The Holiday Season Has Ecommerce Retailers Seeing Green

MoreVisibility - September 8, 2008

With the approaching holiday season many online retailers are already gearing up for record breaking sales.  Typically in the past, the day after Thanksgiving or ‘Black Friday’ was when retailers received a large portion of holiday sales; by offering bargains, sales and deals to consumers.  Online retailers seeing the potential for record sales began offering super deals online to consumers the Monday after Thanksgiving; this has become known as ‘Cyber Monday.’ According to BusinessWeek.com, more than 72% of online retailers planned a promotion around Cyber Monday.

However, ecommerce retailers have also seen such a huge jump in holiday sales the second week in December.  This Monday is referred to as ‘Green Monday.’  Green Monday (coined by Ebay), marks the beginning of the busiest shopping week of online shopping; partly due shoppers who want to ensure delivery before the holiday.  According to MarketCharts.com, last year, December 10, 2007 Green Monday sales totaled over $881 million; a 33% increase from the prior year.  The number of sales for the 2008 holiday season is expected to grow even more.

Since the holiday season will be here before we know it; preparation now for online retailers is crucial for a successful holiday season.  It’s a good idea for online retailers to have an action plan ahead of time to identify what they are going to offer to drive sales.  MarketingTrends.org states that over 40% of holiday shoppers start their shopping in October. 

To catch early shoppers, consider free shipping or a percentage off the order; if customers purchases before a certain date. You should then tailor your online advertising efforts to reflect these special bargains.  Another idea is to create new and fresh ad copy to captivate shoppers.  Lastly, be sure to test your site to ensure complete functionality; a short test could save your holiday shopping sales. 

With so many opportunities to make this a stellar holiday season, it’s easy to see more green in your pocket!