Assess Your Holiday 2021 Readiness

Good news! We made your holiday ecommerce marketing list and checked it twice. While you’ve likely been in the swing of holiday marketing planning for months, you might find it helpful to cross-reference your plans with the holiday 2021 predictions and readiness tips outlined below. There’s no time like the present to finalize your plans and capitalize on what we can expect to be another extended, ecommerce-driven season.  

Last year we saw a dramatic 47% increase in ecommerce sales during the traditional holiday season, so it will pay to be among the first out of the gate with online holiday sales events and promotions. With eMarketer forecasting total US holiday ecommerce sales to rise to $206.88 billion, and a new high of 18.9% of total holiday season retail sales, you’re going to want to be poised and ready to meet the increased demand.

Of course, there are lingering pandemic-related concerns throughout the consumer economy, so marketers should continue to prepare for fluctuations in demand and consumer spending. 

Build Agility Into Your Marketing Plans

Ecommerce businesses have had to adjust to a slew of major changes recently. With Amazon Prime Day behind us (the summer event ran from June 21 to 22 this year), many businesses are wondering if they will add an October 2021 date. One thing is clear, and it’s that agility and preparedness are key to dealing with big, unexpected changes. Would you be ready with events and promotions to coincide with a potential second Prime Day event? It’s hard to know what brick and mortar shopping will look like when Thanksgiving and Black Friday roll around. Do you have plans in place for unexpected shifts in demand? Do you have processes in place that allow for quick adjustments to your marketing plans?

Continue To Invest in Digital Transformation

It takes bravery to invest in innovation in times of uncertainty. However, the trend towards multichannel and omnichannel sales isn’t slowing down. Where are you at with your digital transformation? Are you able to deliver content and promotions across multiple channels? Are you capturing customer data from various touchpoints and using A.I.-backed technology to improve your marketing? Make sure your digital transformation doesn’t take a back seat during this busy season. 

Customer Experience

Every customer interaction is a unique opportunity to build long-term value. By providing exceptional, personalized service and content across all your channels you are encouraging brand loyalty. Are you leveraging technology to meet the customer’s preferred way to shop? Is the mobile shopping experience exceptional? How have you addressed customer pain points, anticipated their needs, or given them control? Customer experience is incredibly impactful, so you will want to focus your efforts on providing the very best holiday shopping experiences.