How can retailers win online sales this festive season?

The festive season is fast approaching. In order to ease sale-day stress, shoppers are starting to deal-hunt earlier, and much of it online. So if consumers are planning ahead, retailers should too.

Richard Dunmall, chief revenue officer at analytics and technology specialist Media iQ, says: “When it comes to retail shopping, it is all about timing. Using our proprietary analytical platform, we have found that 28% of shoppers are planning to buy items at least two months in advance.

“Peak shopping hours shift towards late evening as we move from October to December, with shoppers mostly shopping at midnight in December”

Richard Dunmall, Media iQ

“It is also worth to note that peak shopping hours shift towards late evening as we move from October to December, with shoppers mostly shopping at midnight in December.”

However, when it comes to holiday shopping, consumers don’t shop for all items on their list at once, and instead focus on buying different products throughout the season.

Shopping site domains are ahead of the rest in terms of both volume and growth. They account for almost 70% of all conversions in the retail season and see the highest growth as December approaches.

Desktop vs mobile

Understandably consumers are constantly searching for the best deals and offers, and sometimes check them on multiple devices before making the final purchase.

Dunmall believes that the desktop reigns throughout the holiday season.

“Last year, we saw that while purchases on PCs and tablets increased in December, purchase on mobile dropped to 55%.”

However, the research finds that mobile was the most preferred device for shopping between 7am and 9am on Black Friday.

“Retailers who understand their customers’ shopping behaviour and the insights into action are sure to remain ahead of the rest,” says Dunmall.

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