Page 26 - AeM_Nov_2018

BEST PRACTICES & STRATEGIES

Meltwater’s tips on how to supercharge

holiday sales through social media

A new report from Meltwater, titled E-commerce in SEA: this. To reduce friction in ecommerce, brands must
Supercharging Holiday Sales Through Social Media, leverage cross-device data to stay on top of
analyzed consumer sentiment during the year-end shoppers’ needs and foster even deeper
shopping period last year to help ecommerce companies connections.
better reach their audiences.
2. Start holiday marketing early: Meltwater’s data
The report found that Christmas shopping pulled in shows that consumers start discussing their
56.6% of chatter, while Black Friday represented 22.5% holiday shopping well in advance. The brands that
of buzz. Fast-growing Singles’ Day – a shopping holiday captured the most share of voice and positive
started by internet company Alibaba in 2009 – is credited sentiment are those that reached shoppers as
with kicking off the nearly two-month shopping period early as October with targeted offerings and
and accounted for 20.9% of social media conversations. promotions. There’s a lot at stake for retailers
during the holiday season and leaving advertising
ithin the region, Indonesia drove the highest volume of till the very end could cost dearly.
conversations (57%), which isn’t surprising considering
the country’s increased internet penetration and 3. Focus on personalized promotions: We already
smartphone usage in recent years. Philippines and know that one size does not fit all. According to
Malaysia represented 30% and 12% respectively, while Epsilon Research, 80% of consumers are more
Singapore brought in 1% of the buzz. likely to do business with a company if it offers a
personalized experience. By leveraging data,
While the top brands varied from country to country, it’s retailers can better understand individual shopper
clear that the marketplace model emerged the real behaviors and attitudes to make personalized and
winner. In Singapore, Amazon dominated social media relevant offers, which will move the needle on their
with 51% of online conversations; Shopee led the buzz business.
in Indonesia; Qoo10 was the most talked about in the
Philippines; and Lazada emerged triumphant in 4. Reward loyal customers: In the quest for new
Malaysia. customers, do not neglect loyal ones. Satisfied
consumers are more likely to bring repeat
Most importantly, the report holds useful tips for business. Using purchase history, online and social
marketers that help to fulfill consumers’ high behavior, brands can engage and reward
expectations, stating brands must: customers, resulting in deeper loyalty and genuine
one-to-one relationships.
1. Leverage data: Holiday shopping can be stressful
and leave consumers feeling overwhelmed. Since the festive e-commerce market in Southeast
Thankfully, technology has made it easier for Asia is worth billions of dollars, we can just
consumers to research, discover and purchase recommend trying to meet your consumers’ demands
products from the comforts of their homes. However, and expectations, besides considering Meltwater’s
there are challenges here, too, such as slow website simple tips. ◊
loading and clunky point-of-sale systems that ruin By MediaBUZZ
the customer experience. According to research
from the Boston Consulting Group, businesses in
Asia Pacific are losing vast amounts of business to
the tune of US$325 billion each year because of

26 November 2018 - Email Marketing & E-Commerce