An analysis of online order data conducted by James and James eCommerce Fulfilment reveals that online retail sales in November will overtake December this year, while Christmas Day will grow as an important shopping day.
2018 Holidays Sales Forecast
The newly released infographic reveals that this year’s Christmas day will be one of the biggest shopping days alongside Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Green Monday.
But November online sales could grow nearly 60 percent year-on-year since Black Friday to Cyber Monday deals are spread out throughout the month. This essentially makes November a bigger shopping month compared to December.
You can also expect a spike in online purchases on Friday Dec. 21 that could be fueled by panic as it is the last day for guaranteed Christmas Eve delivery.
And while the long Black Friday and Cyber Monday period is good news for online retailers, James and James co-founder James Hyde agrees that the spike in orders can be a headache to retailers.
“Not only do they now have to prepare for all of the key shopping dates in November, they have to run their operations at full capacity throughout the festive break and into January, as consumers’ appetite for mobile shopping deals – and the returns this creates – grows.”
What this essentially means is that you need to be ready by November. You need to have plenty of products in stock, review your operations to ensure things run smoothly and you could as well take the stress out of peak season by letting someone else handle storage, pick and pack and returns. You also need to decide when you will offer your deals. Do you want to run with the herd and offer Black Friday to Cyber Monday promotions? Or do you want to try something different?
Below is the complete James and James infographic.
Image:James and James eCommerce Fulfilment