Blog
‘Tis the Season to plan for the holidays
Published June 06, 2012 Share
I know, I know…It’s not even officially summer yet, but if you’ve been to the holiday rodeo before, you know it’s now time to prepare your eCommerce plan for the seasonal rush. In fact, I was at our booth at the Internet Retailer show yesterday and Thad Rueter, an editor from the publication, walked in for a chat. What do you think the first thing he asked me was?
“So, what do you expect for this holiday season?”
Well, here are some of my thoughts…
Last year, eCommerce produced $167 billion in sales ($51 billion in Q4 alone) and huge surges in mobile shopping and browsing (according to IBM more than 14% of retail website traffic and 11% of sales came from mobile devices). And even more impressively, last year’s record-breaking Cyber Monday (the Monday after Thanksgiving, for you nubes) became the biggest online shopping day in history with $1.25 billion in sales.
This year, eCommerce is already outpacing 2011 as Q1 online sales are up 15% over the same period last year. And Forrester Research projects that eCommerce sales will hit the $226 billion mark in 2012 (and then $327 by 2016).
“So, Mark, what does this mean for me?” you ask.
“Prepare, prepare, prepare,” I answer.
It’s no longer enough to just have an online store; you have to have a complete eCommerce plan to set your business up for successful holiday sales. Because, if you are not ready, there are others poised to steal your holiday lunch. According to a January Shop.org survey, retailers are planning to focus on web store inventory, optimizing their site performance, search, shipping (including international shipping), mobile and improving the customer experience for the holidays.
So let’s make 2012 the year you refine your eCommerce efforts and take advantage of a monumental shopping season. It’s a bit like getting your shopping done online before the big sales rush and then kicking back with some eggnog (or better yet, a nice German Pilsner) while others get pepper-sprayed by a crazed Wal-Mart shopper.
Aside: Pepper spraying kids? Really? You ever stop to think about why these things always happen in Wal-Mart?
To help you prepare for the holidays, Shopatron has an early present to share with you – our version of Christmas in July. Register now to receive Shopatron’s 2012 Holiday eBook that’s filled with great tips to get your website ready for the holidays. And while this may seem like a small present today, the boost in sales you’ll get come the holiday season will be our real gift to you.
So until then, read up on ways to help your business grow sales and I’ll go find the eggnog (or the Pilsner).
Seasons Greetings.
