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First Week Of Fall -- So, What's Your Holiday Sales Strategy?

While the biggest top-of-mind issue should be why pumpkin spice lattes are being sold in 90-degree weather, in reality, it’s winter and the holiday shopping season we must focus on.

Adobe’s Digital Economy Index discovered that consumers spent $844 billion online from March 2020 to February 2021—an amount that equates to a holiday season spend.

Last year, we were cautiously optimistic about retail and spending, given the promise of a vaccine and the world reopening.

This year, with the rise and the spread of multiple variants, we continue to be cautious and optimistic. The difference this time is, brands must be prepared for holiday shopping in all forms: online, retail, via social media shopping channels.

Is your brand game strong in each element? If not, what’s your Plan B? If one doesn’t exist, now is the time to make sure one takes shape.

Here are some ways brands can prepare for a hybrid, multimonth, holiday shopping season.

Social is more than Facebook and Instagram. Facebook and Instagram should remain in your social marketing budget, but it’s time to branch out, especially if your target audience is Gen Z. Consider widening your breadth of social media outlets to reach more consumers.

TikTok, Snapchat, and Pinterest reach a wide audience of varying ages. Snapchat even publishes a yearly “Celebration Cycle” to explain the path to purchase and what products are trending.

Shopper marketers, take note: Entice consumers in-store with codes and promotions that take them online to interact with your brand. Take offline activities online.

Ready for your AR close-up. Is your brand AR-ready? AR (augmented reality) experiences lead to purchases on mobile devices. Consider a holiday campaign that uses AR and ties into the retail experience in-store, which is not going away.

Hybrid shopping is here to stay. The pandemic taught consumers that anything can be purchased online—even groceries! Many consumers will be happy returning to normalcy, which means stepping foot inside a store. Others may feel differently, and prefer to continue down the road of online shopping for anything and everything.

Brands must ensure both advertising strategies are strong, and this may mean divesting some of the marketing budget from one medium to another. Digital may see percentages close to retail’s cut, depending on where infection rates stand. At the end of the day, foot traffic remains high, even when mask mandates are in effect. But be prepared to shift budgets on a moment’s notice if things change.

Just as shopping will remain a hybrid experience, so should your marketing plans. Don’t place all your eggs on in-store or all digital. Connect with shoppers in as many places as possible.

Go big or go home. Consumers aren’t cutting back on spending; quite the opposite. It’s the way these purchases are made that’s ever-changing.

Expect this holiday season to be big on spending. Consumers plan to go all out to make up for the Zoom holiday season most families had last year.

Brands must do the same. Offer deals before Black Friday, for consumers looking to shop early. Ensure that your brand’s digital presence is seamless and up to date. If more than half of holiday purchases are online, make sure your website and supply chain are ready for the influx of traffic.

How is your company readying for the influx of sales this holiday season?

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