New Oneupweb Study Uncovers Surprising Online Retail Holiday Sales Trends

November 6, 2008; 07:15 AM

Traverse City, MI (PRWEB) November 6, 2008 -- The weather is turning colder and the last of the Halloween candy has been marked 50% off. But according to Oneupweb's latest study, this doesn't signal a drop-off in sales, but rather the beginning of the online holiday shopping season. And it's a season that won't end until after December 25.

"We found that while consumers begin their holiday shopping around Halloween, sales actually hit their peak in 2007 one week before Christmas," says Oneupweb Founder and CEO Lisa Wehr. "This late-season peak could be more prominent in 2008 due to the recent economic downturn, making it even more important that e-commerce retailers be ready for the long haul."

Oneupweb compiled data from e-commerce companies covering apparel, jewelry, athletic equipment, home decor, gifts and more to determine when consumers really start their holiday shopping, when they are most likely to make a purchase and when the most important time to reach them is. The result is their new study entitled 2007 Holiday Online Retail Buying Trends: A Study of the Consumer Behavior Online During the 2007 Holiday Season and What You Can Expect in 2008. The study encompasses the actions of more than 1 million unique consumers and reveals some important information:

• Holiday traffic and conversions start well before Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
• Traffic close to the holidays is most likely to lead to a purchase
• The week of December 10-16 experienced the highest amount of traffic, but isn't the highest sales week.

"What this information reaffirms is that the online landscape changes rapidly according to economic sentiment and current events," explains Wehr. "Those retailers that will be successful in 2008 will be pro-active, starting their online marketing campaigns early and following through with time-sensitive sales and continuous communication such as e-mail and social media marketing."

The complete study can be found at OneUpWeb.com.

About Oneupweb
Oneupweb has been an innovator in digital marketing for more than a decade, creating integrated online marketing plans that include natural search engine optimization (SEO), paid search marketing (PPC), conversion improvement and analytics, podcast production, social media marketing, online media planning and placement and search marketing consultation for in-house marketing teams. Oneupweb was recently named a Top 20 Search Marketing Agency by Advertising Age, and CEO Lisa Wehr is recognized as an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year. The company publishes an award-winning blog and podcast entitled StraightUpSearch. Oneupweb is a privately held company located in Traverse City, Michigan. For more information on Oneupweb, please call 231.922.9977 or visit http://www.oneupweb.com.