Sources: Macy’s, Gap
In a blog post entitled, "Hello Cyber Season, goodbye Cyber Monday," Verizon Enterprise Solutions said high-profile online selling days such as Cyber Monday and Green Monday are now behaving like typical selling days over the holiday period.
Verizon, which has been tracking broadband traffic throughout the holiday season, believes the big, publicized days are being kept alive by e-tailers. Widespread access to high-speed online connections, including via smartphones, is also changing online holiday shopping.
Traffic analysis also showed that the highest traffic patterns of the season occurred over the New Year's weekend, indicating that the post-Christmas market is as important, if not more so, than the Black Friday weekend.
One cautionary note offered was that, since promotions began so early, many blended together, leaving consumers wondering if they were getting the best deal.
Said Michele Dupré, group VP of retail, hospitality and distribution for Verizon Enterprise Solutions, in a press release, "This season's 'sneak peek' promotions in advance of Black Friday appeared to effectively entice consumers and the key is to evaluate these throughout the season to determine a winning formula for capturing wallet share."
Other final thoughts offered on the online selling season:
"It's now a digital world... after all": High peaks in mobile traffic were seen on a steady basis throughout the season. Said Ms. Dupré, "As more consumers use their mobile devices to shop and make purchases, their experience from start to finish has to be easy and seamless to keep them coming back for more."
"Deadlines are motivators — it's that simple": Significant spikes in volume were seen in advance of final shipping deadlines before Christmas and around time-bound Super Saturday sales. Said Ms. Dupré, "The lesson here is to take advantage of deadlines to move merchandise and target your loyal customers with promotions that suggest you understand their shopping needs."