The holiday season is upon us. While many retailers are already prepared, other marketing professionals want to ensure that their holiday plans still align with anticipated trends for the year. After all, in an industry that is constantly changing and evolving, you never know when a new piece of technology or a marketing platform update might throw your plans for a loop.
To put your mind at ease and prepare you for the coming weeks, here are the top three retail marketing trends that will help your brand stand out this holiday season.
1. Focus on Mobile First
For the first time last year, more purchases were processed through mobile devices than desktops on peak holiday shopping days, according to a Salesforce report. This year, we expect this trend to continue with more mobile-first shoppers dominating the market than ever before.
To capitalize on this mobile shift, be sure that every aspect of your holiday retail campaign is mobile-friendly. From enticing emails that are optimized to display correctly on mobile devices, to a generous mobile-ad spend and a streamlined checkout process, ensure that the digital shopping experience is designed with mobile customers in mind.
You can also send brick-and-mortar customers location-based push notifications to let them know about deals in their vicinity.
2. Personalize, Personalize, Personalize
You likely know that highly-targeted and tailored messages drive engagement. But if you want to win over shoppers this holiday season, you'll need to take your personalization tactics a step further.
75 percent of consumers report that they're more likely to make purchases from retailers that use their names, know their purchase histories and make recommendations based on previous purchases, according to Forbes. So, make sure to create personalized experiences from start to finish.
From targeted ads and personalized emails, to on-site experiences, the more that you tailor shopping to customer preferences and habits, the more likely they are to purchase your products over those of competitors.
3. Leverage Micro-Influencers
The same Salesforce report reveals that Instagram traffic is expected to grow three times faster than the average social media platform growth. An engaging Instagram strategy is essential for reaching younger shoppers — and tapping social influencers can bolster success on this critical platform.
Partnering with micro-influencers, or influencers with a small-but-mighty following, can help you increase traffic from social media throughout the holidays. Not only will these lesser-known content creators consume less of your budget than more famous influencers, but they yield 60 percent higher engagement rates, according to Adweek.
As an expert marketer, you know the holiday season is the most lucrative time of the year. By implementing these three marketing strategies today, you can ensure that this holiday season is one of your best yet.
