The time is now to optimize every channel for the holidays

We’ve officially entered the fourth quarter, and that can only mean one thing: holiday mania approaches, and retailers have much to do to get ready.

Market predictions suggest that it will be a good season—eMarketer expects ecommerce to climb 15.3% in the 2018 holiday season, even while total retail sales growth will slow slightly to 3.8%. But, in order to take advantage of that swell in sales, savvy brands know that they need to be on top of their personalization game: familiar customers may veer from their normal habits as they shop for friends and family, new and anonymous customers will visit in hordes, and everyone’s patience will be shorter than ever.

Brands should start optimizing customer experiences now so that they can be prepared to meet demand and have the kind of success that’s worthy of a holiday toast.

To help navigate the planning process, Monetate has put together the Monetate Holiday Guide 2018 so that you don’t miss out on any opportunities to capture customers’ hearts.

In the guide, we share our analysis of four years of holiday data, surfacing important patterns so that you can interpret signals of strong performance and get ahead of negative trends while there’s still time to correct course.

We also describe five key areas of holiday optimization strategy, and show exactly how you can ensure a stellar customer experience with dozens of personalization pointers that will help you put your best foot forward.

What’s the most important thing retailers can do right now to prepare for the holidays?

The most crucial step you can take today is to study your data from past years and establish your baseline. We’ve provided a rundown of the season that shows predictions for revenue relative to the dominant sales trends, but the most essential piece of the puzzle is to know what your “normal” looks like.

If you usually peak the week before Christmas, weaker numbers for Black Friday may indicate that there is a need to tweak your onsite experience, without signaling disaster. But if your trend is to hit your highest revenue on Black Friday, lackluster sales for that date may be a greater cause for concern.

Comparing your data from past years to our analysis will give you the roadmap you need to stay nimble, and the personalization ideas found throughout the guide will empower you to provide a truly spectacular customer experience—so you can ring in the new year celebrating your best holiday season ever.

But hurry, there’s no time to waste! Download your free copy of the Monetate Holiday Guide 2018 today.