This Gold Nugget is part of our extended series of data analysis for the holiday season.
This is what you need to know to properly coordinate your online advertising to previous trends throughout November and December. This data *does not apply* to January - October!
DAYS OF INTEREST we saw in both 2008 and 2009 (our recession years):
* Typically, the busiest day of the week for all online activity is Tuesday. However, for the jewelry industry, each year starting the second week of November, that day changes to Monday.
* We also see a lot of new activity starting the third Friday of November and continuing each Friday until Christmas.
* In 2008 and 2009, online activity on Saturdays and Sundays was always lower than the previous Monday and Friday. Interesting to note: the activity volume is 25% less for weekends in November, but the closer we get to Christmas, the greater that number becomes. The weekend before Christmas has less than 50% online activity than the Friday and Monday right before.
Here's our PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS of what's happening:
* Weekend online activity is lower because consumers are out shopping in person.
* Monday online activity spikes because consumers are frustrated they didn't find what they were looking for over the weekend. They are searching when they get back to work on Monday morning, and Monday at lunch time. (BTW, there is always a spike of online activity during lunch time, but only in December do we see a spike at 10am on Mondays.)
* On Friday, the consumer is once again looking online to reconfirm their weekend shopping plans.
* On Saturday and Sunday, the online activity drops because fewer people are in front of their computer.
SUGGESTED STRATEGIES for 2010:
* Plan "Just-in-time" advertising to start on November 8th this year. Radio, email, changes to your website home page.
* Every Monday, email and post some kind of message saying "Didn't find what you were looking for over the weekend..." Take that message down on Tuesday mornings.
* Every Friday, send an email and post a message on your home page with a message saying "Tips for the Holiday Shopper Warrior…" or "Warrior's Guide to Holiday Shopping…" Put a personality into these emails with real survival tips for the weekend, as well as the jewelry suggestions of the week.
* Saturday and Sunday is where the power of mobile websites will be seen this year. Include a message in your Friday email reminding them of your mobile website. If they visit the website on Saturday or Sunday, they should be offered something special, like an item on sale for the weekend if they show it on their cell phone when they come in.
* Advertising on Location-Based Services like FourSquare is going to be an absolute MUST this year. Get involved with this now. Make an offer to anyone who checks-in at your location.
Whew! That's a lot of powerful information and that's just the beginning of what we have for you.
DISCLAIMER: The above information is based on statistical data and attempted consumer psychological reasoning. Please review your own data for your site, if you have it. Do not make any financial judgments based on this information; it's only meant to help you strategize your advertising efforts. Hindsight is always 20/20 and what we see from previous years does not mean the same thing will happen in 2010... Google TFYQA and have a great day.
DISCLAIMER: To protect the investment from our Gold Subscriber we have limited access to our extended series of Daily Nuggets regarding the Holiday Season. Gold Subscriptions are only available to 1 retail jewelry store per zip code. Please call 888-872-0274 for more details or visit https://www.jwag.biz/myaccount/new.html
