‘Tis the season…to generate sales in 2010. For retailers, both online and off, the month of December represents one of the largest retail opportunities of the entire year. We rely on holiday gift-givers and receivers to ask for and purchase our goods, in hopes that we’ll be at the top of everyone’s list this shopping season.
Much of the success in this, of course, is remaining at the top of everyone’s minds. Even for brick and mortar, online can represent an immediate and nimble way to drive sales by crafting campaigns and messages quickly within specially targeted audience segments. Add to that the ability to modify initiatives mid-campaign, and retailers and brands can really hone in on what works and what doesn’t simply by taking advantage of online marketing.
Take Gap for example, which recently started adding Foursquare to their online ad campaigns. From the banner ad you can check-in on Foursquare for your 30% discount on one item. There’s even a geo-location component to the endorsements that sends users a message if they are in the vicinity of a Gap store location.
Bergdorf Goodman uses social media to tout both their merchandise and their festive cheer. They have featured their famous holiday lookbook as a blog entry, allowing users to peruse each photograph online as one would the actual catalog, while their Twitter account recently linked to a behind the scenes video of the holiday window displays being produced.
Want a chance to win a trip to New York and star in Michael Kors‘ spring video? Simply create holiday party looks on Polyvore and submit for a chance to win!
Or what about Anthropologie, also running a contest on Polyvore? Festively called “Head to (Mistle) Toe”, it is centered on creating holiday looks with their merchandise for the opportunity to win a $500 shopping spree.
Coach, on the other hand, allows their Facebook fans to access an interactive, Flash-based gift guide directly from their Facebook page. With drag and drop functionality, users can customize their own list and share, print or shop on the spot. They’ve also tapped their favorite bloggers to be the stars of their “Have a Coach Holiday” campaign.
The next couple of weeks represent a significant opportunity for retailers to achieve profits unlike any other time of year. In the midst of a recession, where the previous months may not have reported stellar sales figures, it’s time to really think creatively about how to give that last push for holiday. In terms of the web, it’s not too late to get someone to click “add to cart”, whether that is through a strategic Facebook advertisement, a social media contest or campaign, or simply an email, provided the message is valuable to the holiday shopper.
Photo Credits: Marketing Pilgrim
All articles reviewed and edited by Gina Conforti
