SmallBizResource Blog -- Marketing

Last-Minute Considerations As We Slide Into Cyber Monday

Posted by Gayle Kesten Monday, Nov 24, 2008, 11:23 AM ET

No-brainer, the economic downturn is going to put a measurable damper on holiday spending -- particularly for specialty retailers -- but as long as Rufolph's nose still glows, consumers will still buy gifts.

Just one week from today, the online holiday shopping season, a.k.a. Cyber Monday, officially begins. A full 83.7 percent of retailers have planned some kind of special promotion, up from 72.2 percent last year, according to the eHoliday Survey, conducted for Shop.org this fall by Shopzilla. The most popular promotions are expected to be specific deals (38.8%), email campaigns (32.7%), and one-day sales (24.5%). Additionally, nearly one-fourth of retailers (22.5%) will offer free shipping on all purchases.

Hopefully your promotion plans are ready to roll. Four points worth reviewing in advance of your tryptophan coma, courtesy of Yahoo Search Marketing Blog:

1. Call out any special holiday deals. Users always respond to things like discounts, coupons and sales, but the holidays and the current economic downturn make a good deal look even better.

2. Highlight lower-priced items when possible. If the price is right, things that may have once seemed like impulse purchases may now be irresistible to consumers looking to score a sweet last-minute deal online.

3. If you offer free shipping, be sure to include that in your ad copy. Free shipping is an extremely popular (if not the most popular) incentive for consumers, so if you offer it -- even with restrictions -- be sure to let your customers know.

4. Stress the ease and convenience that online shopping offers over the traditional mall shopping experience. Be very direct in stating how consumers can save time, money, fuel and hassle by buying online, rather than schlepping to pricey, crowded shopping destinations.

Another way mobile marketer Smart Reply says you can recession-proof your holiday sales: Make your promotion viral by encouraging your customers to forward your offerings. "Coupons, surveys, mobile blogs, games, even photos of the latest fashions...if it's important or fun to them, your customers will share it. There's nothing more trusted than a message from a friend. Encourage and incentivize your customers to share your message and your promotion with their friends and family. It costs you nothing and you have everything to gain in the process."

On a related note, keep in mind that Cyber Monday is a workday, which means many of your employees will be shopping from their work computers -- exposing your business to security risks, not to mention losses in productivity (as much as $3,000 per employee), according to IT governance group ISACA . Its 10 tips for safer online shopping, from the perspectives of both a shopper and an IT department (that would be you), are worth the read.

Marketing