As people define their new normal and return to pre-pandemic levels of seasonal spending, browsing and shopping on social media continue to accelerate, with shoppers expecting a more personal, entertaining and immersive experience. Connecting with and inspiring holiday shoppers while creating a seamless experience, will be key for brands looking to reach new audiences.
Meta recently conducted a global consumer research study to understand seasonal shopping shifts toward purchasing online. This study analyzed global trends on Facebook and Instagram during the 2021 holiday season to better understand these behavioral and technological shifts. Here are three key insights:
Personalization can make the difference between feeling overwhelmed and overjoyed
Personalization is at the core of modern experiences and creating relevance has never been more important as consumers face increased selection and buying options. Shoppers have grown to expect personalized shopping experiences on all digital platforms.
Seventy-three percent of survey respondents expect companies to understand their unique expectations and 62% think companies should anticipate their needs, according to a May 2022 Salesforce report. Today’s marketers have an opportunity to tailor marketing to anticipate people’s wants and needs. A personalized online shopping experience is valued by over half of holiday shoppers surveyed, and 55% purchased a product they discovered via personalized ads.
During Black Friday and Cyber Monday last year, Yankee Candle ran a campaign that combined audience information from their CRM system with real-time data supplied by the Meta Pixel to generate considerable growth. By doing so, Yankee Candle generated a 307% YoY increase in site sessions and a 65% increase in revenue compared to the previous year’s holiday campaign.
Holiday shoppers want to be entertained and inspired
With seemingly limitless options for shopping, the brands that will win the hearts and wallets of holiday shoppers will be those that captivate their attention and spur discovery. Capturing attention early is key and the peak time to reach those looking to discover holiday gift ideas starts as soon as the beginning of October, according to Facebook chatter about gift and holiday-related topics.
Brands that embrace immersive experiences like videos, creator collaborations and innovative technology can help to fuel the holiday shopping journey for shoppers.
Fifty-one percent of holiday shoppers surveyed found brand and product recommendations by creators helpful in finding gift inspiration. In addition, according to Meta Foresight research, 61% of early adopters surveyed wish they could have more immersive experiences with their favorite creators, beyond just watching content on a screen and commenting.5 Immersive experiences like augmented reality (AR) continue to grow in adoption. Last holiday season, there was a 10% lift in users opening AR effects on Meta technologies.
A frictionless path to purchase remains an essential part of holiday shopping
Once shoppers discover something they love, they expect a fast and easy path to purchase. In fact, 69% of holiday shoppers surveyed value frictionless and seamless checkout experiences across their online shopping destinations.1 An intuitive checkout experience and easy-to-use communication channels are becoming increasingly important for brands to provide. In March 2021 alone, 8 in 10 shopping carts were abandoned worldwide.
Connecting directly with businesses is also vital to a successful shopping journey. Nearly half of all holiday shoppers messaged a business via instant messaging this past holiday season, and 53% particularly value business messaging for post-purchase follow-ups like tracking or returns.
Written by Facebook
Link to Original Blog: https://www.facebook.com/business/news/insights/inspire-holiday-shopping-discoveries
