After numerous lockdowns, cancelled plans and time apart from loved ones, consumers are likely to want 2021 to end with a big sparkly bang. But what does that mean for online retailers? We expect consumer demand to be higher than ever this year as Aussies gear up for a huge holiday season to make up for lost time.
According to new research, Aussies are predicted to spend $11 billion on Christmas gifts in 2021, with most of that going to online retail. eCommerce revenue is also expected to hit record levels in the December quarter1.
Although the peak season can be stressful for business owners, it really can be something to embrace if you’re organised. So, how can you prepare your business for the busiest time of the year and ensure you get a seat at the table?
Get in there early
The benefits of seasonal marketing are well known – from attracting new business and increasing brand awareness, to boosting sales and growing margins – but getting in there early is the best way to leverage whatever season you’re tackling.
Have you started planning for the silly season yet? The companies that perform the best over Christmas will have thought about their digital marketing campaigns months and months ahead of time.
Start asking yourself, what special offers are you going to put in place? How will you promote your business to make the most of increased consumer demand? How can you ensure your return on investment [ROI] is sky high?
Ensure your business is omnichannel
As consumers change how they behave online, it’s crucial for businesses to respond and keep up across all channels. According to Google, omnichannel strategies drive an 80% higher rate of incremental store visits.
Omnichannel marketing is an approach where a company provides access to their products and services on all platforms and devices. This allows for greater reach, increased profits and an improved customer experience.
In contrast to multichannel, an omnichannel experience has multiple channels working together seamlessly and consistently rather than as separate entities. Now could be the perfect time to get your social, email, mobile and desktop experiences working together better than Blitzen, Prancer, Dancer and the gang.
Rethink your PPC ad spend
We all want to make sure that our customers are getting the best experience possible when they interact with our business. Part of improving user experience [UX] is ensuring your website is fully optimised for mobile.Â
Whether it’s Christmas, Black Friday, Easter or Mother’s Day – focusing your paid ad spend on seasonal holidays is a great strategy to boost sales and see an increase in conversions.
Creating a PPC campaign that starts now rather than waiting until a few weeks before Christmas is a great way to make the most of early shoppers and ensure great ROI.
If you need help with your paid advertising campaigns, get in touch. With years of search engine marketing [SEM] success and hundreds of PPC campaigns under our belt, we know our stuff when it comes to paid ads.
Strive to improve
Market conditions have changed since 2020 and things will continue to change every day, every week and every year. If you use the same old digital advertising as last year or the year before, you can’t guarantee it’ll be as successful because audience behaviour is different now.
So how can you improve on last year? Analyse last year’s results. What worked? What flopped? How can you make sure this Christmas is the busiest season for your business?
3PM have got your back
We love digital marketing more than Father Christmas loves mince pies [we love those too]. If you want to get your business ready for what could be the biggest online retail season ever, give us a shout today. We’ll get your email campaigns converting, your social media engagement jingling and your profits higher than a fairy on a tree.
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1 Australians are preparing to spend $11 billion on Christmas gifts – and analysts predict the December quarter will smash e-commerce records: David Adams Business Insider, 2021
