This year’s Cyber Monday set records as the biggest online shopping day in history, according to the analysis released by IBM which tracks online retail via its Digital Analytics service. There was nearly a 21 percent increase in online sales over 2012, with mobile sales responsible for the biggest increase with a rise of more than 55 percent, accounting for 17 percent of online sales.
If you’re hoping to grow your business, use these exciting trends to create a successful marketing plan for 2014. Here’s how:
Improve the Online Experience for Customers
Cyber Monday’s strong numbers were due in part to a number of brick-and-mortar retailers with companies like Bon-Ton, Kohl’s and Macy’s landing in the top 10. Department store sales on Cyber Monday grew by 70.3 percent over 2012, and Macy’s was at the top of the pack. One of the reasons for its success is that the retailer has spent millions to improve their website as well as to better highlight online promotions and grow customer email lists.
Just five years ago Macy’s was losing market share and its shoppers complained about a difficult to navigate website as well as poor customer service. In order to get where the store is today, Chief Executive Terry Lundgren moved beyond its “brick-and-mortar roots” with its website now employing 1,150 workers in addition to improving inventory strategies so that online orders are rarely out of stock.
Create a Mobile-friendly Website
With the massive increase of mobile sales it’s more important than ever that a business website is optimized for mobile devices. This is one of the easiest ways to increase sales as well as to generate more traffic and improve customer engagement. The latest figures show that more than half of people surfing the Internet use their mobile device to do so, but just a little more than one-fifth of websites today are mobile-friendly.
Branding Brand revealed that sales on Black Friday via mobile-optimized websites were up 187 percent from 2012. Page views as well as total order values also increased. The company reports that iOS devices made up a greater percentage of traffic compared to Android.
President and CEO of Walmart.com, Joel Anderson noted, “2013 is the year online went mobile.” The bottom line is, if your business does not have a mobile-friendly site, you’re clearly missing out on an increasingly large number of potential customers, and profits.
Appeal to Mobile Buyers
If your site is already optimized for smartphones, you might want to take it one step farther. Bloomberg.com reports the mobile wave is shifting the shopping behaviors of some customers who are no longer focusing their holiday hunting on Black Friday, and instead taking advantage of mobile promotions from the comfort of home.
Many retailers are now offering a wide range of deals that can reach consumers when they’re plugged into their mobile device. Sears offers a mobile app that allows consumers to check in and access e-coupons that are customized to their specific tastes based on previous buying behavior. The retail giant also rolled out their mobile promotions earlier this season, providing special holiday bonus offers as well as a wide range of coupons.
Guest post by Janet Vaughn, who is a digital content manager for an online marketing company.