy that item in a traditional store.
Closing Thoughts
It’s not too late to take a look at your online brand presence and make sure potential customers can find you in their search online. Also, it is still far cheaper to focus on offering specials to customers you already have than to attract new customers. Email marketing and integrated campaigns are a perfect fit for personalized special offers. Don’t rely on your traditional approach to holiday sales-the predictions are more than likely spot on!
