With the arrival of autumn, e-commerce brands in Europe are preparing for the busiest time of the year: Black Friday and Christmas. However, many businesses are not sure they are ready for the holiday season. These data are contemplated in the Electronic Commerce Trends Report (Ecommerce Trend Report 2021) published by Packhelp.
According to data obtained by Packhelp, only 4.5% of Spanish brands start preparing for the Christmas season at the end of the second quarter. August and September are instead the periods in which preparation begins, as stated by 54% of the Spanish brands surveyed. And in 40% of cases, companies postpone their commissioning until the period of October and November. In the European comparison, British companies are the ones that begin to prepare earlier (end of the second quarter).
58% of all Spanish ecommerce surveyed affirm that they have made some preparations for the season, but admit that they are far from being prepared. Only 4% confirm that it is ready for the season.
Top strategies to generate more income during the Christmas season
Although preparation times differ from country to country, strategies to increase sales over the next season revolve around the same tactics: generating brand discovery, enhancing interaction with new audiences, and converting existing customers into brand advocates. and its products. 76% of e-commerce companies in Spain add new products to their portfolio during this season, 55% focus on driving their growth in social networks and 54% redesign or update the online experience for their customers.
When it comes to incentives to convert leads In customers, Spanish brands are committed to including products or novelties as a courtesy when buying a product (52%), offering free shipping (50%) and making discounts on the price (43%). While these are the most popular incentives in the online peninsular market, 2-for-1 offers are more popular in the French and British markets.
Main sales channels to maximize the next high season
Most brands that sell online take a multi-channel approach to reaching their sales goals for the holiday season. While most rely on their own online channel to drive purchases (80%), other channels such as social networks (73%), marketplaces such as Amazon, Etsy, Ebay, etc. (19%) and even physical stores play a relevant role in presenting their products to Christmas shoppers (7%).
As social selling is expected to gain even more traction during the 2021 holiday season, most e-commerce companies are betting big on Instagram to showcase their products (97%). Facebook is the second preferred social media platform (59%), while YouTube (20%) and TikTok and Pinterest (both with 13%) are the channels with the lowest priority.
Packaging for the Christmas season
The study also reveals that the holiday season is the time when more brands invest in fun and festive packaging. 34% of e-commerce companies in Spain say they will change their packaging during the season to include Christmas themes. 55% intend to adapt their standard packaging with some Christmas detail. Like tissue paper or thank you cards. Only 8% of brands will not change or add any special details to their usual packaging.
Regardless of the design, 94% of trading companies electronic in Europe (and 79 % in Spain) are agree that they should offer sustainable parcels. And more than half of the brands surveyed (57%) agree on what they should offer local products or near manufacturing and talk openly about your origin.
Packhelp E-Commerce Trends Report for the 2021 Holiday Season
Packhelp surveyed more than 400 e-commerce companies in Europe to prepare the 2021 E-Commerce Trends Report. Brands responded on how they are preparing for the 2021 holiday season, highlighting key trends in online selling. Packhelp hopes that the results disclosed in this report can help brands on your way to a prosperous end of the year.