Q4 Strategy. Are you ready for the 2015 Holiday Season?

Let Avenue 25 help with your Q4 planning
Alicia Kea - Written by: Alicia Kea

I just recently found this hilarious video from a couple of years back, and wanted to share the giggles.

Amongst many other awards,  JCPenney's "Beware of the Doghouse" Campaign won the 2009 World Retail Award for Best Digital Retail Advertising Campaign.

Throughout the 2008 holiday season, this campaign logged more than 7 million visitors to [site is no longer live] BewareoftheDoghouse(.)com and more than 14 million total video views. The viral video was created by Saatchi & Saatchi New York in collaboration with Razorfish.

So here it is, the end of July, and we’re already thinking of Q4 and holiday seasonality here at Avenue 25. In fact, did you know that by August 2013, ~39% of consumers have already started their holiday shopping? Also, in the 2014 Shop.org eHoliday Pre-Holiday Retailer and Consumer Study conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, more than half of U.S. consumers plan to make at least some of their holiday purchases online this year. [reference] Of note: the 2014 holiday season rang up a hefty $616.1 billion in U.S. sales, 4 percent more than the previous year. [reference]

Do you know about and plan for ALL of the three big shopping days of the holiday season?

  • Black Friday (November 23)
  • Small Business Saturday (November 24) [Great opportunities for local small businesses!]
  • Cyber Monday (November 25)

I know what you’re thinking - and you are so right! We can’t wait until November to start planning how you’re going to get your piece of the retail pie this holiday season.

Here are some questions to consider:

  • Do you have seasonal products?
  • How can we gain awareness about these now so that you’re well positioned to get the most out of this holiday season?
  • Are you releasing any new products or services?
  • What products, sales, etc had a good ROI during the last holiday season?
  • What are your competitors doing right now?

Why is all of this important? Well, the revenue earned in fourth quarter can account for up to 40% of annual sales. You really need to be tracking where sales are coming from, who’s buying, and what they are purchasing. Let Avenue 25 help so that your Analytics is accurate and that you are understand where the conversions are coming from. Do you have established goals for each of your marketing channels? Even if you’re not an online retailer, how can we harness the power of online marketing for your business?

A well-executed online marketing plan will be the key to a successful holiday season. If you need help planning for Q4 2015 — or even strategizing for your upcoming busy season in 2016, give us a call! 602.864.1233.  It’s what we do.