Social Media is the No.1 Marketing Option for Card & Gift Retailers

A recent survey of more than 300 retailers revealed thatCard & Gift NetworkSocial media was found to be the most effective online marketing tool for the giftware and greetings card industry. Card & Gift Network founderCharlotte BiggsRecently, I conducted a year-long research project to find out how giftware and greeting card companies promoted themselves online.

Charlotte said of the project: "With a better understanding about how the industry promotes itself online, we are able to measure our efforts against the best practice of professional marketers, and find new ways of improving."

The research's first part has been published. It revealed some surprising results about how greetings businesses and gift businesses market themselves differently to traditional marketing agencies. This research examined the marketing channels that card and gift businesses use online.

Charlotte analyzed data from 343 retailers and found that social media was the most used form of marketing.

• 88% of the businesses surveyed used between 1-7 social media channels for promoting their gift products and greeting cards.

• 75% of respondents said that marketing efforts were focused on one or four channels. The most popular were Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram.

• These social media channels were most popular with 71% of them having a Facebook business page.

Charlotte comments on the first findings and says that "the popularity of social media shows that the industry is forward-thinking and open to new technologies to reach customers."

These numbers are higher than any other online marketing channels. __S.16__

• 47% of 343 companies that were analyzed had a blog to promote their brand.

• 48% of respondents used email marketing, despite it being the most popular method for professional marketers.

• Only 15% (52) of companies used "Pay Per Click" paid advertising to promote their businesses in the past year.

Charlotte was positive after reviewing the first set data. "The research so far has shown that online marketing is a great option for gift and card retailers. However, for most of them there are still many marketing strategies that they could use to reach new customers or sell more online.

She says, "Many small businesses that I mentor are stuck with eCommerce and online marketing." This research suggests that many companies have more options than they realize.

This is only one part of the research project. In the coming weeks, more detailed research will be published that examines each of the marketing strategies (blogging and email, paid ads pr, SEO, social media) in greater detail.

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Digitizing the Impulse Buy

Impulse purchases are a common occurrence for retailers. Unplanned purchases account for 40% of consumer spending. Nearly everyone will make a spontaneous purchase once in a while. Impulse buys are actually on the rise. Unplanned splurges are on the rise due to a better economy, higher employment rates, changing consumer habits, and rising consumer confidence.

Research shows that millennials are more likely to make impulse purchases than any other age group. Impulse purchases are more common in women than they are for men. Men are more likely to impulse buy, however. During their entire lives, the average American will spend more than $110,000 on impulse purchases.

It is clear that impulse sales are a key part of any retailer's business. Online retailers are missing out on a lot of impulse sales. Online shopping is growing as well as spontaneous purchases. But, impulse purchases are still most common in-store. Even shoppers who make impulse purchases regularly in-store are less likely than those who shop online to make these kinds of purchases. This is what keeps this aspect of shopping from being translated into the digital realm.

Submission

Impulse buys are driven by emotion, not logic or reason. Brick and mortar shops use all senses, including smell, touch and lighting, to make sales. Particularly, smell is linked to memory. Certain scents can trigger memories or recall specific events. Unplanned purchases of scented products like candles and perfumes are common. Abercrombie & Fitch, for example, have a distinctive scent that wafts through their stores at all times. This is because scent and emotion are closely linked. The physical touch of products can also influence purchasing decisions. The likelihood of purchasing a product increases when you feel like you own it.

Online shoppers cannot touch or smell products. Well, at least not yet. There are however other ways to appeal to shoppers' emotions. FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) is a powerful emotion in today's social media-driven society. Display the information proudly on your website if a product is receiving rave reviews or record sales. You can also connect Instagram to your site, and feature photos that your company has been tagged in. Other shoppers will love your products if they see you.

Online retailers use urgency-inducing tactics that are difficult to duplicate in brick and mortar stores. It is easy to create urgency by offering limited-time sales. Be sure to inform shoppers if certain products are out of stock. Flashy graphics and bold colors can reinforce the urgency of a purchase.

Instant Gradification

Impulse purchases are emotionally driven and all about making the customer feel good. It is important to be able to pick up the item right away. Online shoppers are discouraged from buying impulsively by waiting for their orders to arrive in the mail. Etailers can counter this by offering express shipping discounts or free shipping when you purchase certain items on sale.

Entry Requirements

For impulse purchases, it is easier to shop brick and mortar than for small, single-purchases. The most important factor in deciding whether to buy is the price. This applies even to impulse purchases. Ecommerce sellers have good news. It is possible that you will never be able express ship a $2 item free of charge, but that is perfectly acceptable. Brick and mortar customers must first visit a store to make that $2 purchase. Shoppers can be enticed by online retailers offering promotions and deals via email and social media. By offering limited-time discounts, etailers can create a similar impulse situation.

Brick and mortar might still hold a stronghold in impulse buying in an increasingly digital world. However, ecommerce sellers can play to shoppers emotions and create a sense urgency by offering quick delivery and deep discounts.