A record 57 percent of consumers this Cyber Monday used social media sites as a means of finding deals. With social media and mobile optimized marketing on the rise, it is important to stay up-to-date with the latest marketing trends if you hope to grow your sales this holiday season.
Cyber Monday’s Increasing Relevance
Cyber Monday was a term first coined in 2005, when the surge in online sales after Thanksgiving weekend began to become substantial enough to warrant its own pseudo-holiday. Hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of transactions have been initiated every year since the phenomenon’s original generation, with total spend and total online activity increasing consistently every year. This year, consumers will spend approximately $1.42 billion online, compared to $1.25 billion last year and only $887 million back in 2009. Due in part to the increasing number of online shopping options, Americans are becoming increasingly engaged in the consumerist festivity.
Why Social Media is at the Forefront
In 2012, 57 percent of users will harness social media sites as a means of finding discounts, with 49 percent utilizing them to find gift ideas. In fact, social media sites are at least in part responsible for encouraging the growing influence of Cyber Monday itself—deals this year are expected to spread virally across Facebook, Twitter, and other sites as consumers speak to each other about where to find the best deals.
Mobile on the Rise
It is estimated that 35 percent of all social media sharing this holiday shopping season will occur on a mobile device or tablet, a number that has been dramatically increasing over the past several years. If your site isn’t optimized for mobile, you’ll need to take action.
As the season and the years continue, more and more consumers will be relying on mobile devices and social media to locate and spread information on deals—and it’s not just B2C companies. Don’t get left behind!
