Getting Your Holiday Shopping Done!
Holiday shopping used to mean getting up at 6 a.m. after Thanksgiving, and fighting through blood-thirsty crowds to get the doorbuster deals that Black Friday is known for.
The National Retail Federation is finding that more consumers turn to online shopping instead, with 129 million Americans participating in Cyber Monday shopping.If you’re a savvy shopper looking for the best digital trends to maximize holiday sales, these are the ones to keep an eye out for.
Social Network Customer Inquiries
Consumers are glued to their social networks of choice, whether their poison of choice is Twitter, Facebook or something else.
Forbes reports that potential customers are quick to take questions and concerns to Twitter, with the short, informal tone of the site making it easy for a customer to quickly send questions to your business or the Twitter-verse.
Many businesses dedicate part of their holiday sales efforts into giving customers the ability to approach them through the channels that are most comfortable for them.
Also, follow any hashtags that are relevant to stores you shop to get updates on sales. For example, if you need electronics, you’d follow an #electronics hashtag.
Holiday Apps
Holiday shopping-centric apps allow consumers to easily see what stores have available, what is on sale, and specials targeted to only them.
For instance, Macy’s has a great Scan and Shop app for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which allows customers to scan items and get information about products.
They can learn how much it costs, where they can get it, and if it is on sale. This multi-channel approach to shopping gives customers a wide range of selection.
Mobile Shopping
Many customers use brick-and-mortar stores for window shopping before purchasing something online.
They don’t plan to purchase the product through the store; they are simply checking it out in person before making their purchasing decisions.
According to Google’s ebook “Ways to Win Shoppers at the Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT)”, 68 percent of surveyed consumers report consulting YouTube before making a purchase.
Two- to three-minute how-to videos about products or services is a great way to learn about something before you buy it.
Discount Third Parties
Google suggests trying affiliate shoppers, third-party commerce sites that generate leads for businesses.
An example would be Groupon, which offers deep discounts for goods and services, and it takes a small cut from the sales.
These sites offer discounted goods, services, restaurants and getaways. The perfect gift is the gift of experience, and Groupon may give you some ideas for that hard-to-shop-for family member.
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