E-tailers and other online merchants are dreaming of a green
Christmas! Research findings indicate that ecommerce is
predicted to boom this holiday season!
If your holiday marketing promotions are targeting Europeans,
there's good news. According to Forester Research, this will be
the strongest year yet for European online holiday shopping.
It's predicted that 7.6 billion euros will be spent online, a
substantial increase over last year's four billion euros.
The UK is expected to be a particularly strong area for online
shopping in terms of money spent, but in terms of numbers, more
Germans are expected to shop online than other Europeans.
If your promotions involve marketing to Australians, there's
more good news. Australia's ninemsn MediaCentre commissioned
research suggesting that Australians really, truly hate
Christmas shopping. Lines, crowded stores and parking problems
take their toll. One in three people get in arguments while
shopping, and only 400f people say they enjoy the shopping
experience. Therefore, three out of five Australians who go
online regularly found the idea of online shopping appealing.
Two in five people with no online experience were interested in
the idea.
In North America, Seattle's Atlas Institute conducted a study
that shed light on North American's online shopping habits.
Based holiday shopping trends in 2000 and 2001, online shoppers
have much different patterns than their offline counterparts.
For example, weekdays, especially Wednesdays, are the most
active for online shopping, The most active hours occur during
work time, from noon to three, CST. In 2001, in the US, half of
online shopping was done in the workplace. Wednesday, November
28 was the peak day for holiday online shopping.
Unlike offline shopping, holiday shopping tapers off the week
prior to Christmas Day, and becomes quite busy shortly after
Christmas. Surprisingly, January equals December in terms of
online sales.
Jupiter Research quotes figures showing that as of November,
2002, online shoppers have become more patient, and are
increasingly prepared to tolerate longer delivery times in
exchange for free shipping and handling. 5346603400f consumers said
they would be willing to wait, as compared to 1846605314f online
shoppers who preferred to pick up their packages in an offline
store.
In July 2002, eMarketer reported research showing a 47 percent
rise in online retail spending in the US between 2000 and 2001.
Abacus (a division of DoubleClick) reported that the percentage
of shoppers buying online is up to 9 Most frequently
purchased catalogue items are outdoor and recreational
merchandise (41), followed by wearing apparel (36), and auto
parts and accessories (29).
EMarketer also reported in August, that online retailers in
Asia, Europe and North America, along with niche market e-
tailors, were most successful at generating new business.
Luxury items and high margin clothing are topping the list.
There you have it. If you're selling online, it's a smart move
to study the trends and design your holiday promotions
accordingly. Have a prosperous Holiday Season!
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