Anticipate Sales Traffic With 2015 Google Shopping Holiday Calendar
2015 Google Shopping Holiday Calendar
As retailers prepare for the busiest time of the year, Google has released a calendar that will help anticipate the largest online shopping days.
Specifically, this calendar will advise marketers when they should be increasing budgets to capture the influx of sales traffic.
The most important thing for retailers to remember this holiday season is – it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
While 25% of holiday shoppers start shopping before Halloween, 49% do the majority of their shopping in December, and 30% of shoppers don’t actually finish holiday shopping until after Christmas”.
This year, Google anticipates ecommerce holiday sales are expected to grow 14%.
Holiday Calendar – Dates to Remember
Expected Top Online Sales Days:
November – 30
December – 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 15, 16
Expected Top In-Store Sales Days:
November – 27, 28
December – 5, 12, 18, 19, 21, 22
Black Friday is expected to be the top in-store sales day. In-store pick-up rose 40% last year on Black Friday.
Cyber Monday is expected to be the top online sales day. Last year, Cyber Monday became the biggest day in U.S. online shopping history.
3 Tips for Holiday Shopping Strategy
Invest in Mobile & Video Advertising
If you’re debating whether to invest in mobile or video advertising – it would be wise to jump on board with both.
- Last year, mobile accounted for 52% of all traffic on Thanksgiving and 49% on Black Friday.
- It’s estimated 36% of consumers have abandoned a mobile transaction because of slow load times.
- Nearly, 41% of millennials plan to use online video this year for researching holiday purchase.
- Last year, 78% of holiday shoppers used digital to get gift ideas, compared to 29% for circulars and 26% for TV ads.
Digital Drives to In-Store Purchases
- Google estimates 59% of holiday shoppers who plan to use Google will search or browse for local information.
- Additionally, the expected total for beacon-influenced retail sales will be $4 billion this year and will grow 11x by 2016.
Keep the Lights On
- 40% of holiday shoppers plan to shop for gift baskets as last minute presents this year
- 58% of shoppers plan to take advantage of post-holiday sales and promotions
Introducing New Holiday Ad Extension Feature
In response to recent shopping trends, Google is set to release a Holiday Ad Extension feature for Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year. The custom ad extension is available to advertisers who want to run ads that highlight specific, value-added deals or tailored offers (as seen in the graph below).
Pro-Tip: This feature supports English-language ads only. Implementation is easy, using new, custom headers available in the Structured Snippets options list. The relevance of these extensions will help generate additional clicks and conversions.
For more on Google Shopping holiday sales strategy, email [email protected]
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