As the holiday season continues, many struggle to find the perfect gift for the ones closest to us.  Once we do find the perfect gift the question usually is- can I get this online? The thought of going to the mall with crowds of people, lines at the register and items being picked over, is enough to put anyone over the edge and avoid the in-store experience.

The holidays are a prime time for businesses to thrive, creating effective promotions and selling as much as possible. Doorbuster sales and holiday layaways used to be the key to winning holiday sales, however many businesses have now made the switch to digital. Have you ever received the “you left this in your shopping cart!” email?  This is just one tactic retailers use to keep you coming back to their site.

Shopping phenomenons like Black Friday and Cyber Monday are almost non-existent.  Many retailers launched their in-store and digital promotions early and kept them live past the ‘Cyber Monday’ craze.  As marketers, we need to keep evolving and developing out-of-the-box techniques to stay relevant with consumers.  We recognize that not having to deal with crazed shoppers makes online shopping the preferred method for many consumers which is why it’s important to make their experience as efficient as possible.

In addition to making the shopping experience easier, digital plays a role throughout the entire path to purchase.   Social media has a huge impact on the overall holiday season, especially among millennials.  Pinterest in particular allows consumers to get inspired while marketers have the ability to target ads right in their feeds. Many consumers will use digital and social properties to not only research products to purchase, but also share the gifts they receive.  Snapchat and Instagram stories create instantaneous posts that can be shared with hundreds of thousands of followers. The stories feature is key during the research phase on a customers path to purchase. Having quick tutorials demonstrating how a product is used with a link to purchase will help to drive customers back to your site. This same tactic can be used after the holidays, but feature add ons to the larger purchase. 

As we come to the end of 2017 there is no escaping digital. Consumers are now expecting the ability to research everything from ideas to prices online and an increasing number of consumers are completing the entire process on a mobile device. If you weren’t prepared for the 2017 holiday season, listen to your customers and start gearing up for 2018!

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