The Thanksgiving shopping weekend is expected to be huge for companies online and off, but that doesn’t mean all marketers are pulling out the stops on their holiday campaigns just yet. A survey by BDO USA found that to avoid making target audiences feel rushed only 13 percent of brands plan to launch their web marketing campaigns before Black Friday. To generate the most ROI through the rest of 2013, companies must carefully plan their digital content delivery so that it reaches prospects when and where they will be most receptive.
According to BDO USA, marketing strategies that aim to get customers in the holiday spirit too early could backfire. The report cited Wal-Mart’s ill-fated campaign that started pushing Christmas-themed content in September, a move that elicited criticism about the “holiday creep.”
While companies are waiting until it’s tactful to hit the “send” button on their marketing campaigns, just as many have brand content primed and ready for delivery just after that threshold. It’s estimated 13 percent of brands will send information about promotions throughout the weekend to generate new leads and drive conversions.
16 percent of brands could be considered laggards because they don’t have any plans lined up yet.
Aside from brands that begin too early and those who deliver right on time, 16 percent could be considered laggards because they don’t have any plans lined up yet. This may prove to be oversight because consumers have indicated they plan to hit stores in full-force over the major shopping holidays.
Brafton recently rounded up data about the holiday season, revealing Thanksgiving weekend will host multiple billion-dollar days, including Thanksgiving Day itself ($1.1 billion), Black Friday ($1.6 billion) and Cyber Monday ($2.3 billion). Brands that fail to deliver timely reminders about their products and services might lose conversions to competitors that planned ahead.
To learn more about what’s at stake in the 2013 holiday season, view the rest of Brafton’s Slideshare covering the “34 Stats marketers can be thankful for this holiday season.”
