Holiday Shopping Habits and How to Harness Them

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. As the winter holidays and the lucrative shopping rush quickly approach, the time is now to get your marketing strategies in place. Holiday spending is forecast to increase by 5 percent compared to last year. That’s not the only change expected. Understanding 2019’s holiday shopping habits will provide the insight you need to best get the most out of your dealings with this year’s shoppers.

Shoppers Are Starting Early

Shoppers are starting early so you should, too. Engage early and often. While the holiday shopping season used to primarily span November and December, evidence points to a dramatic evolution. For many shoppers, it now lasts roughly six months, often kicking off with “Christmas in July.” A 2019 nationwide study conducted by OpenX and The Harris Poll found half of holiday shoppers have already started their shopping by the time September rolled around. October remains a key month for shoppers to do their research, and Black Friday and Cyber Monday in November remain the biggest shopping events.

Now’s the time to get your online stores optimized for holiday shoppers. Your website should be SEO-ready to lead shoppers to you in any season. Leveraging popular holiday keywords is the key to pulling ahead with holiday shoppers. Check your favorite source for keyword ideas to determine the most popular holiday search terms. Also, consider adding holiday-specific content and landing pages.

 Social Influences Buying Decisions

Millennial and Gen Z shoppers lead the pack in using social media. A 2019 study conducted by Tinuiti shows that more than 50 percent of shoppers under the age of 35 cite social media as somewhat to very influential in their holiday shopping decisions. To maximize your social media presence, start by developing a social media marketing calendar and coordinate your sales and promotions across all your platforms, paying special attention to sales and new products. Roll out those new products and stoke the flames of shopping excitement with promotions, events, and special offers just for your social media followers. Holiday shoppers are big on research, so make sure your best offers make it onto their radar. Additionally, create holiday messages and posts that aren’t too sales-y to connect with your audience and show them your thanks for their loyalty and business. 

Shoppers Expect Omnichannel Experiences

Customer experience is everything. That should be your guiding principle for everything you do because customers are expecting you to provide seamless, personalized recommendations and service across all platforms. That includes physical stores because the Tinuiti survey revealed  brick-and-mortar shopping is regaining popularity. More than 40 percent of those included in the survey said they expect omnichannel capabilities so they can make their purchases online while picking up in the store. Offering click-and-collect services is also a great way to capitalize on last-minute shoppers and those who miss shipping deadlines.

Visibility is a Must to Win the Holiday Shopping Game

While around 28.1 percent of shoppers start checking their lists off with in-store purchases, 28.3 percent start filling their carts on Amazon.com, according to Tinuiti’s 2019 survey. The third most popular starting point? Google search. Staying visible during peak shopping times is essential and it requires a solid strategy buffered with paid search advertising.

Making sure you’re optimized for voice search is also important, especially when you consider the ever-increasing number of voice-assisted devices in use. Part of an effective voice strategy is adapting to changes in SEO. Voice searches are typically longer than text searches. They’re also posed in the form of a question. Using relevant keywords and creating Alexa skills or Google actions are important ways to get in the game so your business will be the top result.

Video and Mobile Are Key Research Tools

Google noted in its “Holiday Retail Playbook 2019” that more than 90 percent of shoppers discover new products, services, and brands on YouTube, underscoring the need for everyone to use video to educate and inspire shoppers. Additionally, mobile-first shopping is on the rise, with nearly 50 percent of shoppers making their holiday purchases on their mobile devices in 2018. Prep now for mobile success by making sure your app or website loads quickly and contains clear images and easy to find product information. Make sure you’re optimized to deliver an amazing mobile experience with content that fits neatly on any screen.