{"id":1996,"date":"2016-12-10T05:21:43","date_gmt":"2016-12-09T23:51:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.intelligencenode.com\/blog\/?p=1996"},"modified":"2026-04-27T14:34:49","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T09:04:49","slug":"ecommerce-holiday-shopping-predictions-for-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intelligencenode.com\/blog\/ecommerce-holiday-shopping-predictions-for-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"Ecommerce Holiday Shopping Predictions for 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

As retailers continue to lament the <\/span>nosedive retail sales have taken<\/span><\/a>, eCommerce is a bright spot amid an increasingly bleak retail outlook. Sales are notoriously difficult to predict, especially online, but 2015 can teach us much about what to expect in 2016. Make sure your brand is ready for the season with these 2016 eCommerce holiday shopping predictions.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Online Sales Are Booming<\/h2>\n

Online sales are growing like never before. In 2015, eCommerce <\/span>grew by more than 13%<\/span>. On Cyber Monday alone, consumers shelled out <\/span>more than $3 billion<\/span><\/a>. And retailers who think that only brick and mortar stores benefit from Black Friday should think again. Consumers spent <\/span>$2.74 billion<\/span><\/a> on Black Friday in 2015. <\/span><\/p>\n

Consumers appreciate the convenience and privacy of online shopping. They don\u2019t have to deal with pushy sales representatives, can spend hours curating the perfect shopping cart, and don\u2019t have to fight lines or traffic. For your business to capitalize on these preferences, you need to make the eCommerce sales process as seamless and stress-free as possible. That demands an optimized site, clear pricing, and detailed information about each of your products. A <\/span>helpful live chat<\/span><\/a> can close the customer service gap, and may even close the deal on a few extra purchases. <\/span><\/p>\n

Consumers Buy for Themselves, Too<\/h2>\n

Ecommerce retailers who market only giftable products make a potentially fatal error. Consumers shop for themselves during the season of frenzied purchasing, <\/span>spending an average of $139<\/span>. Use this trend to your advantage by offering a variety of sales, including on items that customers typically only purchase for themselves. Because consumers often purchase gifts that they’d like to receive themselves, buy one get one deals can be especially profitable. Consider also offering gift certificates or discounts on a future purchase to customers who shop during the holidays. This is an investment in future sales that can help you start 2017 on a high note. <\/span><\/p>\n

Discounts Are Waning<\/h2>\n

Big box retailers entered the 2015 holidays season with <\/span>leaner inventories<\/span><\/a> than in previous years. That trend may continue in 2016. This means that retailers have fewer incentives to offer major promotions since they don\u2019t need to offload lots of inventory. <\/span><\/p>\n

This means that businesses which offer incredible sales may pull consumers away from big box retailers. It also means that your sales might not have to be as big as you think to get the attention of customers. No matter what eCommerce pricing strategy<\/a> you use, make sure to build excitement in the weeks leading up to a sale. Customers can\u2019t participate in sales they don\u2019t know about. <\/span><\/p>\n

Some Days Are Bigger Than Others<\/h2>\n

Cyber Monday and Black Friday<\/span><\/a> are the perennial favorites of discount-hungry consumers, but they\u2019re not the only big shopping days. Plan your sales around other popular days and watch the business flood in. A <\/span>Google Analytics study<\/span><\/a> points to the shopping days on which ads most often lead to purchases. Those are: <\/span><\/p>\n