Friday, November 9, 2012

Holiday Shopping: eCommerce Expectations Are High, mCommerce Not So Much

They say good things come to those who wait and retailers have waited long enough for a boost in sales! Looks like this might be the year.

Chase Paymentech talked to a variety of retailers and found that the majority (59%) of them expected 2012 sales to top those of 2011. They were also very optimistic about the percentage of sales coming in through online channels.

Now, I’d like to present my reward for the Short and Sweet Graphic of the Week. It goes to eMarketer!

Seriously folks, it doesn’t get more plain than that. eCommerce is on the rise but mCommerce is still barely a blip on the radar.

I think this year, plenty of shoppers will be using their smartphones and tablets to get discounts, do research and locate gifts but this won’t be the year of the mobile Christmas, not yet. Next year maybe, now that tablets are flooding the market.

When asked what challenges ecommerce companies face this holiday season, surprisingly “competitive pricing” came in second with only 25% of the vote. The biggest concern (52%) was “reaching new customers.” “Reaching return customers” came in third with 23%.

86% of these companies will be turning to Facebook for online promotions which blows my mind. I think it can be an effective tool for keeping current customers engaged but I don’t see it as a good tool for bringing in new customers. 70% said they’d be using Twitter and I like this idea better, mainly because Twitter posts are more searchable.

Pay-Per-Click advertising may be old school, but it’s still the best way to reach new customers. Great content on a website or blog will also help you land at the top of the search engine heap. You also might consider running a giveaway or incentivizing current customers to bring in referrals.

The one advantage online has over other forms of marketing is that it can be tweaked on the fly. So don’t be afraid to throw out a last minute promotion if sales aren’t what you hoped for after CyberMonday.



Source : internetwebsitedesign[dot]biz

0 comments:

Post a Comment