Is Christmas a Good Time for Invite-a-Friend Marketing?

Companies have been preparing for the 2013 holiday season all year. This is the time of year where wallets are freely opened, gifts and services are purchased for loved ones, and, if there is time and money left over, even gifts for our selves! It’s the most wonderful time of the year for many people, and even more delightful for retailers.

Although it is a short period of time, defined as November 1-December 31, it is anything but short of profit. In 2012, holiday sales reached $579.5 billion, which allotted for 19.3% of the years’ total retail sales. This year it’s predicted to reach $602.1 billion. For some retailers, as much as 20-40% of their annual sales occur during these 61 days.

So why is this holiday consumer-splurge a good time for invite-a-friend marketing? I’ll give you a hint; it has to do with heavy online traffic.

Cybershopping is Hot

Each year the number of online holiday shoppers increases significantly.
Nowadays, most prefer online shopping to in-store shopping. Why? It’s easier, faster, usually cheaper and you can do it from the comfort of your own home. Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the early-to-mid-Christmas rush all have people scouring their computers, tablets and smartphones for that perfect purchase. This past Thanksgiving’s online sales totaled $1.1 billion for the day, while Black Friday brought in $1.9 billion. That’s $3 billion in online sales in two days! According to shop.org, you can expect that number to increase to as much as $82 billion during this holiday season.

What This Means For You

This huge influx in online traffic during the holiday season creates the perfect environment for businesses to grab the attention of new customers and further cement their relationships with current customers. The best way to do this is by enhancing, or establishing, a referral program that encourages happy customers to spread the word about you and your products. During the holidays, word-of-mouth marketing is the most cost-efficient method of bringing in new cliental.

The Final Touch

However, in order to get the most out of your referral program, you need to cater to the desires of your audience. Don’t forget why they started shopping online in the first place; it’s quick and easy. By augmenting your referral program with a contact importer widget like CloudSponge, you can ensure that satisfied shoppers will take a moment to refer their friends. With just a few clicks we’ve made referring as quick and easy as the shopping.

So is Christmas a good time for invite-a-freind marketing? The answer is, yes! The increase in consumer spending over the holidays, paired with the large upsurge of online shopping, creates an environment in which your referral-marketing program will thrive. So what are you waiting for?