Marin Sees UK Mega Monday Boom and the Rise of Super Sundays

By Simon Whittick December 14th, 2012

Since the beginning of November, we’ve been analysing impressions and clicks across our UK retail client base. Three interesting trends have emerged:

1. Mega Monday booms

For the last few years, the UK retail industry’s PR teams have been trying to create buzz around a particular day to drive online sales, similar to Cyber Monday in the US. Coined just in the last few years, the phrase “Mega Monday” has historically been on the first Monday in December. Last year in the UK, the first Monday in December delivered only 3% more clicks than the 2nd Monday in December. In other words, in 2011 there was not a clear winner of the largest online shopping day in the UK.

However, in 2012 UK retailers succeeded in driving a buzz around Mega Monday. There is a very clearly defined spike in paid search clicks on the 3rd December, which is 13% more than the next biggest Monday on the 26th November. UK retailers have finally succeeded in creating a successful Mega Monday buzz online.

2. US Cyber Monday drives UK intrigue, but not clicks

Looking to scale their significant investments, US retailers promoted their Cyber Monday (26th Nov) offers in the UK. In 2012, they succeeded in creating a Cyber Monday buzz in the UK, as it became the largest Monday in terms of paid search impressions during the holiday shopping period. However, Mega Monday generated more clicks and conversions.

Despite US retailers creating a buzz in the UK for Cyber Monday, UK consumers were not yet ready to buy as Cyber Monday click volume was lower than Mega Monday’s. This may be attributed to the fact that the 26th November comes before most consumers’ November paycheques, and therefore they are less inclined to spend out of their virtual wallets.

3. The rise of “Super Sundays”?

Interestingly, Sundays in 2012 increased in prominence (25th Nov, 2nd Dec and 9th Dec) as they all made it into the top five days in terms of retail clicks. Furthermore, Sunday 9th December produced more clicks than Monday 10th December. This is a strong indication that consumers are starting to research purchases earlier in the shopping season. UK Retailers should note these trends when planning for the 2013 holiday shopping season.

Whether it is Cyber Monday, Super Sundays, or Mega Monday, there is no doubt increased competition for the attention of consumers as they look online earlier in the holiday shopping season to find the best deals.

The Holiday Creep*: Online Retailers Engage Deal-Seeking Shoppers Earlier in 2012

By Kylee Hall November 28th, 2012

The holiday shopping creep is a trend that’s been developing over the last couple of years as ecommerce has continued to grow. We’ve seen consumers flock to search engines to find out when stores are opening on Black Friday, what kind of promotions they’ll be offering, when online sales start and more.

In trying to capture consumers’ attention, retailers have begun their online marketing campaigns for holiday promotions a bit earlier each year—further evidenced by this year’s paid search trends. Overall, marketers increased investments in online advertising during the 2012 holiday season. A large increase in paid search spend and clicks occurred each day across the five popular shopping days from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, compared to 2011.

Thanksgiving showed the most surprising results with a 59% increase in paid search spend versus 2011 indicating an earlier start to this year’s holiday season shopping. Consumers were online early to look for the best deals over the five-day holiday shopping period. Retailers responded with increased spend and promotions that stretched across the five days, and even into Tuesday in some cases.

Cyber Monday continued to be the blockbuster day for retailers online, garnering more clicks and impressions than any other day. Consumers responded by spending 30% more online versus Cyber Monday in 2011 according to the IBM Benchmark data released yesterday.

While Black Friday may retain its position as the one day of the year to find the best deals in store, we may see Cyber Monday start to dissolve into several days or even a week of online promotions and discounts, as retailers compete for the attention of consumers’ wallets earlier in the holiday season.

*The “creep” as it’s used in this blog post is in relation to “spreading” or “growing” – not the “creep” you may encounter at your company holiday party.

The Online Marketer’s Guide for the Holidays…and Ten Tips for a Successful 2012

By Kye Mou October 2nd, 2012

Marin is excited to announce the release of our annual Online Marketer’s Guide for the Holidays. Broadly speaking, this guide will help put the 2011 holiday season in perspective and highlight relevant best practices for a successful 2012 season. Our analysis and recommendations are built upon our experience in working with over 1,800 advertisers who invest more than $4 billion a year on search, display, social, and mobile.

In this guide, we examine search marketing trends from last year’s holiday season, explore key dates and trends for your campaign calendar, and walk through ten best practices drawn from our client base. Some of the insights you’ll come away with, include how to:

• Develop a bid boost schedule to take advantage of seasonal increases in revenue-per-click
• Test and promote special offers to successfully convert holiday shoppers
• Engage social shoppers and amplify holiday messaging and promotions through Facebook
• Leverage Google Product Listing Ads to engage more shoppers during the holiday season

For additional resources, iProspect’s 2012 Retail Blueprint offers a comprehensive analysis of 2011 holiday trends and provides an in-depth guide for creating increased profit from online channels during the 2012 holiday season. This white paper walks through tactical advice on promotional elements, key holiday dates, trends in channel usage, and creative execution to account for tablet and mobile shoppers.

2011 Holiday Findings Help Online Marketers Prepare for 2012

By Kye Mou April 30th, 2012

iProspect recently released their Retail Blueprint for 2012. This study highlights their findings from the 2011 holiday season and provides guidance for a successful 2012 online marketing program. Data from over 45 retailers was compiled and analyzed across three time periods: early (November 1 – 23), high (November 23 – December 22) and late (December 23 – January 8). Some of their key findings include:

• Q4 shopping queries increased 34% year-over-year across all devices, and increased 181% for mobile devices. In 2010, there was 1 day of online sales exceeding $1 billion. In 2011, there were 10.

• The early season observed the highest average-order-value (AOV). Bargain hungry consumers took advantage of early offers. With a $152 AOV, November should be considered a pivotal time period for retailers.

Source: iProspect

• November 24-28 delivered twice the average daily traffic and revenue. Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday reported the highest online shopping activity during the holiday season. Continued growth in online sales up until Christmas indicates shoppers are not only researching, but purchasing consistently throughout the high season.

• Early season promotions lead to increases in conversions and AOV, but at the cost of late season performance. Persistent, “always on” promotions drove flat results, as shoppers lacked a sense of urgency.  On the other hand, large promotions failed to generate repeat conversions. Creating “value” (i.e. lower prices), rather than “sales” (i.e. offering discounts), will be something online marketers should consider in 2012.

Source: iProspect

With these insights, online marketers can start taking steps now to prepare for a successful 2012 holiday season. Creating and separating mobile campaigns, testing creative timing and messaging in the offseason, and integrating social and display programs are just a few initiatives online marketers should consider.

Want to read more holiday 2011 findings with recommendations for a successful 2012? Download the full report at http://www.iprospect.com/our-work/our-thinking