As experts and analysts fine-tune their predictions for the upcoming online holiday season, marketers are ramping up promotional efforts to capitalize on the ever-growing number of online shoppers. By some estimates, over a third of U.S. households (nearly 37 million) will have shopped online by year's end. Merchants have cause to be optimistic. In fact, a new study from Shop.org and BizRate found 98 percent of merchants expect online sales growth this year.

As the industry celebrates its 10th anniversary, there's a sense this year is unlike any before. It is. Message bombardment, growth of and conflict between integrated marketing efforts, spam, the political and economic environment, and increased focus on return on investment (ROI) make this holiday season somewhat different. That said, I offer you some 2004 holiday observations, predictions, and recommendations. I hope they help you optimize your current and future marketing efforts in this evolving marketing place.
Read Article Posted by: DTB at 8:50 PM  |  Permalink