According to the popular saying, past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior. Retailers often use the previous year's holiday selling season to forecast this year's trends.
Are you and your fulfillment warehouse ready for the 2019 holiday selling season? Take note of these expert predictions based on lessons learned in 2018.
Holiday Shopping Begins Earlier than Ever...
People may grumble about holiday decorations going up too early, but it doesn't stop them from getting a head start on shopping. Last year's increase in holiday spending is attributed at least in part to gift shopping as early as October. Deals are a huge motivator, so plan a low-key promotion to push your more popular gift items.
But... Thanksgiving Weekend Isn't Dead
Despite the early start, the five-day period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday still saw brisk sales with nearly 20 percent of total holiday online revenue. Experts believe improved conversion numbers rather than higher per-order sales may be responsible for the growth.
Thanksgiving Goes Digital
Stores opening on Thanksgiving may have turned off more traditional shoppers, yet retailers enjoyed a 28 percent increase in Turkey Day sales last year. Shoppers browsing on mobile devices over a nighttime turkey sandwich accounted for $1 billion of purchases, proving you don't need a brick-and-mortar store to keep the holiday cash register ringing.
Leverage Google Shopping Ads
Search bars get a regular workout from holiday shoppers. Optimize your Google Shopping and Product Listing ads (PLAs) to head up search results and maximize exposure.
Review Shopping Procedures
Convenience is a primary driver of online shopping. Do visitors to your site have to navigate through a seemingly endless maze to reach the checkout? If so, they'll have no hesitation abandoning their shopping cart and heading to a more user-friendly site. Make sure your site provides a simple and intuitive shopping experience.
Gift Cards Keep on Giving
Gift cards are a one-size-fits-all solution for shoppers who don't know what to get or need to pick up a last-minute present. Retailers reap the benefit when gift card recipients redeem the cards and become potential repeat customers.
Optimize Mobile Apps
By now you should have your website optimized for mobile use. If not, consider this statistic: 54 percent of holiday orders in 2018 were placed on smart phones.
Stick with a Winner
Studies show that a company's top-selling product for the first nine months of a year is also its top seller during the holiday season. That fact may seem self-evident, but many retailers see holiday selling as a time to reinvent the wheel and hop on a fad or trend. Stay the course with your proven seller.
Take an All-Season Approach
A holiday marketing blitz may be lucrative in the short term, but your main goal is still to gain long-term customers. Treat every customer as a regular and create a superior buying experience to inspire loyalty and convert holiday shoppers to year-round shoppers.
Be Prepared for Last-Minute Sales
Bad weather and understaffed shipping companies put a serious crimp in 2017 holiday sales. As a result, in 2018 retailers and shippers developed better strategies such as "buy online, pick up in store." December 22 and 23 ended up being two of the top-10 shopping days of the year. Coordinate planning with your fulfillment warehouse to ensure sufficient inventory to accommodate a last-minute rush.
Medallion: Solving Your Year-Round Fulfillment Warehouse Needs
Our fulfillment warehouse has been offering a wide variety of services for more than 25 years, making us uniquely qualified to understand and successfully handle your requirements 365 days a year. Contact us at Medallion Fulfillment & Logistics for more information and get a free price quote for services today.
|