The 2003 online holiday season presented the gift of growth to the retail industry, as consumers were pleased with their online shopping experiences. Below are highlights from the fourth and final phase of the Shop.org/BizRate 2003 eHoliday Mood study.
Revenue growth strong. More than half (59%) of retailers reported revenue growth for the 2003 online holiday season of 25 percent or higher. Almost a third (30%) reported revenue increases of 50 percent or more.
Customer satisfaction increases. Online shopping was also a positive experience for consumers during the 2003 eHoliday, with 89 percent of shoppers somewhat or very satisfied with their online buying experience, up from 84 percent last year.
Free shipping remains the king of online marketing promotions. Free shipping with conditions was cited by 59 percent of merchants as their most successful marketing promotions, followed by an online-only sale (27%), and free shipping with no conditions. (24%).
Despite spam concerns, retailers continue to have success with email. Email was the clear leader among retailers for getting their promotions in front of shoppers, with 86 percent citing their own email promotions as one of their most successful marketing vehicles. Shoppers are clearly reading their messages, as 38 percent of merchants stated their email open rates had increased significantly or somewhat from last year.
Search engines and affiliate marketing help retailers find customers. Throughout all four phases of the eHoliday Mood Study, search engine marketing and affiliate marketing remained the second and third most successful marketing vehicle for retailers. According to the survey, for the entire holiday season 58 percent of merchants cited search engine marketing as their most successful marketing vehicle. Affiliate marketing was cited as most successful by 50 percent of merchants.
“Online retailing is clearly seeing strong momentum based on this successful holiday season,” said Scott Silverman, Executive Director of Shop.org. “Online retailers are becoming more sophisticated in their marketing and merchandising efforts, as they continue to be integrated into their companies overall operations. This benefits both retailers and their customers.”
“The 2003 holiday season continues the successes of last year,” said Chuck Davis, President and CEO of BizRate.com. “Online retailers created marketing messages that resonated with their customers, who went to merchants Web sites to buy the great deals they were offered.”
