1.) The costs of Facebook ads increase 55%

Not only are you competing with pictures of puppies in Santa hats, it also becomes more expensive to try to grab customers’ attention during the holidays. Tweet This!

2.) 2012 holiday emails increased 19% from 2011

The number of emails marketers are sending just keeps rising. In fact, consumers estimate that 43% of the emails in their inbox are from marketers. Tweet This!

3.) 93% of all ecommerce retailers will send an email on Cyber Monday

A big chunk of all this emailing is happening during the holiday season which lays claim to the five biggest email days of the year. TweetThis!

4.) 36% of holiday shoppers cite sales and discounts as the driving factor in deciding where to shop

This sale-chasing behavior dominates purchasing decisions during the holidays and puts pressure of retailers on retailers to join the race to the bottom. Tweet This!

5.) The holidays can account for 20-40% of a retailer’s annual sales

For many retailers the holidays make up a substantial chunk of their annual sales. Tweet This!

6.) Analysts expect holiday shopping cart abandonment rates to hit 88% in 2013

Abandonment rates always rise during the holidays and this year it’s predicted to be worse than ever. Tweet This!

7.) 71% of holiday shoppers expect free shipping
Holiday shoppers don’t just want free shipping, they expect free shipping, and they’re willing to go looking for it. Check out the Google Trends chart below showing search volume for “free shipping.” Tweet This!

8.) 47% of holiday shoppers expect free returns

Free shipping goes both ways, nearly half of all holiday shoppers expect retailers to pick up the tab on the return trip as well. Tweet This!

9.) The customer lifetime value of holiday shoppers is 15% lower than year-round customers

No surprise, with all of the factors listed above the customer lifetime value of holiday shoppers is 15% lower than year-round customers. Tweet This!

10.) 23% of shoppers on any given ecommerce store are exclusively holiday shoppers

Benchmarking research across our hundreds of ecommerce clients shows that 23% of shoppers in any given ecommerce store are exclusively holiday shoppers, purchasing only during November and December. Tweet This!

What’s your plan for profitably acquiring and growing this tough (but valuable) segment?