Plan your holiday marketing strategy now

Plan your holiday marketing strategy now because according to several business research surveys, customers have already started shopping! It is expected that e-commerce sales are expected to grow between 9 and 16 percent compared to last year. More and more people are shopping via their mobile which means you better have your mobile optimization complete! During the 2013 holiday shopping season, almost 29 percent of e-commerce sales came from a mobile device. This is according to an article from Marketing Land. Another related report estimates that by November of this year, mobile devices will account for 43% of e-commerce site traffic and 20% of commerce site sales. This just shows how important and beneficial it is to optimize your e-commerce for mobile customers. Here are 3 more suggestions to include in your holiday marketing strategy!

1) Get your ‘free shipping’ offers ready. If you already offer free standard shipping with minimum purchase, consider making it just free standard shipping. You want your marketing strategy to be competitive! Closer to the actual holiday, implement ‘next day’ or ‘two day’ shipping offers. Include these perks in your social media networks and e-newsletters.

2) Black Friday and Cyber Monday are likely to set another sales record this year! Know exactly what kind of sales and incentives you are planning on offering ahead of time. Start promoting weeks in advance. ‘Free gifts’ are always exciting for customers. Instead of generalizing ‘free gift with purchase’, be specific and show pictures.

3) Choose four additional seasonal sales or promotions. Once, for the beginning of November. Then, around Black Friday to extend the shopping frenzy. Another time in the beginning of December during the heart of the holiday season and finally, just days before Christmas for those procrastinators!