The holiday shopping cycle is becoming a year-round phenomenon. As Elizabeth Timmis, director, content marketing for digital media and marketing agency Stella Rising pointed out in a recent article, with Prime Day now a July fixture, brands are seeking to engage the increasing number of year-round holiday shoppers who shop this way, whether to stretch out purchases or feel less stressed during November and December.

Timmis recommended that brands need to recover quickly from July sales and amp up their Q4 efforts, adding that the 2019 holiday retail season presents a paradox: higher anticipated sales in a shorter period. “This year will likely be a mad rush for those brands that do not get ahead of the game or solely bank on the Thanksgiving through Christmas period,” she said.

Timmis observed that for many consumers, the holiday shopping season starts right now. “While November and December are still blockbuster months for retail spending, there are important pockets of consumers looking for deals year-round. In-season consumer are also demanding more: they wish for omnichannel options, unique items, and delightful experiences. Compounding this, for 2019 the traditional holiday shopping window is much shorter—a critical factor that brands need to plan for immediately. For the brands that do, significant rewards are expected, as holiday retail sales are anticipated to climb by almost $20 billion over 2018,” she concluded.

Source: Stella Rising