5 marketing strategies for the 2023 holiday season.

With the rise of the internet and the accompanying growth of ecommerce, it is getting harder every year to stay ahead of your retail competitors. Be smart and proactive by adopting the following strategies, and you could come out on top this year.

1. Shoppers love the convenience of online purchases.

Perhaps you’re thinking that you are doing just fine focusing on your brick-and-mortar shop. However, today’s reality is that consumers are increasingly looking for a multi-channel shopping experience. In many cases, they like to browse one or more websites to get a general idea of available products and prices. They ultimately go into a physical store to see and touch the merchandise and to obtain it faster, but the importance of your digital presence as a precursor cannot be overlooked.

Considering that over half of this year’s pool of shoppers intend to shop online, you cannot afford to pass up this opportunity to show off your goods and services. Your website also furnishes invaluable details about updates, store hours, and discounts that can bring buyers closer to your brand.

One of the benefits of a website is that you can provide free or expedited shipping. This is a huge plus for many harried customers who simply do not have the time to come into your physical store. To offset the cost of offering free shipping, consider placing a purchase minimum, perhaps at least $75 or $100.

2. Start marketing your promotions early to attract consumers.

Have you noticed that many brick-and-mortar retailers begin to display their holiday products as soon as late September? This is no accident. Long before the leaves even fall from the trees, bargain-hunting buyers are on the prowl for the best holiday gift deals. Your marketing campaign should take these behaviors into consideration.

Over half of today’s buyers are well into their holiday shopping by November. That means you should get your social media content ready and begin featuring product demos, reviews, contests, and promotions as early as possible.

Just under half of U.S. businesses already have their holiday marketing campaigns up and running before Halloween, so don’t be shy about promoting your potential bestsellers soon after your back-to-school sales are over.

If you have a physical store, Black Friday is likely to still bring throngs of customers into your shop. Prepare for them with festive decorations that are compatible with your brand voice, and prominently advertise and feature holiday deals and time-sensitive promotions.

And, if you’re not part of the early crowd, you can always go big for the month of December.

3. Leverage social media to showcase new and exciting products.

You should already be taking advantage of the numerous opportunities that having pages on sites like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram can bring to your business. Throughout the year, these sites can provide you with free or extremely low-cost organic advertising when customers post testimonials or videos of your store or products. With the holidays in your near future, these chances for promoting your business become even more important. Be sure your content is fresh, creative, and regularly updated and that it stimulates give-and-take from your all-important customer brand ambassadors.

An estimated one-quarter of buyers use social media to help them decide what products to purchase and from whom. With Gen Z shoppers becoming more financially independent each year, this trend will only increase annually.

YouTube is beloved throughout the world as a source of entertaining and informational videos. Considering that almost 70% of shoppers will click on a video or two to get a better idea of a product before purchasing it, you would do well to expand your online presence to include visual content on this social media powerhouse.

Social media sites like YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram also give shoppers a way to direct their shopping energy. Many who are not initially sure of what they want to buy will figure it out by perusing these sites. Linking your social media pages to your ecommerce website is a great way to funnel these consumers and gain additional purchases.

4. Email marketing can be powerful with the right approach.

Contrary to popular belief, email remains an extremely powerful marketing tool. With the right balance of creativity and frequency, your email messages can notify customers of time-sensitive deals while keeping your brand at the top of their minds during a very busy season.

In the rush and hustle of the season, people tend to add products to their shopping cart and then become distracted by something else, only to click away. Combating this with an abandoned cart email is a way to nudge customers back to your website. Considering that 45% of the customers who receive these prompts act on them and that a percentage of those people actually make a purchase, there is no downside to contacting potential customers in this way.

Far from being obsolete or ignored, email is still a popular way to communicate, particularly during the holidays. Take advantage of consumers’ tendency to look for email bargains by remaining in touch and sending product ads and other enticing content to their inboxes.

For optimal effectiveness, be sure that your emails can be read from any device, including laptops, desktops, tablets, and mobile phones.

You can’t afford to have your message deleted simply because it was not correctly formatted for mobile phones, which consumers are increasingly relying upon for all of their computer needs.

5. Online influences can sway purchase decisions.

It’s no secret that the internet has revolutionized the way people search for and buy products. It shapes buying behaviors in several ways. Online celebrities, both micro and macro, have a powerful effect on how their fans think and feel and what they purchase. Additionally, social media sites give everyone a voice and a way to engage with and feel a part of their favorite brands. Finally, effective online marketing campaigns through Google and other business promotion websites can increase awareness and bring shoppers not only to your website but also to your physical store.

The majority of shoppers between the ages of 25 and 34 have revealed the important role that online influencers play in their holiday buying decisions. For you as a business owner, taking advantage of this trend does not mean that you need to pay thousands of dollars to ally yourself with an A-list influencer. There are numerous micro-influencers as well with whom you can partner to spread the word about your brand.

 Eight out of 10 shoppers start their buying odyssey with a Google search. For that reason, you need to focus on search engine optimization (SEO) to ensure that your website appears as high as possible in the Google rankings.

Since well over half of the customers surveyed admit that social media plays an important role in their buying decisions, it’s important to take the time to create dynamic, frequently updated content on the social media pages your customers prefer to visit. When they feel like they are an integral part of your brand and company, they are more likely to share your content with friends and make additional purchases from you long after the holidays are over.

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