Cutting Through The Holiday Noise: Last Minute Tips To Boost Your Q4

For most retailers, Q4 is typically the largest and most lucrative quarter of the year, but it’s also the hardest in terms of capturing consumer attention.  Why? On average, ad impressions increase 50% during the holiday season. Consumers are inundated with ads, emails and SMS – it’s a lot to compete with.

So, how can you break through the holiday clutter?  The answer is simpler than you think: deliver value.

‍Deliver Value, Not Just Discounts

Let’s clarify what “value” really means here. It’s not about deals and discounts (I think we can agree that free shipping is pretty non-negotiable these days). It’s about addressing your customers’ biggest holiday pain point: “What should I get for the people on my list this year?”  

Let’s face it, while budget may be the top concern, gift-giving inspiration is a close second. You can stand out from the sea of generic “buy now”, “shop now”, “get 30% off” holiday messages by delivering some gift giving inspiration instead.

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‍The Power of Inspiration

If there’s any doubt that inspiration drives consumer engagement, look no further than Pinterest. The platform sees a 50% increase in clicks and saves during the holidays. Plus, how many times have you, yourself, searched “gift ideas for xxx” in the Amazon search bar?

Brands can increase engagement and sales by delivering on the inspiration consumers are seeking. This time of year, most of our brands are creating gift finders, interactive shoppable lookbooks, recipe finders, and more to help provide value and cut through the noise.

These experiences often ask consumers 3-4 questions and quickly guide them to personalized recommendations while simultaneously capturing valuable data and insights for more effective marketing.

For instance, think about how many times you’ve purchased a gift and then been bombarded by remarketing ads and emails. It’s annoying and it’s costly to the business. Not only are you wasting media impressions on someone who likely won’t be a recurring customer, but you’ve probably also annoyed them to the point where they won’t consider buying from you again. You’ve turned a satisfied customer into a detractor simply by failing to ask one simple question: “Is this for you or a gift for someone else?”

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‍The Downstream Impact: Better Data, Better Marketing

Think about the downstream impact this has on your data, your marketing effectiveness, and your ROAS. Through gift finder experiences, you can ask questions like:

• Is this a gift or for yourself?  
• Is it for someone in your household?  
• How much would you like to spend?  

These questions keep your data accurate and allow for better segmentation and more effective marketing, not to mention increases your conversion rates.

Take Free People, for example. They did a gift finder last year and found that 50% of users were searching for a gift, while 50% were purchasing for themselves. Had they not asked this simple question, they would have miscategorized half of their customers. This is where relying too heavily on intent and purchase data can lead you astray.

Another retail client saw a 7x increase in onsite lead capture by replacing their standard light box with a product recommendation quiz. It’s a better consumer experience that provides value while helping the brand turn more site visitors from unknown to known, reduce bounce rates, and increase conversions. It’s a win-win!

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‍It’s Not Too Late–Act Now

It might be November, butt’s not too late to launch something new. You can launch these types of experiences in just 1-2 weeks and see significant results this holiday season.

Concerned about your site being in code freeze? No problem. These experiences can also be launched in email campaigns, social media, or even QR codes to help increase your site traffic.

If you want to learn more about how you can cut through the noise this holiday season, book a call with our team today or check out the following resources to help get you started: 

• Case Study: How Free People Boosted Holiday Sales with Customer Insights 
• Blog: How to 10x conversion rates and lead capture this holiday season 
• Blog: Why ecomm brands should use SMS during holiday season