Most people frown at the thought of thinking about the holiday season now and prefer to wait until after Halloween and Thanksgiving. It makes us cringe when we walk into a home decor or craft store and it is already filled with Christmas trees, lights and aisles of gift wrap and bows in September or even October.
BUT, with the holidays only a short 3 months away, advertisers need to consider planting seeds now to captivate their holiday audience. It is a common misconception that advertisers need to wait to promote their holiday offerings until Black Friday and beyond. In fact 40% of US consumers plan to begin their holiday shopping in October. It is considered the tipping point for most retail businesses.
Advertisers should continue marketing thru November and December for the holidays, but it is important to remember that the earlier you run your campaigns, the less competition you’ll likely see. By reaching consumers earlier, you will be ahead of the game and can influence buyers further down your sales funnel and in the coming months.
To reach these online shoppers it is important to consider the devices they are using and the best platforms to utilize. During the 2017 holiday purchase spike, 41% of online purchasing was done on a mobile device and it is predicted to rise by 15% in 2018. The holidays bring on busy schedules and mobile devices makeup a TON of online purchasing and purchasing decisions
Strategies that include mobile advertisements using mobile conquesting and social media platforms prove to have high engagement and click thru rates during the 4th quarter months. These prove to be great platforms to capture those active holiday shoppers across all demographics.
So, while you are digging out your warm scarves, soaking in the Fall weather and sipping on a Pumpkin Spice Late, don’t forget to plan and promote your holiday offerings and take advantage of this audience NOW!
