Although 98% of online merchants are expecting growth in holiday season sales this year, 86% of retailers won’t begin their online holiday promotions until after Halloween -- nearly a month after many consumers start their online holiday shopping in early October, Shop.org and BizRate reported today in their Online Holiday Mood Study.
"Online shoppers seem to be leading the charge to start the holiday season earlier every year," said Scott Silverman, executive director of Shop.org. The survey notes that 53% of online shoppers plan to begin their holiday shopping this year by early October, when only 14% of merchants will have launched their online holiday promotions.
"Online retailers who wait until November to begin holiday promotions might miss out on sales opportunities," Silverman says.
Chuck Davis, CEO of BizRate, adds that late online promotions can also hurt store sales, since many store shoppers use the web to research products before making purchases.
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