Christmas peak categories and start times for 2013
By David Trolle | Wednesday 2nd October 2013Retail’s Christmas Peak
Knowing when Christmas shopping begins for the whole range of categories is vital for retailers planning for Christmas peak.
Peak is the most important time of year for retailers – it can make or break a business’s year – so it’s vital to take advantage of as much data as possible.
So, in this week’s Retail Buzz, we discuss when peak starts and then drill down to when the season starts for individual categories.
Dave Trolle, Head of Direct Response at online retail marketing and Ecommerce specialist Summit, sets out insight his teams have picked up from their research, including data from clients.
Peak Start Times for Five Key Categories
Looking back over the past 5 years we can see that peak starts earlier and earlier, but when exactly?
In the UK, shoppers expect to see Christmas advertising and products on shelves after the Back to School promotions and before Halloween, but even then, they still grumble!
Some retailers get it wrong however. See the Co-op’s Christmas-themed summer TV ad, for example. Others get it just right and hit the nail on the head (eg. Tesco).
When it comes to key categories, this is what Summit specialists have determined:
Peak Start Times for Five Key Categories
Watch our other Peak Season Videos
- Top 4 tips for retailers preparing for January sales
- Advice for retailers facing Christmas product returns
- How to succeed in Christmas marketing on multiple devices
- Essential retargeting techniques for Christmas retailers
- How retailers can benefit from conversion lag at Christmas
- Retailers plan for Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals
