Tuesday, October 17

#1 - 🎁 15 tips for seasonal products

📰 TL;DR - Here’s a great list with 15 tips for marketing and selling seasonal products. These could be items directly tied to an occasion, like decor, but they could also be special products or bundles you bring out for the holiday season. Some of these tips are just generally good ideas, like sending email blasts or using dropshipping to hop on trends quickly. But most of these have a lot to do with highlighting how seasonal items are only around for a limited time, so you really want to push that scarcity factor. Another great tip is to create bundles for the holiday season that make gift-giving easier.

💡 Insight - Reading through these tips, I thought about how Sephora actually does a great job with seasonal products. Before the holidays, they always release bundles, especially mini products as gift sets. Mini versions, in general, are a fantastic idea for a seasonal offering because they make great stocking stuffers and allow new customers/recipients to try a product at a lower price point, hopefully convincing them to come back and buy the full size. Also, a tip here to highlight is gift guides. Most major publications will be putting these together right now, so now is the time to reach out and ask to be considered. While you’re at it, making your own gift guides as a piece of content marketing is a great idea.

➡️ You can read the article here...

#2 - 😇 Prime Big Deal Days’ halo effect

📰 TL;DR - So we know that Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sale went great for Amazon, but what else did it affect? This analysis shows that the event produced a notable “halo effect” on mobile commerce apps in general. According to this, installs for e-commerce apps during the sale were 30% higher than during Prime Early Access Sale in October 2022. As well, e-commerce app sessions were up 12% compared to last year. Plus, users had long sessions on shopping apps compared to even July’s Prime Day. There was also an uptick in installs of deal discovery apps.

💡 Insight - Two things of note here. First is that people aren’t just increasingly using mobile to shop — they’re increasingly using dedicated apps to do it. I’ve always been pretty bullish that once you reach a certain volume and loyal customer base, a standalone brand shopping app is a great idea. The second thing here is that Amazon’s sales create a halo effect for e-commerce in general. I’m not saying you need to send Amazon a thank you card, but it does show that if Amazon has a sale, it’s a great idea to have your own, even if you don’t sell on Amazon.

➡️ You can read the article here...

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#3 - 😎 Gen will shop on social this season

📰 TL;DR - This survey looked at Gen Z shopping habits for the upcoming holiday season. First, nearly half of Gen Z shoppers (48%) plan to buy at least some gifts through social media. It’s not totally clear whether that means directly purchasing in the app, or for example seeing an ad and clicking the CTA, but it definitely shows that Gen Z sees social media as a first stop for shopping discovery. As well, most of Gen Z, 74%, say their budget will be the same as last year or increase, which is great news given the present state of the economy. Another 37% expect to spend more. Additionally, 48% were happy to start shopping early as long as there are deals to be had.

💡 Insight - Truly I cannot say enough how important your social strategy is if you’re targeting Gen Z. Not only does this cohort use social media for product discovery, they use it like a search engine. When they want to find a new face wash, for example, they’re increasingly typing that query into TikTok, not Google. So my other note here is that you need to think about your SEO strategy on social, because it matters now. I’m not saying to load up every TikTok description with a mishmash of keywords like an Amazon product title, but be smart with hashtags and phrasing. Create content that targets large keywords the way you would with blog posts.

➡️ You can read the article here...

#4 - 🛠️ Things worth checking out

📈 TRENDS - Read Ad Age’s weekly roundup of DTC trends and moves.

💿 PRODUCTS - Also read this weekly roundup of new e-commerce product releases.

👹 AMAZON - Amazon is extending its anti-counterfeit solution. Read more here.

📺 TV - This piece looks at the future of shoppable TV ads, and it’s more than just QR codes.

👗 WHOLESALE - Here’s a list of the best wholesale clothing vendors and how to vet them.

#5 - 🧺 How to make and test bundles

📰 TL;DR - In today’s first item, some of the tips were about creating holiday bundles. Well, here’s a quick guide on how to test product bundles to boost profits. There are different types of bundles, from multipacks of the same item, to gift sets, to pairing complimentary products together, to sample bundles. The trick to make these work is to test, test, test. You can randomize how these bundles are displayed and also create a control group that doesn’t see bundles at all. Then, monitor which bundles are clicked, added to the cart, and purchased, as well as whether bundles create a higher AOV.

💡 Insight - The holidays is an excellent time to test out bundles as people look for easy gifting options. I also think it’s so crucial that if you try out bundles, you’re taking the time to do this testing. You won’t actually know if bundles are adding value for you unless you can control who sees them and evaluate differences in AOV. Because it is entirely possible that bundles just don’t work for your brand. But don’t guess — find out.

➡️ You can read the article here...