2015 Marketing Strategies Based on 11 Retail Trends from the 2014 Holiday Season

1. An SAP/Ipsos poll found that 75% of the men surveyed bought gifts between November and mid-December, with 39% seeking advice from their social networks or conducting online research to decide what to buy.¹

What this means for retail marketing professionals in 2015 is that they will need to include more communication channels that speak directly to men, and have these channels up and running well ahead of the supposed last-minute rush.

2. According to IBM, Black Friday mobile sales accounted for 27.9% of total online sales, up substantially over 2013.²

The emergence of mobile as a sales channel will continue to have a tremendous impact on holiday retail sales. As holiday marketing trends continue evolving, retail marketers will need to place a much heavier emphasis on mobile marketing strategies.

3. IBM also reported continuing strong growth in Cyber Monday online and mobile sales.³

Online sales grew by 8.5% over 2013, with an average order value of $124.21. Since this reveals that the period from Thanksgiving Eve through Cyber Monday plays such an integral role in retail marketing, future online and mobile strategies will need to be implemented to take advantage of this growing opportunity.

4. For Green Monday, comScore reported sales of $1.6 billion in desktop online spending.⁴

Mobile buying from smartphones and tablets accounted for $548 million of this total. Devised initially to draw attention to eBay’s busiest sales day, Green Monday is gaining in consumer popularity. It falls on December 14 this year, so retailers will need to map out a consistent online marketing strategy from mid-November through mid-December which incorporates the three highest sales days.

5. ForeSee found that 68% of consumers who made a purchase said they visited the store’s website on their phone while in-store.⁵

Holiday marketing trends for 2015 will need to increase the emphasis on an omnichannel approach, insuring that prospective customers receive a consistent message whether shopping in-store or researching online.

6. The National Retail Federation found that 73% of millennials planned to self-gift while doing their holiday shopping.⁶

As this group of 18-to-24 year-olds is quickly becoming the next dominant buying power, smart marketers can increase sales by developing marketing messages and communication tactics that speak directly to them.

7. According to Bigcommerce, small and medium-sized online retailers generated 24% more orders during Cyber Week, with online sales representing 12% of their total fourth quarter sales.⁷

This highlights the fact that small and medium-sized retailers have as much opportunity as their larger counterparts to benefit from communicating with consumers online.

8. An SAP/IPSOS survey of 3,000 American consumers revealed that email is the most popular way to communicate with brands, but 48% of consumers reported problems getting a response.⁸

While often overlooked, email marketing still plays a role in customer acquisition, activation and retention. Once the channel is opened, however, consumers expect it to be a two-way street.
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9. NRF reported that the average shopper bought four gift cards for department stores, restaurants and coffee shops, spending an average of $173 total.⁹

Retailers of all sizes can easily increase sales by making it more convenient to buy their gift cards online.

10. IBM’s research found that social channels can drive brand loyalty and sales. On Black Friday, Facebook referrals drove an average of $109.94 per order compared to $100.24 for Pinterest.¹⁰

The effectiveness of social media as a form of marketing cannot be overlooked. Retail marketing plans will need to incorporate strategies for driving social media referrals and increasing conversions.

11. Four of the hottest categories with substantial online sales growth for Cyber Monday were department stores, health and beauty, home goods and apparel, as reported by IBM.¹¹

Retailers in these categories should already be devising extensive strategies for improving their online marketing sales in 2015.

1. SAP
2. IBM ExperienceOne
3. IBM ExperienceOne
4. comScore
5. ForeSee
6. National Retail Federation
7. Bigcommerce
8. SAP
9. National Retail Federation
10. IBM ExperienceOne
11. IBM ExperienceOne