Weekly Column: 2016-11-18
Black Friday (Nov 25, 2016) is just around the corner.
Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, which is the last Thursday in November. Black Friday is the year’s largest shopping event because the majority of online and offline stores will offer the best sales throughout the U.S. In the United States, family members that live far way from each other get together and celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas at the same time. These consumers are shopping earlier and grabbing the best products online and offline. Therefore, retailers are taking the rest of their merchandise and putting them up for sale directly after Thanksgiving. Black Friday is the most popular shopping day of the year. Many people will go to their shopping malls and stand in line the night before, so they can grab the best deals when the stores open in the morning.
Even with these statistics, offline sales on Black Friday have significantly decreased by 10% compared to the year before. The leading causes are a lack of substantial products available and the most popular products are wanted by the masses crowding the stores. Larger-sized Televisions are a perfect example, everyone wants the discounted price but there are only so many TVs to go around.
Although the scale of online sales is only 25% of that of offline sales, these online sales have increased 14.5%. On average, mobile purchases are 30% of the online sales making these numbers very appealing. Online purchasing has become even more popular because buyers can compare prices, not deal with overbearing crowds, or have to settle for cheap-end products. Better yet, no one has to stand, in the cold, at midnight waiting for stores to open in the morning! It is predicted that offline sales will decrease over time.
There is no doubt that the internet has changed people's lifestyles, attitudes, thoughts, and values. Online sales have shown continuous growth and have become mandatory for most shoppers. A few years ago, the idea of online marketing was only a small part of the marketing industry. Today, online marketing has become the heart and soul of online marketing.
What is online marketing? Simply put, it is a method for advertising a product or service online. Similar to finding information through internet searches, online marketing provides clear, straightforward information about a product to the people who are searching for that product. At the same time, it draws potential customers to the advertisers which will increase the effects of the advertisement and create greater sales.
However, there is an over-abundance of similar companies, and they are all using online marketing. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of online marketing has slowly started to decline. In order to increase sales, you must devise a way to provide a purpose for your advertisement that reaches the consumer. This can be very effective by creating a distinctive online marketing scheme. It is important to determine how to attract customers to your product by selecting the best approach. Once you understand the ever changing trends between different generations, you will find your distinctive approach.
Anyone can provide a method for a successful online marketing plan, but not everyone will succeed. When you pay attention to the newest trends and build a solid plan, you might well be the next great success story.