G/O Digital Study Reveals How Consumers Shop for the Holidays in 2015

PHOENIX, Aug. 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- G/O Digital, the leader in local, integrated digital marketing services, released its latest research report: Holiday Purchasing Habits: A Digital Advantage for Local Businesses. The report, which surveyed more than 1,000 U.S. consumers who research holiday purchases online, confirms that small businesses need to execute a digital marketing plan early to make a big impact this holiday season. The full report can be downloaded from G/O Digital's website.

According to the study, 62 percent of respondents go straight to search engines when researching gifts for the holiday season and more than three-quarters of respondents look online for holiday shopping deals and discounts. They stay closer to home with the majority of respondents staying within 10 miles of where they live.

When it comes to holiday purchases, consumers prefer to shop at businesses that have the best discounts and promotions, regardless of business size, though discounts of 15 percent or more will draw holiday shoppers in-store.

Additional findings from the study include:

• Consideration starts before November. Almost half of respondents, 47 percent, say they start thinking about what they'll purchase this holiday season before November.
• Almost everyone researches online before shopping in-store. 71 percent of respondents say they always or often research a product online before shopping in-store, while less than one percent never research online prior to heading in-store.
• Email is the most effective platform to bring people from online to in-store. When asked on which platform they are most likely to see a promotion from a local business and click on it, 51 percent said email.
• Purchases from Facebook ads are growing. Almost one third of respondents said they purchased an item from a local business based on an advertisement they saw on Facebook.

The study, Holiday Purchasing Habits: A Digital Advantage for Local Businesses, was fielded from June 19 through July 8, 2015 and garnered a total of 1,013 responses from U.S. consumers, ages 18-65, who have researched products online prior to shopping in-store for the holiday season.

G/O Digital will be hosting a webinar on August 26, sharing the study's findings and giving actionable tips to local businesses to prepare their marketing strategy for the upcoming holiday shopping season.

About G/O Digital
At G/O Digital, we understand that marketing can no longer be limited to traditional advertising methods and that digital integration is the future. We understand that the conversation between consumers and businesses has changed and will continue to evolve, and our team of digital marketing specialists has the expertise to meet these changes head on.

Boost leads, retain customers and grow your business with G/O Digital's team of digital marketing specialists.

For more information, visit godigitalmarketing.com.

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SOURCE G/O Digital

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