Monthly Archives: December 2011

Search marketing has fast become an essential means of purveyance and revenue for todays online retailers. I mean, that’s why we’re all here, right? As I prepare a quick client report on the reasons to aggressively ramp-up PPC spending for this most lucrative of seasons, I thought I’d spread a little cheer in the form of some findings. Normally I spread cheer by spiking the egg nog with a fifth of Gosling, but it’s only December 22nd and there’ll be plenty of time for that too.

According to Nielsen, online holiday shopping totaled $30.1 billion during the 2005 holiday season (October 29 – December 23). And that was a 30% increase over 2004. The trend has continued to climb every year since (with the exception of 2008 which was a victim of the recession) and in 2010 reached a record 32.6 billion which was a 15% increase over 2009! Again, this is online purchasing alone, and there’s a simple underlying and fundamental reason for this consistent growth.

I use the word “confidence” frequently on this site, and I’m about to use it yet again. Everything your online marketing support efforts strive to accomplish should have the final goal of creating consumer confidence in the crosshairs. Create it, foster it, hug it, feed it, keep it warm and then release it into the wild. The wild, of course, being the checkout confirmation page of your shopping cart.

As we head into 2012 and beyond, scores more people are fully comfortable shopping online. But what has changed more recently is that these consumers now have a history of good experiences to draw on, and are more trusting of online merchants, warrantys and especially – delivery dates. Consumer confidence is way up when it comes to ordering gifts online and they know companies will be fully accountable.

Revenues are skyrocketing this holiday season because people aren’t afraid to shop online anymore. And more importantly, they have faith that what they order for their loved one is actually going to arrive on time. So in addition to a larger number of purchases, they are making said purchases later and later into the season – thus also contributing to the boom. It’s an exciting time to be in marketing, pass the egg nog.