With the holidays right around the corner, grabbing the attention of last-minute shoppers should be on every e-commerce seller’s mind. This week, we’re highlighting a handful of stories about how successful companies are strategizing the holiday season and what the future holds for our industry. Here are the top stories….
Amazon highlights how they’re making life easy for shoppers this season with a list of seven features.
A new Digital Commerce 360 survey shows the most popular holiday shipping deadlines and promotions.
Consumers may be less resilient in 2024, according to Walmart CEO Doug McMillon.
Proven tactics to boost the success of your next email marketing campaign.
The Amazon Corner
Stress-Free Shopping: How Amazon is Stepping Up Shipping for the Holidays
Who says last-minute gifts are a bad thing? Amazon has highlighted seven features that help holiday shoppers finish off their shopping lists without stressing over shipping. Among the most helpful are “Arrives Before Christmas” tags on search and detail pages, a Same-Day Holiday Gift Guide, real-time delivery tracking, and discreet package pickup options. While similar features exist year-round, they’re of particular importance during the holiday season, and we expect to see Amazon hit some pretty massive numbers before the year’s end.
While it’s tough to match Amazon’s resources, all E-commerce sellers can draw some insights about holiday shopping habits from their list of highlights. Shipping — fast and free shipping, specifically — is increasingly important to consumers who expect convenience, and in the current uncertain economic climate, deal hunters are expected to come out in force this year.
Pick A Date: Survey Shows Most Popular Holiday Shipping Deadlines and Promotions
If you’re still strategizing the holiday season, this might provide some inspiration: A new Digital Commerce 360 survey shows which shipping deadlines and promotions are most popular this holiday season. The median standard shipping cutoff date among the 100 retailers surveyed is December 15th (versus December 18th for retailers offering non-standard shipping options). Those dates line up with similar cutoffs posted by USPS, FedEx, and UPS.
Some of the most popular promotions in play this season include buy online, pick up in-store [BOPIS], curbside pickup, and same-day delivery. Additional options to draw in last-minute shoppers include extended holiday return policies and automatic shipping upgrades for faster delivery times.
Here Comes 2024: Walmart CEO Predicts Lower Consumer Resilience Next Year
What can e-commerce sellers expect in 2024? In a CNBC interview with Sara Eisen, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon noted that a variety of factors, including higher credit card balances and dwindling household bank accounts, may clue us in to shopper spending habits in 2024. While he noted that shoppers demonstrated higher-than-expected resilience this year, “next year’s a different story.”
With its successful grocery business and low-cost reputation, Walmart stands apart from many competitors. Even in an unsteady year, the company’s stock price has climbed nearly 10% over the course of 2023, hitting an all-time high in November. McMillon also delivered some welcome news to shoppers, noting that despite the challenges that deflation causes, Walmart “would rather have lower prices than higher prices.”
Try this. Ask your customers what kind of communications they want to receive to boost trust.
FUN FACT
Nearly 60% of Millenials visit Amazon first when shopping online.
LISTEN UP
How do you balance the demands of retail and e-commerce in the world of CPG? On this 114th episode of The E-Comm Show, Andrew Maff interviews Kevin Land, Director of E-Commerce for Health-Ade Kombucha. Stocked by over 40,000 stores nationwide, this California-based company is growing fast, and Kevin has been along for the ride for nearly a decade.
In this episode, Kevin will discuss how Health-Ade bolsters brand awareness through digital marketing, and weighs in on the unique challenges of convincing new customers to try an unfamiliar product. If you’re interested in learning how a successful CPG brand leverages its online presence to improve customer loyalty, don’t miss this episode!
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