Do offline seasonal changes impact online shopping?

The short answer is yes, according to a new study from Marketing Experiments. The long answer is only if you know how to take advantage of those fluctuations.

by Kristina Knight

According to the study, the top five online shopping days are all in December. Online shoppers spent more than $3.8 billion on December 4, 8, 11, 13, 14 - the days most shoppers went online in 2006. The main difference between the high-revenue days online and offline are constraints due to shipping times. More people may have hit the mall the week leading up to Christmas, but by then most online shoppers had completed their purchases to ensure they would arrive on time. So, to take advantage of online shopping habits, e-tailers need to start earlier. Knowing when those seasonal fluctuations will occur can help your advertising plan.

For example, during spring shopping the average click thru rate (CTR) for online shoppers was 1.98% with a conversion rate of .06%. During summer peak shopping, 2.44% CTR and .68% conversion rate. In fall, those numbers dropped a bit to 1.96% CTR and .66% conversion rate. Holiday season brought the numbers back up to 2.26% CTR and 1.47% conversion rate. To take advantage of these variations, pay-per-click campaigns should vary month to month as well.

During the down months, plan campaigns for the higher-shopping months so that your time can be concentrated on revenue during high-shopping months. Creating online gift registries and offering online gift cards are another way to increase revenue during peak and off-peak shopping months. Finally, track your own revenue trends by incorporating a merchandising calendar, like the one available from Marketing Experiments. A calendar can help you harness the power of online advertising by comparing big picture trends with smaller trends you see day to day.