Christmas | Internet Marketing Blog

The dos and don'ts of social marketing during the holiday season

In the rush to attract customers during the busy Christmas period social media is an important tool for amplifying marketing messages and engaging with potential consumers.

A new report from Accenture shows that there were predictable spikes in social activity during the holiday period and also examines the types of posts that proved to be most successful in terms of engaging fans on Facebook.

Asking consumers to participate in contests proved to be the most successful tactic for encouraging dialogue, while discount-related posts proved to be a flop.

This may come as something of a surprise, as previous surveys have suggested that the lure of discounts and offers is one of the main reasons that people engage with brands through social.

by David Moth 07 May 2013 16:14pm 2 comments

Google's search market share drops below 90% for second month in a row

UK internet users made 2.7bn visits to search engines in December 2012, an increase of 400m visits compared to December 2011.

This represents a 17% increase year-on-year, and confirms that it was a particularly strong Christmas period for search.

Interestingly, the data from Experian Hitwise also shows that Google’s market share dropped below 90% for the second month in a row to 88%; its lowest point for five years.

by David Moth 22 January 2013 12:58pm 4 comments

46% of Christmas Day search traffic was on tablets and mobiles

Christmas might seem like a distant memory now, but as we've seen from the recent troubles at Comet, HMV and Blockbuster, having a good Christmas can be the difference between success and failure for a retailer.

But what's coming to light from our search data is how Christmas Day itself is becoming critically important for online retailers.

We have seen a steady growth in e-retail on Christmas Day and Boxing Day over the last five years or so, and now with the proliferation of tablets and other smart devices we’re seeing the growth increase even further.

by Jonathan Beeston 17 January 2013 15:00pm 3 comments

26% of US shoppers were 'showrooming' this Christmas

A new survey from Econsultancy highlights the growing importance of mobile for holiday shoppers, with 26% using their phones to compare prices and check reviews when in bricks and mortar stores.

Our Toluna powered Christmas 2012 US Online Shopping Survey asked 1,000 online consumers about their research and purchase behaviour.

Topics covered include the use of mobile, shipping issues and the further shift to online shopping.

Here are some key stats from the survey...

by Graham Charlton 16 January 2013 17:52pm 0 comments

Paid search CPCs increased by 30% in 2012: report

Christmas proved to be expensive for UK retail paid search marketers, as average CPCs increased by a third (30%) peaking at around £0.35.

According to a new report from Kenshoo, the rise was partly fuelled by a 27% increase in ad budgets compared to 2011.

There were predictable spikes in search spend at the beginning of December as retailers tried to cash in on the consumer rush to buy gifts in time for Christmas.

by David Moth 15 January 2013 13:06pm 0 comments

What can retailers do to improve online delivery?

On Sunday, The Independent published an investigation into the great 'online delivery scandal' which looked at the 'hundreds of thousands' of people who received less than satisfactory service in the run up to Christmas.

It was accompanied by an editorial which uses the findings to disparage online retail.

As an advocate of ecommerce, my gut reaction is to object to this, but it's clear that 'the last mile' is an issue for retailers, and for consumer confidence in online retail.

So what can retailers do to combat these problems? I asked several ecommerce experts for their views...

by Graham Charlton 09 January 2013 11:48am 10 comments

How the internet changed Christmas

The internet has become so integral to our everyday lives that even the most old-fashioned items on the Christmas 'to do' list have now been transformed.

So it's true that in some situations, we actually can't live without technology, but metaphorically speaking, could you have survived Christmas without it?

Here's my top 10 ways in which the internet changed Christmas in 2012:

by Rhian Simms 03 January 2013 10:08am 2 comments

Taking a break for Christmas

The Econsultancy team is taking a break for Christmas, so we won't be publishing anything new here until the new year.

We'll be too busy stuffing our faces with turkey to write any posts, and I'm sure you, our readers, have better things planned for the next week.

by Graham Charlton 24 December 2012 16:50pm 5 comments

eBay brings Christmas presents directly to your door with eBay now

eBay has been testing a new mobile app called eBay Now that allows shoppers to order from local stores and have their packages delivered to their door in as little as an hour.

Through this new app, shoppers in San Francisco and New York City (Manhattan up to 125th street and select parts of Brooklyn) can purchase items from more than 200 participating stores, including Macy’s, Home Depot, Target, Toys R Us, RadioShack, Walgreens, and Office Depot.

by Heather Taylor 24 December 2012 15:58pm 3 comments

Christmas shipping: are US etailers managing customer expectations?

Ecommerce sites are now able to keep selling closer to Christmas day, but are they being upfront about shipping timescales?

Selling at close to the big day as possible can mean a competitive advantage, but it's important to be upfront and avoid any risk of disappointing customers.

This information can make the difference between making the sale or not, so how well are retailers communicating this to customers?

I've been looking at the top ten US ecommerce sites (based on the IR 500) to see how they're handling this...

by Graham Charlton 20 December 2012 15:56pm 1 comment