Do You Hear What I Hear...? Trick-or-Tree: Christmas is Coming

If Halloween didn’t scare you enough this year, the fact that holiday shopping has already begun is sure to be a hair-raiser. Over half of polled shoppers fresh off of their sugar highs have taken to the Internet to search for [Christmas gifts] this season.*

Additionally, according to Compete’s Holiday Insights™ survey, early gift seekers prefer the online channel and tend to spend more generously.* There are still days to reach early shoppers, as 50% of Holiday purchasing will start by Black Friday.**

Top and rising searches on Google indicate that these industrious shoppers are strategizing shopping plans around [black friday] and upcoming sales.

What are proactive shoppers searching to buy?
Traditional gifts like clothing and tech gadgets are always appreciated, but this year’s predicted new breakout category is jewelry, with 57% of shoppers planning a jewelry purchase.** We see a particular interest in [watches] this month relative to the gems and jewelry category.

How are these gifters shopping?
It is no surprise that consumers are “going mobile” this year. NRF’s 2011 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey states, “53% of those who own a smartphone will use their device to research products, redeem coupons, use apps to assist in their purchase, and purchase holiday gifts and items”. Tablets will also have a strong presence this year according to Shop.org’s eHoliday 2011 pre-holiday survey, with 46% of consumers planning to purchase gifts on this device.

Social and deal-centric sites will play an increasing role in Holiday shopping this year. The largest jump will be attributed to social networking at a 8% increase over last year.**

Let’s not underestimate the strong influence various traditional consumer considerations continue to impact shopping choices. Free shipping continues to be a highly compelling selling tool, affecting 32% of surveyed participants’ purchase decisions.***

Graphic by Infographics***

What can I do to target early shoppers?
Retailers that focus on building mobile & tablet friendly presence aligned with existing purchase channels will facilitate the shopping experience and likelihood of a conversion. Additionally, ensure consumer consideration by generating awareness across review site and interest categories. Finally, capture hand-raisers with enticing holiday messaging across both mobile and desktop search campaigns.

The Google Retail Team sends our best this Holiday Season! All we want for Christmas is for your cash register bells to ring loud into the New Year.


Posted by Julie Krueger, The Google Retail Team Big-Box Industry Director

*Compete, Holiday Insights™Survey
**Google/OTX Holiday Intentions Survey
***Infograhic, “How Much Money Will Consumers Spend This Holiday Season?”