If The Matrix was a made for TV business movie, like Pirates of Silicon Valley or Blackberry, the trailer would feature Lawrence Fishburn stating his famous line, with a minor tweak.
What if I told you Q4 seasonality was a Marathon and not a sprint?
Besides the obvious fact that this movie would do very well for USA Network on Sunday aftternoons, this quote also does a tremendous job of encompassing a reality most ecommerce marketers and brand operators forget.
Adobe’s recent Q4 Seasonality Research highlight this with the cold, card facts: 83% of sales during Q4 seasonality, specifically from Thanksgiving Day to Christmas Even, occur after Cyber Monday.
Cyber 5 gets all of the attention. And rightfully so. Those 5 days (and you could probably lump the week or so before Thanksgiving when ecommerce brands are beginning to roll out their big sales), are huge, but the success or failure of Q4 seasonality is actually built on the final 24 days (sometimes more, sometimes less) leading to Christmas Day.
I’ve been working with, as, or for ecommerce brands for 15 years. The story has been consistent since 2010. That means there are tremendous opportunities after Cyber 5 to get even more from the peak season.
Cyber 5 is built on people buying for themselves. They’ve been waiting to load up on consumer electronics, small kitchen appliances and a ton of clothes. Carts and AOVs are huge. Conversion rates, which died for about a week leading up to the sale, have spiked when the sale hits. Email becomes a top channel.
Post Cyber 5 shopping behavior is different.
Cart size shrinks. Same with AOVs. New customer acquisition jumps. Conversion rates spike. Demographics probably flip on their heads. Email tanks. Why? Because people are suddenly buying things for other people. Things they think they’ll like. Things under a dollar amount. Things someone wrote on a list.
So how do you ensure you’ve got your ducks in a row after the Cyber 5 push? We’ve put together a guide for the Other 24 Days. Plus, we’ve made all of the to-dos, tips and recommendations into importable action items. Just choose the project management tool of your choice on the download page!
A couple of notable call outs from the resource.
- Cyber Monday is in November this year, not December.
- Giving Tuesday is the Tuesday immediately after Cyber Monday.
- The Monday’s leading to your last ship day are your peaks. Sometimes as big as Cyber Monday (depending on the offers).
- Guaranteed delivery matters more than price to gift shoppers.
Check out the entire resource and wishing you all of the best this Cyber 5 AND the Other 24 Days!
