If you thought it was Black Friday, you’d be wrong
By Alan Wolf, YSN
No doubt Thanksgiving Week, which culminates in Black Friday weekend, is one of the busiest times of the year for retailers.
But it’s not the fastest growing period of the holiday season. That honor, according to Think with Google, the free marketing resource, is … the week after Christmas.
Indeed, last holiday season saw the highest sales growth between Dec. 25 and Jan. 1, compared to any other period between October and January, the software giant said. A key reason: once the gift-giving is over, consumers can now finally shop for themselves. And the percentage who do is significantly higher after the mistletoe has come down compared to the rest of the selling season.
Card-Carrying Customer
To help capture that post-holiday demand, Google suggests businesses lean into their loyalty programs (think Amazon Prime or Starbucks Rewards), as 65% of U.S. holiday shoppers say such programs are important to them once the festivities have abated.
What’s more, loyalty programs that provide customers with discounts, rewards and other exclusive benefits help drive long-term growth. According to Google research, purchase confidence is 2.4 times higher among shoppers with a strong connection to a brand compared to shoppers who don’t have a strong connection, and confident consumers are six times more likely to say they will “definitely buy again.”
The importance of brand loyalty is also underscored by yet another Google tidbit: more than 40% of shopping searches include a brand or retailer, the company said.
For additional holiday sales tips, for both the peak days you know and new ones you don’t, visit Google Ads.
