It’s time to think about holiday shopping… and shoppers.

Before Cyber Monday came along, many made it a tradition to wait for the “big deals” on Black Friday. But according to new research by Google, thanks to near-constant access to online shopping, only 18% of today’s shoppers consolidate their holiday shopping over the Black Friday-Cyber Monday weekend. And 42% of shoppers have already completed their holiday shopping by the time this sales weekend rolls around.

Start thinking about the holiday season right now (or year-round)

Video and mobile searches are where people are trying to find the most help, because shopping choices aren’t easy. Frequent searches on mobile have shown queries to be “brands like….” when trying to make a decision. Shoppers especially appreciate personalized content when visiting a site, especially the second or third time they visit, and they’re looking at videos to see products in action.

How does holiday shopping apply to a B2B company?

Even if you’re a B2B company, you can still apply some of these lessons to avoid a holiday slump:

• If you’re going to run a campaign around the holidays, have it last long enough to count. Pay attention to what your ideal clients are asking for, and build personalized messaging that answers their problems. Make sure your website is mobile-friendly and put up a video or two demonstrating your value. By the time you advertise for the holidays, you’ve built up momentum.
• Use chatbots to your advantage. Have a messaging system on your website that reminds people of the deals you want to promote.
• Think about beneficial partnerships. Is there a cross-promotion with one of your existing partners that can be used to your advantage at this time of year?
• Think about what athletes can teach you: don’t be afraid to try something new this holiday season to make things happen. In our latest video, 5 Lessons from Athletes: How to Challenge Yourself to Get the Win, we said, “Change only starts happening when we’re able to push through pain, when we’re able to push through that discomfort that comes when we’re trying new things or pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zone.” Be innovative – you never know what positive results will be achieved because of it!

Want to start building a marketing campaign that will power your business through the holiday shopping season? We’re happy to help. Contact us today to get started.