By Jonathan BakerContributor: Hailey Lipiec, Social Media Manager at EGC The holidays are still a few months away but preparations for that shopping season are taking shape. And good news to marketers: Projections for the 2024 holiday shopping season are promising! Begin promoting your campaigns now. The findings below will explain… This holiday shopping season may be unlike any other The word “atypical” is not often associated with holiday retail, yet that is how e-Marketer labels the upcoming season. The holiday shopping time frame in 2024 promises to last longer than previous years. (Many stores will begin promoting sales in October.) Consumer anticipation for the best deals will be higher. And use of mobile, social media, and video channels in relation to purchasing will be higher. Does this all seem intimidating? It may be, but don’t forget: It’s all good. Brick-and-mortar stores and e-commerce are predicted to win big Let’s amend the previous sentence to read: “It’s beyond all good.” Approximately 80 percent of holiday shopping will take place in brick-and-mortar stores. This connects with recent findings of how many shoppers prefer an in-store experience. Complementing this, mobile shopping will propel e-commerce and grow 9.5 percent (year-over-year) at a rate of 13.4 percent. Going further… Image Credit: e-Marketer Proof is in the percentages and dollar signs Collectively, in-store and online shopping will experience a 4.8 percent uptick in contrast to the 2.8 percent increase from last year. Translating these percentages into dollars, retail sales in the United States are predicted to reach $1.353 trillion (with a “tr”). As if that is not impressive enough, e-commerce is to increase at almost double that figure. To truly maximize such astounding predictions, marketers must act now to fine-tune and upscale their holiday promotions. Time is of the essence. The timeline for holiday marketing in 2024 As noted, many holiday promotions this year will begin in October. The attention—and ad space and airtime—devoted to the upcoming presidential election is one reason for this early start. Historically, retail sales tend to be slow during an election year. Additionally, Thanksgiving falls on November 28th, which translates into just over 20 shopping days between Cyber Monday (December 2nd) and Christmas. With such a short time frame for sales, remember the philosophy of how “the customer comes first.” This was never truer than in 2024. Customer sentiment Consumers are expected to spend as much on holiday gifts this year as they did in 2023. This is noteworthy because of the uncertain economic times of today. If you are a marketer or retailer, you must put in added effort to ensure that your customers are happy. As this year’s “back-to-school” shopping season proved, providing the highest possible value is the top priority. From seamless shopping experiences to offering the best products at even better prices, now is the time where the customer/merchant relationship should be strongest. Getting ready for a happy holiday season The promising returns listed above are only possible if holiday campaigns are optimized and easily accessible to your customers. If you want to know how to maximize your holiday offerings, reach out to EGC. Our expertise in retail marketing will lead to happy holidays for you and your customers.
