Email Marketing Spending to Increase in 2010

Posted on December 10, 2009 by Tom O'Leary

Optimism is in the air today as almost ninety percent of business executives plan to spend more marketing dollars next year. Topping the budget allocations for next year is email, with social media spending also set to increase next year.

marketing spending 2010

Source: eMarketer; Integrating E-mail and Social Media

According to the 2010 Marketing Trends Survey from StrongMail, over 40 percent of business executives see combining email marketing and social media in campaigns to be a high priority next year – with over 50 percent stating that they already have a strategy formulated.

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2009 Holiday Sales Increase Influenced by Social Media

Posted on December 8, 2009 by Tom O'Leary

The first 36 days of the holiday shopping season have outpaced last year by 3 percent, with a total of $16 Billion spent during that period.

2009 Holiday Shopping Statistics

Source: ComScore

Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday saw the largest increases from last year, with double-digit percentage growth on 2008.

So, what is driving higher sales during an uncertain economy?

According to a ComScore Press Release, social media has played a significant role in driving sales, with 28 percent of consumers surveyed stating that social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) influenced their decision to buy. Consumer reviews of products, blogs, expert reviews, a friend’s Facebook Status, Twitter posts and special offers from a Facebook Fan page all influenced sales this year.

2009 Holiday Shopping Influence

Source: ComScore

Peer influence from social networks is hard to measure, but is undoubtedly a significant factor this year. Personally, I have followed special offers on Facebook, Twitter and even directly asked friends on Facebook and Twitter about their thoughts on certain products this year. I also followed email promotions directly to online retailers.

Has social media and/or email influenced your purchases this holiday season? How so?

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Green Monday 2009

Posted on December 4, 2009 by Tom O'Leary

green monday

We had a solid Black Friday and near record-breaking Cyber Monday this year so far in 2009.

What will Green Monday bring?

Green Monday (the second Monday in December) was coined by eBay several years ago; and while it may not be a term as universally recognized as Black Friday or Cyber Monday, it has proved to be one of the biggest online shopping days each year.

green monday

* Source:  Green Monday vs. Cyber Monday: When Did Holiday Shopping Really Peak? (compete.com)

The online shopping spike each year on Green Monday may result from the fact that it is the last day to order an item online and not have to fork over extra shipping costs to ensure delivery before Santa arrives on midnight on the 25th of December.

The truth is that every day between now and the end of December is a ‘big’ shopping day as far as retailers are concerned. So far, online retailers are faring well. We’ll find out next week if that trend will continue.

Do you have your Green Monday promotions in place?

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2009 Cyber Monday Sales Results

Posted on December 2, 2009 by Tom O'Leary

Although Cyber Monday sales fell short of the hopeful prediction of $900 Million, it sure came close and even matched the biggest online spending day in history, December 9th, 2008. At the end of the day, Cyber Monday sales reached $887 Million, a 5 percent increase over last year.

cyber monday 2009 results

* Source: ComScore

The success of the day stemmed more from the increase in online shoppers, as the dollars spent per shopper actually dropped 1% to $102.19 from last year.

Of course, email marketers had a big part in driving online sales activities.

According to a Smith-Harmon Retail Email Study, the volume of holiday email marketing campaigns was up as well this year.

“…On Black Friday, 69% of major online retailers sent at least one promotional email, up from 59% in 2008, as tracked by the Retail Email Blog. On Cyber Monday, 71% sent at least one promotional email, making it both the most popular retail email day of this year and also the most popular of all-time. Last year, 70% of retailers sent email on Cyber Monday. And on Cyber Sunday, 45% of retailers sent at least one promotional email, up from 36% last year. That made Nov. 29 the biggest Sunday ever for retail email marketing…”

All in all, this is wonderful news considering that the US economy continues to struggle heading into the 2009 holidays. Holiday shopping in 2009 to-date suggests that consumer confidence is strengthening, and that confidence will certainly give a boost to 4th quarter results – making December the most wonderful time of the year indeed for American retailers.

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