At Digilant we are getting into the holiday spirit, and want everyone else to join us. We have put together an infographic and report that gives predictions and highlights trends around consumer behavior for the 2018 holiday shopping season. This report will help advertisers and media buyers gain additional insights for their digital marketing strategies.
Every year it seems as though the holiday sales and promotions start earlier, spending increases and people shift their purchase locations and behavior. All these changes at such an essential part of the year can become overwhelming. Digilant has outlined all the 2018 holiday shopping predictions – from when people are shopping, how to reach them on mobile and how Ecommerce powerhouse Amazon is going to affect this year’s sales and advertising for other retails.
Download the infographic here.
Call to Action
Our previous four posts about holiday trends centered around which advertising platforms are most useful for advertisers and the benefits of a multi-channel media mix. However, to achieve the best possible results during the holiday season, the message – especially the call to action – on the ads is essential. Because consumers are overwhelmed with holiday ads, it is important for the message to really grab their attention. People are very tempted by sales and promotions – although it may seem counterintuitive to put products on sale during this time, to compete with other companies, this is a key tactic. Similarly, people are much more receptive to email and social media marketing. In other times of the year, consumers may not check their promotional emails as diligently, but during a time with such high intention for purchase, this is a great time to play this card. Lastly, the holidays are a special time so people are looking for unique and limited edition products. Promoting these items is a great way to draw in consumers.
Overall, finding the best combination of channel, messaging and ad placement will result in a successful holiday season. This might seem overwhelming during such an essential time in the year, so we have created an easy to follow four-step plan, to optimize your return on holiday advertising:
- Consider retargeting. Sometimes the first time a consumer sees your ad, they are still browsing or not quite at purchase intent.
- Create holiday deals. We recommend a discount on a special edition product. Everyone is looking for discounts.
- The holidays make people more receptive to promotional messaging. It is the perfect time to send emails and/ or post on social platforms.
- Extend your reach by using advanced programmatic marketing. Using data, your ad can reach the ideal consumer, at the right time and place
Geolocation
Geolocation is a great tactic to try during this time of year. Using programmatic tools, advertisers can target consumers while they are shopping at their store or even a competitor’s store. There are a few ways that this tactic can successfully be applied. If a consumer has walked out of your store, this is a great time to use the promotional messaging that we recommended earlier. Small business can apply this tactic to target people who were at local retailers during this time last year. High-end retailers can target people who shopped at stores such as Neiman Marcus or Bloomingdales. Overall, geolocation is a great way to reach consumers in real-time, especially while they are in close proximity to your store.
Interested in incorporating any of the programmatic tactics we discussed throughout the holiday infographic blog posts into your 2019 digital advertising plan? At Digilant, we provide experienced and informed hands-on decision-making to manage all aspects of programmatic buying for clients. Reach out to us here.
Did you read all 5 parts of our 2018 Holiday Shopping Insights series? Start at the beginning with Part 1!