If you increase or adjust your advertising efforts during the holiday season, this information is for you!

5 reasons you need to start holiday season planning early in 2021

#1. Shoppers are shopping earlier than ever before

31% of shoppers have already started their holiday shopping(2). It’s expected that one-third of holiday shopping will be complete by early November. We saw this trend of shopping early last year as well. Retail sales were up 10.6% in October of last year compared to October 2019, and that trend should repeat in 2021(3). Ultimately, consumers are going to be urged to shop safely by shopping early.

#2. Early advertisers save money

Advertising in September and October is less expensive than in November and December, when there is more competition in the ad space. When looking at platforms, like Facebook and Google, November and December are historically the two busiest months and, therefore, the most expensive months when it comes to running ads.

#3. Overall consumer spending on holiday shopping is on the rise

That means more opportunity for advertisers in Q4. Online and other non-store sales were up 23.9% in 2020 (1), and we are expected to see an 11.3% increase in e-commerce holiday sales YOY(2). Retail saw a jump as well, despite the pandemic! The National Retail Federation says that holiday spending increased 8.3% in 2020. That 8.3% increase was more than twice the 3.5% average holiday increase over the previous five years, including 2019’s 4% increase(1).

#4. Nothing in Q4 is guaranteed

While shopping, dining and travel are all on the rise as COVID cases fall, and we’re not in the same situation we were last year with the Global Pandemic, it remains more important than ever to be prepared for whatever may happen in Q4. State-mandated shutdowns are more likely in November and December than they are in September or October. Businesses who miss out on the early shopping season may, unfortunately, miss out on a lot of overall opportunity, depending on what happens with COVID variants and spikes later in Q4.

#5. Being proactive means quicker turnaround times

Our marketing teams are in very high demand in mid-September through mid-November due to holiday advertising needs. Being proactive will mean quicker turnaround times!

About the author

Rachel LaFollette has served on our executive team as our Chief Customer Officer since 2013. Prior to joining the Madwire® team, initially as our Marketing Director, she managed Marketing Communications for a Global Business Unit for several years at Hewlett-Packard. Rachel is passionate about serving others, living with purpose and gratitude and having a positive impact on both our customers and team. She believes that helping small businesses grow is one of the best things we can be doing to Make A Difference!

Sources:

1. https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/nrf-says-2020-holiday-sales-grew-83-percent-despite-pandemic
2. Google commissioned Ipsos COVID-19 tracker, US, June 2021, 3. Lamba Test, 2021
3. https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/october-retail-sales-grew-consumers-started-holiday-shopping-early
4. https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/earlier-start-holiday-shopping-season-embraced-consumers
5. Graph: https://revealbot.com/facebook-advertising-costs