Tis’ the Digital Season:
Telling Shopping Trends from Holiday 2015
2015 was a very digital-focused holiday season, according to the National Retail Federation
(NRF), with more than half of seasonal shopping done online — including searching for deals,
browsing products and buying. Online shopping, of course, has been growing at a fast clip for
years, but for the first time, according to the NRF, more people shopped online than in stores over
Thanksgiving and the Black Friday weekend. And, there’s no doubt that people have started
looking for holiday items earlier than ever, both on their desktops and on mobile devices.
Before you know it, the next holiday season will be upon us. Are you ready to make the most
out of key digital moments? New consumer data insights gleaned from Magnetic’s platform,
as well as a survey commissioned through market research company Ipsos, reveals prime
opportunities to communicate with prospects and customers.
Here are three important trends driving the data:
1
Digital is at the Heart of Holiday Shopping
+
The term “Cyber Monday” was coined in 2005, when experts noticed how online revenue and traffic steeply rose the
day after the long Thanksgiving weekend. A decade later, consumers are surrounded by digital marketing all year
long. When the holidays roll around, they are comfortable dealing with multiple channels and devices, whether they
search for products, gather gift information, buy online for delivery or purchase online with pickup in the store.
PEOPLE MADE FASTER PURCHASE
DECISIONS ONLINE, WITH FEWER SITE VISITS
DIGITAL INFLUENCES AND
DRIVES HOLIDAY PURCHASES
+
+
Over
79%
1/2
30%
of people
surveyed browsed
online for gifts*
of consumers spent
more than 5 hours
doing holiday
shopping online*
researched online
and made a majority
of purchases online*
There were increased sales (+2.5%) and orders (+1.86%)
for Nov/Dec 2015 vs. the same months in 2014,
but a flat number of site sessions**
THERE ARE STRONG MOVES TOWARD MOBILE, PARTICULARLY BY MILLENNIALS
+
1/3
56%
30%
of Millennials used a
mobile device or tablet
to make holiday purchases*
of Millennials used
multiple devices
to make purchasing decisions*
of respondents made
a purchase on a
smartphone or tablet*
2
Digital Has Helped Shift the Holiday Shopping Schedule
+
These days, a longer shopping season is the new normal. Thanks partly to digital’s 24/7 opportunities, consumers
may get ready to buy anytime from September to December and beyond — though they are often also constrained
by important holiday postal deadlines. Whether you want to reach early-bird, last-minute or even belated post-Christmas
shoppers, these are some important lessons about when people engage and begin to make their actual purchases.
THE SHOPPING JOURNEY IS SPREAD OVER MANY MONTHS
+
More Than
Of the 79% who search for gifts
online, more than
Nearly
25%
1/3
1/3
of gift purchasers
buy their gifts a few months or
more in advance of the holidays*
start their searches a few months
or more before the holidays,
while another 17% search all year*
start making purchases a few
weeks before the holiday*
POSTAL DELIVERY DATES
ARE KEY SHOPPING DEADLINES
SHOPPING HABITS MAY
DETERMINE TYPES OF PURCHASES
+
+
DEC
15
Following Cyber Monday, purchases rise until
December 15th,
the last day for standard shipping**
Late shoppers grabbed
gift cards: There were 72% more
searches for gift cards the
week before Xmas than the first
week of December**
Belated buyers checked out TVs:
Searches peaked the
day after Christmas
as deal-hunters scavenged
for the best prices**
EMAIL ENGAGEMENT KEEPS DIGITAL SHOPPING HAPPENING AT ALL HOURS
+
NOV
People engage with emails at
noon & between 8-11pm**
Black Friday emails reach their
highest engagement at noon, and
maintain engagement into the night**
The highest email engagement on
Cyber Monday occurs from 1-4pm EST**
OVERALL, THERE WERE FEWER, BUT MORE COMMITTED, LAST-MINUTE ONLINE SHOPPERS
+
less than
2015
10%
had fewer last-minute online visits YoY (-6.17%),
but higher conversion rates (+5.65)
and average order value (+2.5% )**
of respondents purchased
online the week of the holiday**
3
Digital Deal Information Inspired Seasonal Decisions
+
There’s no doubt that shoppers love deals. And in 2015, plenty of consumers looked for Black Friday and
Cyber Monday deals before making their holiday season purchases. But they’re not just looking for
day-of doorbusters. Instead, with digital deals popping up everywhere from inboxes to social media,
shoppers are checking out price-slashing options weeks in advance.
SHOPPERS LOOKED FOR BLACK FRIDAY AND/OR CYBER MONDAY DEALS IN ADVANCE
+
Only
24%
51%
9%
started looking for Cyber Monday and Black
Friday deals online a month before
this past holiday season*
of people that looked online for Black Friday
and Cyber Monday deals did so more
than 2 weeks in advance*
of people started looking online for
Black Friday and Cyber Monday
deals the day before*
THE BLACK FRIDAY/CYBER MONDAY WEEKEND SPURRED INCREASED CLICKS AND ORDERS
+
Total online sales over the deal-heavy weekend grew
in 2015 over 2014 (+1.86%), with higher
conversion rates (+3.47%) and average
order values (1.87%) this past holiday season**
Cyber Monday had
31%
more sales than Black Friday**
SHOPPERS FOUND OUT ABOUT DEALS THROUGH A VARIETY OF DIGITAL CHANNELS
+
70% learned about deal info through email;
64% online search; 56% online ads; 38% social networks*
SOURCES:
*Ipsos Connect, Commissioned by Magnetic, January 2016
**Magnetic Platform Insights, October – December 2014 & 2015
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