News

Why it's time to gear up for the big holiday shopping season

New survey reveals small businesses should get going on digital strategy to capitalize on holiday sales time.

September 18, 2015

The small retailer needs to be moving on holiday shopping strategy sooner than later if they want to reap big rewards, according to the latest G/O Digital research.

The report, “Holiday Purchasing Habits: A Digital Advantage for Local Businesses,” polled more than 1,000 U.S. consumers and states small to mid-sized business should be executving a digital marketing plan early to make a big impact this holiday season.

A key element of the digital strategy should include strong search-engine optimization as research reveals 62 percent go straight to search engines when researching gifts for the holiday season and more than three-quarters of respondents look online for holiday shopping deals and discounts.

In regard to brick-and-mortar shopping, consumers tend to keep close to home, with the majority of respondents staying within 10 miles of where they live.

Shoppers like to shop at businesses boasting discounts and promotions, regardless of business size, though discounts of 15 percent or more will draw holiday shoppers in-store.

Additional findings include:

• Consideration starts before November.Almost half of respondents, 47 percent, say they start thinking about what they'll purchase this holiday season before November.
• Almost everyone researches online before shopping in-store.71 percent of respondents say they always or often research a product online before shopping in-store, while less than 1 percent never research online prior to heading in-store.
• Email is the most effective platform to bring people from online to in-store. When asked on which platform they are most likely to see a promotion from a local business and click on it, 51 percent said email.
• Purchases from Facebook ads are growing. Almost one-third of respondents said they purchased an item from a local business based on an advertisement they saw on Facebook.