13 Exciting Holiday Marketing Statistics from Inbound Ecommerce Marketers

Ecommerce had a big Cyber Monday this year all around - shattering records set in 2012. However, ecommerce companies who practiced year-round inbound marketing instead of just executing holiday campaigns saw a staggering increase in traffic and sales. We surveyed data from ecommerce companies blogging and engaging regularly in social media, and the results are very exciting.

Our CEO, Brian Halligan once said, “The way we shop and buy things has fundamentally changed”. I absolutely love that quote. More and more consumers are choosing to not stand out in the cold for a deal on their favorite product on Black Friday. Instead they want to shop from the comfort of their home and enjoy the beauty of ecommerce.

In our previous post, we highlighted that the average number of visits to inbound ecommerce websites on Cyber Monday grew 102% in 2013. However, the statistics from the Thanksgiving week show an even stronger result for inbound ecommerce websites.

1) Average direct traffic saw an increase of 61% Y-o-Y. (Tweet This Stat!)

2) Email marketing as a source of visits grew 217% Y-o-Y. (Tweet This Stat!)

3) Source of visitors from social media experienced an average increase of 50% Y-o-Y. (Tweet This Stat!)

4) Organic search for inbound ecommerce websites grew by 113% Y-o-Y. (Tweet This Stat!)

5) Average number of visits to an inbound ecommerce website grew 73% in 2013. (Tweet This Stat!)

6) Average number of contacts gained during Thanksgiving Week'13 increased by 254% Y-o-Y. (Tweet This Stat!)

7) Average number of customers during Thanksgiving Week’13 increased by 220% Y-o-Y. (Tweet This Stat!)

8) The average visit-to-contact ratio during Thanksgiving Week’13 increased by 104% Y-o-Y. (Tweet This Stat!)

9) The average visit-to-customer ratio during Thanksgiving Week’13 increased by 85% Y-o-Y. (Tweet This Stat!)

But, what is even more compelling is when you compare the Y-o-Y increase in traffic for Cyber Monday with Thanksgiving Week.

10) Average direct traffic to inbound ecommerce websites was 29% more on Cyber Monday than during the Thanksgiving Week. (Tweet This Stat!)

11) Paid searches for inbound ecommerce websites was 50% less on Cyber Monday than during the Thanksgiving Week. (Tweet This Stat!)

12) Organic search for inbound ecommerce websites was 32% more on Cyber Monday than during the Thanksgiving Week. (Tweet This Stat!)

13) Volume of visitors from social media was 258% more on Cyber Monday than during the Thanksgiving Week. (Tweet This Stat!)

As an inbound ecommerce marketer, these numbers are extremely satisfying and make me really happy. These stats emphasize the importance of creating lovable experiences for your customers that will drive them to you. Interrupting your customers or paying for their attention will not help you in creating lifetime relationships with them. 

So as you plan for your final push this holiday season, keep Customer Delightion as your focus.