The 2009 holiday marketer: Benchmark and trend report from Experian Marketing Services reports that adults ages 25–34 and 50–59 are especially prone to wait until things go on sale before they’ll fill their shopping carts. The advice: Offer sales and specials earlier this year when targeting these consumers. As you plan how to make those early offers, here’s another key finding from the report to keep in mind: While younger adults are using coupons at higher rates than they did last year, older adults are taking advantage of more incentive-based offers such as free product with purchase and cross-sale promotions.
More Gold Nuggets of Information and Advice
This valuable report underscores that all channels can provide value; it’s just a matter of looking at the facts to find the right marketing mix for your company. Small- and medium-size businesses can profit from the holiday trends the report uncovers.
• Although the Internet proves to be a definite revenue generator for many businesses, most companies are still seeing lifts in response through the combined efforts of online and traditional channels such as direct mail.
• One potential downside to putting all your money on online is missing out on revenue gains and customer engagement opportunities that direct mail provides.
• Email volumes are expected to increase even earlier in 2009 for all businesses, with some brands having already commenced their holiday campaigns as early as July.
• When it comes to search marketing, it should be noted that over the past four years the highest market share of Web site visits occurred on Thanksgiving Day, followed by Black Friday.
• While marketers should be encouraged to continue leveraging direct mail this season, it’s critical that they are extra diligent with their data hygiene processes and utilize the most current postal preparation techniques.*
| Direct Mail Key Findings |
| In 2008, 79 percent of consumers said that they read or scan the direct mail they receive. |
| Over half of the households in the United States receive between 24 and 45 pieces of mail per week. |
| Almost half of all purchases from catalogs are made in November and December. |
| Women make more purchases from catalogs than men. |
| Households without children purchase more from catalogs than households with children. |
Resources
The 2009 holiday marketer: Benchmark and trend report from Experian Marketing Services
*pbmarketingservices.com can help you with data hygiene and ensures that you are using the most current postal preparation techniques.