Commerce marketers seem to start preparing for the holiday season earlier and earlier each year – and with good reason. Consumers now start their holiday shopping earlier than ever. Getting ready for such an early shopping season can come with great challenges, but there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Take a look at the trends over the past couple of years, especially those from last year, and identify opportunities for success. Here are two of the trends I noticed last year that can help you set the stage for a successful season.
The holiday shopping season is the ecommerce version of the Boston Marathon’s Heartbreak Hill. It’s a season that will challenge retailers, stress them, push them to their limits and, many times, either make or break them. Effectively planning for the final stretch requires not only looking at last year’s results, but considering what went well for your peers. Let’s look at three trends from last year that will keep you from hitting the wall this year.
My five-year-old son recently uttered the phrase, “Why don’t you just ask Siri?” This was in response to my wife asking me a question. Even though my answer, “because I am smarter than Siri” wasn’t fully accepted, something occurred to me. This is his normal.
What does this mean for online retailers and brands that are accustomed to consumers navigating browsers rather than barking voice commands?
Do your email subscribers find your marketing emails useful? I ran across a statistic from Fluent that suggests consumers think marketing emails are consistently useful only 15% of the time and not useful nearly 60% of the time. So how do you ensure your email program falls into the first category? By ramping up your sophistication.
Change with the times, or the times will change you. These words have never been more true than they are today. That’s because mobile devices, especially smartphones, are changing the game for retailers. Mobile is more than just the way emails render. Mobile is the primary way people consume information. Consider this:
In the year 2037 we may not quite be on planet Mars, but one thing is certain, the face of retail and ecommerce will have drastically changed, and this is particularly true for smaller retailers and mom and pop shops.
In the third installment of a three-part series, find out how I predict small retailers may change 20 years from now.
Consumer expectations versus reality. It is a complex topic for all retailers, but especially for those who sell online. Look at how Amazon has raised the bar on consumer expectations, such as with fast and free shipping. Consider how accessible mobile phones are, allowing consumers to find any product they are searching for, regardless of where they or the product is located. Social media, and its integration into the shopping experience, is providing a direct connection between brand and consumer.
In the year 2027, it’s hard to imagine going to the same big box grocery store when already so many technological advancements are making its way into each business. Beyond grocery stores, similar changes can been found in the fashion and general merchandise industries. This poses the question, what will happen to the largest of retailers over the next 10 years? Will there be a shift in physical size? Will experiences become more meaningful than general displays and product availability?
In the second part of a three-part series, find out how I predict giant retailers may change over the next 10 years.
Consumers are so keyed in about personalization that a recent study found 40% of online shoppers expect that multichannel merchants know about their offline purchases and factor those into their marketing emails. Let me repeat, we’re talking about offline purchases!
Retailers recognize this as a challenge, and are eager to solve it. But realistically, too many retailers struggle to connect their consumer profile data, purchase data, and email data — much less bridge the gap between the online and offline world. Consumers are coming to expect something most retailers are not yet poised to provide.
