The holiday season is close and with 2.14 billion shoppers across the globe, now’s a high time to plan for the coming months. Brands showcase their campaigns and future offerings through campaigns that run across different channels. If you’re a new brand that wants to be known by the consumers, then you need to gear up for the e-commerce trends that lie ahead.
That’s because prepping your business and marketing efforts for upcoming trends not only safeguards the relevancy of your brand but also helps you experiment with ideas on product promotions. Today we’re going to discuss the top five e-commerce trends you need to stay on top of while prepping for the holiday season this year.
Is the holiday season a big deal for e-commerce?
Well, absolutely. The typical holiday season for the most countries across the globe starts near the end of the year. One could mark months starting from November till January as the holiday season as it comprises of holidays like Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas, and the New Year.
If you’re active in this time period as an e-commerce business, then you can not only generate a ton of revenue but become one of the most anticipated brands of the holiday season. Leaving a mark on the market with quality service is crucial, as competition is tough.
That’s why anticipating the winds of change is necessary for your business to stay relevant and successful. The world has gone digital, and your business should be comfortable with the changes it brings. About 27% of the world’s population does online shopping, and this number is only going to increase with the passage of time.
One of the biggest reasons for this sudden shift towards online shopping is the COVID-19 outbreak. While the world has moved past the infection, its effects on the digital sphere is still felt to this day. Lockdowns across different nations changed the way commerce was done. While online shopping did exist before COVID-19, the pandemic made it mandatory for all households to learn and navigate online shopping.
Since then, the holiday season has leveraged online shopping to a greater extent. Within a span of two years, from 2020 to 2022, the global e-commerce sales figures skyrocketed from $4,248 to $5,542 billion. As of 2024, this figure stands at $6,767 billion and is expected to reach a whopping $7,391 billion.
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E-commerce trends you should be aware of this holiday season
Now that we’ve understood what the holiday season means to e-commerce businesses, let’s take a look at the e-commerce trends your business needs to follow to gain an upper hand against the competition this holiday season.
Mobile commerce is the primary method for shopping
Mobile phones account for more sales than other digital devices these days. Therefore, optimizing your e-commerce store for mobile viewing and purchase is essential. Mobile commerce is expected to contribute 28% of revenue to the total sales figures this holiday season. Mobile commerce is one of the most accessible e-commerce trends as prepping for it doesn’t involve setting up a massive budget.
Customers demand more personalized experiences
Personalization brings a sense of closeness for customers irrespective of different platforms. In fact, these days, the focus has shifted from simple personalization efforts towards hyperpersonalization. Hyperpersonalization involves analyzing and running campaigns that contain personalized messages addressing different customers.
With the advent of mobile commerce, customers now expect messages, videos, and other content assets that reflect their choices. Push notifications, pop-up text messages, and ads are the norm these days, and brands have already begun utilizing them to great effect.
If you want to implement hyperpersonalization this holiday season, then you need to cater towards payment gateways and conversion assets such as well-optimized CTA buttons, quick loading speeds, and impactful landing pages. If you have mobile applications, then they should be optimized accordingly as well.
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Discounts are in demand
Everyone loves a good discount, especially when there’s a flash sale or a festival that promotes a sale. Utilize the holiday season to promote sales via offering discounts. Since website coupons and promo codes are the norm these days, its safe to say that offering discounts can not only boost sales but highlight your store among the others with relative ease.
If you happen to combine the right usage of discount offers and UGC campaigns, you’ll have a highly lucrative sales period with a significant boost in profits.
It’s no longer about two months, it’s about the entire year now
Earlier, the holiday season used to represent the last couple of months. While technically, it is true to this day, from a marketing perspective, festivities never really end. Sellers these days run week-long massive sales once a year for products that are popular. This leads to customers flocking to marketplaces and websites via different devices.
The number of customers is ever-increasing, and brands are finding it hard to stretch sales windows. That’s why brands are now shifting major sales from winter to summer months. This move gives brands the ability to promote sales in small but multiple windows throughout the year. As a seller, you can utilize this technique and run flash sales in months that
Embrace social commerce if you haven’t
Social commerce has been around for a few years now. It is one of those e-commerce trends that was predicted quite a while ago. With the rise in influencer marketing and paid promotions, brands have found new ways to minimize marketing costs and boost customer engagement via a reliable channel. The channel here refers to a social media influencer. Social media influencers promote your brand in different ways. One of the most common methods used by influencers is verbal promotion of your brand and its products.
Influencers also promote your brand by trying out different products and services you offer. They also leverage User Generated Content templates to create content pieces that are genuine. UGC assets like video testimonials, reviews, and images help boost your brand’s image in the public domain. UGC also spreads the positive word about your brand via word of mouth method. This holiday season, you can spread the word on a budget by contacting nano influencers and sharing your marketing ideas coupled with a carefully drafted UGC template.
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And that’s what you should be prepared for
Everyone waits for the holiday season to begin. Customers and businesses not only enjoy the experience of buying and selling but the general vibe of the festive period as well. Whether you’re sorting out the best products to sell on Black Fridays or the best gadgets to entice people with on Cyber Mondays, planning ahead is beyond crucial here. That’s why staying abreast of the annual trends is crucial as a seller. We hope you’ve gone through the list of upcoming e-commerce trends and gathered insights that’ll help you serve your customers better than previous years. Happy selling!
