Christmas: the most wonderful time of the year – especially for a sales boost for retailers!

By Carolina Pinto. Published November 20, 2020

Shoppers are expected to spend 80 billion euros during this time, thus prompting companies to invest more on advertising campaigns. But this year there is something new to take into account: Covid-19.

Due to social distancing and quarantining, e-commerce and m-commerce should be the focus of any marketing strategy during the holidays, as 85% of consumers globally are shopping online, and 43% will continue to buy online after the pandemic. Furthermore, the usage of smartphones for Christmas gift purchases increased by 11% in the last two years suggesting that mobile marketing is also a must. 

That said, it is very important to keep in touch with your target market and draw the attention of other audiences to your range of products that they can purchase online.  

How can you do that?  Here are 6 ideas to interact with your customers on these holidays:

1 - CLICK AND COLLECT 

Due to the pandemic, people will prefer m-commerce, whereby companies should consider offering click and collect, which will be a great asset for sales. Already in 2019, 81.4% of internet users worldwide ordered items online and then pick them up in the store. The perks: convenience, speed, avoidance of shipping fees, and saving time.

2 - CHRISTMAS ONLINE PRESENCE

We like to decorate our houses with a tree and Christmas lights because we feel more into the ambience of the holidays. So why not adapt your online presence to special occasions as well in order to attract more consumer attention, keeping the remaining channels updated and in line with the multi-channel strategy of marketing?   

Apps, for example, will influence these holidays more than ever before. In the US, as of June 25, shopping app revenue had increased twice as much since the pandemic started. Social media and websites also need to keep up with these changes, every channel will be an avenue to increase consumers' attention.  

3 – DIGITAL CHRISTMAS CAMPAIGN

Christmas, known as the "golden quarter" for companies, is the time of the year when stores make the vast majority of their profits. The arrival of the Christmas period is accompanied by a number of annual traditions, and that, of course, includes emotional Christmas commercials. These ads make people cry, smile, feel nostalgic, feel emotional - driving positive business outcomes. However, it is expected that TV commercials will lose 1% of their advertising budgets to online, radio and cinema. Last year, online spending outweighed TV with a total of 6.8 billion euros, 5% more than the previous year.   

Prepare this season wisely and work on a media plan to advertise to the right audience and increase sales. The majority of search queries are on mobile, and companies should take that as a guide to their strategy. This Christmas will be all about consumers purchasing online and companies investing online.

4 – THINK LIKE A MILLENIAL

Millennials are many times underestimated but we have to remind ourselves that they are the biggest percentage of the population spending time on their mobile phones. They are starting their careers, their salaries are advancing, and they want to do their first big shopping spree. What better way to reach them than on social media – you have to be sure that your brand is well represented on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and even YouTube, so that millennials can engage with your brand and ideally become your customers.

5 - MOBILE VIDEOS

Christmas is a great opportunity for advertisers to bring out consumers most emotional sides. These holidays are for many, a favourite in the calendar, with reason to spend time with our families friends or loved ones. It evokes powerful emotions and offers the perfect opportunities for companies to create unique storytelling to compete for consumers’ attention.   The period between Christmas and New Year’s is an opportunity to show mobile videos to consumers since they have more free time and spend more time on their devices.  

6 - ADVERTISE SECURELY FOR CHILDREN

During the Christmas holidays, children are even more exposed to digital advertising across different devices. The children's market represents 1/3 of internet users worldwide, with many spending much time on tablets watching videos or playing games on mobile phones. The problem: advertisers are not always employing responsible best practices, even when aiming to reach children.   Kidoz, a child-safe marketing platform, allows brands to make sure their content is presented in a fun, non-intrusive way, as part of the discovery experience. YDigital Media’s expertise in offering mobile solutions, combined with Kidoz on point targeting and brand safety, will allow advertisers to accurately & responsibly reach their audience.