Digital Marketing

Consumers are warming up their fingers as they prepare to shop on Cyber Monday.   As more of these shoppers (63%) flock online for Cyber Monday, 54% will use a desktop or laptop. Twenty five percent (25%) of shoppers plan to use a smart phone or tablet, but 21% will use a combination of all of these devices, according to “Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Thanksgiving 2016,” a report from Perk, an engagement platform provider. The study is based on responses from 670 Perk users between Nov. 1-8, 2016.   

Lowe’s Companies is partnering with an unusual and very tech-savvy retailer to sell “smart” home devices.    The home improvement retailer has teamed up with San-Francisco-based b8ta to launch an in-store shop concept dedicated to demystifying and simplifying the purchase of smart home devices Called “SmartSpot powered by b8ta,” the new concept is currently in place in three Lowe’s stores in California (Livermore, Burbank and Aliso Viejo).  

As shoppers use more devices to shop their favorite brands, it is not surprising that digital shopping will drive retail holiday sales.   This message was delivered in Nielsen's 2016 holiday trend report, which tapped 1,159 adults aged 18 years and older. As of Nov. 11, online shopping was outpacing in-store visits, with 58% of shoppers already purchasing their holiday gifts online compared to 40% that went to big-box retail stores, and 25% who visited department stores.  

Abercrombie & Fitch’s efforts to turnaround its struggling namesake brand aren’t finding much traction with shoppers.   The teen apparel brand on Friday said that its profit declined 81% in the third quarter and warned that it expects a challenging holiday season for its namesake banner.     Abercrombie posted net income of $7.88 million, or 12 cents per share, for the quarter ended Oct. 29, down from $41.9 million, or 60 cents per share, in the year-ago period.  

As retailers expand their operations beyond their domestic borders, many are finding new opportunities to connect with new shoppers.    This message was delivered in “PayPal Cross-Border Consumer Research 2016,” a report from PayPal and Ipsos, a study that investigated the online domestic and cross-border shopping habits of more than 28,000 consumers in 32 countries.   

The age of the Goliath brand is over. Now, the Davids are running the show.   The commerce landscape has consistently been dominated by giant corporations, whose brands became extremely broad, and in some ways generic. Think about Gillette. What does Gillette mean to you?    Unless you get really excited about the prospect of a 37-blade razor, Gillette as a brand probably doesn’t mean much to you. It’s just the standard razor you buy at the store.  

Forty percent of U.S. consumers plan to spend more this year than during the 2015 holiday shopping season, driven by better job prospects and an improving economy.     That’s one of the findings of the A.T. Kearney 2016 Holiday Shopping Survey, which was conducted online from Oct. 24 – Oct. 25, 2016.   

U.S. online holiday spending will reach $112 billion in 2016, growing 13% over 2015.    That is according to Forrester’s Holiday Retail Sales Forecast, which said that while online sales are 12% of annual retail sales, they jump to 16% of total holiday sales during the November and December months.