Lead, follow, or get out of the way. How many times have you heard that?
As marketers, it’s great to be a trend-setter, but if you can’t lead the way, you’d better be ready to follow the trends or you’ll get lost in the pack. Nowhere is this truer than in the overcrowded e-commerce marketplace.
Online shopping has evolved so quickly that copying what worked for your business last year may be a plan to fail this season. Customers are relying on the internet more than ever, and they access websites from mobile devices rather than laptops or home computers. Smart marketers keep their fingers on the pulse of today’s shoppers and meet them where they are – on their smartphones, for example.
Here are some holiday trends we’re watching this year:
You’ve probably heard by now that over half of internet traffic is coming from mobile devices. What you may not know is that Google estimates that 30% of online purchases now come via smartphones. This number will continue to grow as more folks become comfortable shopping in the Wi-Fi world.
Even if they don’t have time to browse in the moment, people are using their free time at lunch or on transit to shop on their mobile device for purchase ideas, then bookmarking items to look at later. Google reports that smartphone shopping-related searches have grown 120% since last year and are poised to overtake desktop searches. If your site hasn’t been rated mobile-friendly, Google and other search engines might ignore it.
Sure, Amazon is king, and top brands get a lot of business on their proprietary sites, but places like Instagram and Snapchat are seeing big increases in sales volume. Lifestyle sites, such as Houzz and others like them are also seeing large increases.
A recent survey by market researchers Millward Brown found that 88% of U.S. companies use at least one social media outlet as part of their marketing strategy. How many do you use? How well? It’s worth taking some time to analyze your business’s social media strategy to maximize its potential.
We all know about Facebook’s attempts to make marketing there more targeted, but did you know that Pinterest just added location data to its Place Pins to include street addresses, phone numbers and store hours? For 7 billion Pins. Consider using a few “Pin Us” signs for your business.
These are just a few of the trends we’re watching here at the Unleaded Group. As one of the world pioneers in e-commerce design and development, our staff is constantly on the lookout for ways keep our customers on top of the latest internet marketing ideas. We’ll help you lead wherever you can and follow proven paths.
The Unleaded Group can help your e-commerce site thrive this holiday season. We have an award-winning Responsive Design team that will make your site is user-friendly across all platforms and content-rich to drive up its rankings. Our SEO and Content Marketing specialists will make sure your site drives revenue gains with our exclusive Agile Marketing techniques.
So why wait to take the lead in holiday sales? The Unleaded Group is a global leader in high-performance e-commerce web development and we know how to drive your site to the front of the pack. Visit our website for a look at the many ways we can fuel your holiday success. Be sure to check out our e-commerce blog while you’re there for great ideas on how your site can stand out and perform at its best.
Get a free quote or call us toll-free today at 855.865.3233 to learn more and let us help you get prepared for the holidays and beyond.