Top 3 tips for retailers through 2013 holidays

Kristina: What trends are you seeing in the ecommerce space?

Norman Fong, CEO and Co-Founder, BuyVia: More of the same via tablets, although smartphone sales are only slowly going up.

Kristina: How important is social, specifically Facebook, for etailers this holiday season?

Norman: Facebook is very important. The targeting they provide lets stores fine tune who they show ads to. Facebook’s mobile ad component is great for targeting people in the field.

Kristina: The big ‘rush’ begins Black Friday/Cyber Monday – in your opinion are brands ready for the number of people who could be hitting their online storefronts?

Norman: Yes, with more and more Black Friday sales made online, especially on Thanksgiving, stores are ready. There is no need to make people work on Thanksgiving to make the sale.

Kristina: Deals, according to a recent Harris poll, will keep shoppers checking email/mobile sites even as they are in-store. Can geo-local targeting/geo-fencing help brands engage as consumers are checking things off their lists?

Norman: Yes, stores can target users right near their stores or inside them with specific promos. There is no better way to close the sale other than having good sales people.

Kristina: What are your top 3 tips for retailers this holiday season?

Norman: Start promotions early. Even Before Thanksgiving

Embrace showrooming. Match prices, offer better service

Take advantage of mobile marketing, ads, Facebook, mobile apps, etc