Social Media Usage Increases as Online Retailers Push Holiday Deals

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November 18, 2009
By the ZippyCart Shopping Carts Content Team

A recent eHoliday study conducted by Shop.org indicated that 47.1 percent of retailers said they plan to increase their social media usage during this holiday season. Social media has penetrated deeper into the everyday use of almost every person who goes online, so it is only natural that retailers would use the channel to reach them. Shop.org also reported that consumers plan to spend $682.74 on average during this holiday season. The most common social media sites that are being used by retailers are Facebook and Twitter as those have grown in popularity over the past year.

Some examples of how social media will be used are brands like Sears, which will reveal special Black Friday only deals just via their Facebook fanpage. Numerous brands have been employing similar tactics on Twitter prior to the holiday shopping season, but the usage is starting to spike already, as more brands figure out how to get more return on investment from social media. Brands like Target and Toys’R'us are also big users of Facebook and Twitter to post daily deals or specials. Consumers are in love with this medium, especially as it pertains to to holiday shopping since they can get almost all the same deals they would going to the brick and mortar retail store.

Retailers are doing everything they can online to try and entice consumers to come to their site and make a purchase from their shopping cart. As part of the social media push we will also see more retailers offer free shipping with conditions, such as a total purchase minimum, during the holiday season. If you are an online store owner and not already using Facebook or Twitter to help grow your customer base and sales, then you should sign up today to help with the holiday season profits.