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chevron-downChristmas is the most important time of the year for retailers, and digital is fast becoming the most important channel. Let Facebook be your festive helper, and use these five simple steps to connect with all the people who matter to you this season.
Step 1: DISCOVERY
With 93% of people in the UK owning or using a mobile phone, it’s no surprise that Christmas is now a mobile-first holiday on Facebook. In fact, 25m people log on to Facebook on a mobile device every day in the UK, and 78% of all Christmas content in 2014 was uploaded via mobile. What’s more, Christmas is the most engaged time of the year on Facebook. Last year saw 32m actions taken every day on the platform – 10% more than on an average day. That makes the mobile News Feed the perfect place to reach a massive audience with your seasonal messages.
Step 2: CONSIDERATION
A Facebook poll found that 48% of women and 33% of men start their Christmas shopping in November. And many of them are turning to Facebook to discuss gift ideas with friends and family. Christmas shopping chatter on Facebook is driven by women, who make up 78% of the audience, with the majority of them 18-34 years old.
When it comes to looking for inspiration, a recent poll found that 48% of Facebook users in the UK will look online to decide which gifts they should buy this year. Facebook was deemed over twice as likely to be used for gift or shopping inspiration compared to other social media platforms, and over twice as likely to be used to seek advice about what to buy compared to other social media platforms.
Step 3: CONVERSION
Did you know that last year, mobile sales on Black Friday grew by over 35%, while mobile devices accounted for over a third of all sales on Cyber Monday? And this year, more people than ever will be shopping online. In fact, 70% of Facebook users in the UK say they will make more purchases online this year than last year, while 43% say they will make more purchases on a mobile or tablet than last year.
We can even use Facebook data to understand when people are actually shopping online. By looking at websites that have a Facebook conversion pixel installed, we learned that 51% of all purchases from people logged into Facebook during Christmas 2014 occurred on desktop, with 38% from smartphones and 11% from tablets. But we also saw that mobile becomes more important in December. Monday is the biggest day for UK shoppers, with 19% of overall buys and 21% of mobile buys. Black Friday was the biggest day of the year but Cyber Monday and Manic Monday are both key dates, too.
Step 4: Sharing is caring
Sharing is an essential part of the Christmas spirit – and Facebook is people’s destination of choice to post their thoughts, memories and experiences. In fact, 45% of Facebook users in the UK say they will share their Christmas experiences on Facebook and Instagram. And they will mostly do it via mobile – 87% of Christmas greetings in 2014 were posted via mobile, along with 78% of photo posts and 79% of video posts.
Step 5: Expand to Instagram
Facebook offers a full range of products and tools to help you reach the people that matter to your business, but did you know you can now connect with customers on Instagram, too?
Instagram is the biggest visual communication platform in the world with 400m monthly users globally and 14m monthly users in the UK. It is where people come to discover their passions and share their interests. In a recent survey, we learned that 76% of Instagram users agree that it makes interesting, inspiring and creative things available to everyone, and 53% come to Instagram to seek out new content – including from the brands they love.
Instagram ads are now available for all advertisers in the UK, and can be used alongside Facebook for maximum reach and impact – especially with younger audiences who are driving Christmas shopping online.
As more people than ever prepare to shop online this Christmas, make sure Facebook and Instagram are a key part of your festive strategy. Whether your objective is brand awareness, online sales or driving people into a store, we have the tools and tactics to help.
For more information, visit our Christmas content hub on the Facebook for Business Small Business Store to download our Top Tips and complete Holiday Preparation Guide now.
