Get Your Holiday Marketing Ready – The Season of Reindeer And Retail is Coming

Every year, it feels as if the leaves can barely change colors before advertisers turn on the holiday lights. And, every year, retail’s “season’s greetings” get more competitive. So, how does the everyday retailer compete for that Christmas cash? The answers to successful holiday marketing lie in strong and purposeful social, email and mobile strategies. Read on for more.

Old St. Nick gets more digital every year. According to CMO.com, 92 percent of holiday shoppers will go online to research and/or purchase gifts this holiday season. Deloitte furthered this research to find that digital interactions will influence 64 cents of every dollar spent in stores in the fourth quarter. Furthermore, 80 percent of shoppers say they will engage with a retailer or brand through digital channels before ever setting foot inside the store.

In 2014, email was the primary sales driver for marketers everywhere. This is especially true for Black Friday sales, in which email accounted for 27.3 percent of sales.

Combine email with Pinterest’s buyable pins, Facebook’s ad targeting, Twitter’s promoted posts (68 percent of users have seen something on Twitter that prompted them to make a holiday purchase), and you’ve empowered your fans to make make out their holiday wish lists without ever leaving the Internet.

But, how do you influence purchases when someone’s not in front of their computer? Well, 71 percent of in-store shoppers who use smartphones for online research say their device has become more important to their in-store experience. This makes sense, as 35 percent of all of 2014 Christmas’ online sales came from a mobile device.

The bottom line is that if you’re a retailer hoping to cash in on holiday cheer, you’ve got to get with the digital program. Make sure your social media strategy is well thought-out, well in advance. The same with your emails: Create content that will speak to your database’s specific needs throughout the season. And make sure your site is geared up for mobile access.

While flying reindeer and Santa Claus may not be realistic, the reality is that digital marketing is key to the is Miracle on Wall Street.