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Retailers Gearing Up For Holiday’s With Social Media

The National Retail Federation (NRF) released a survey this morning which stated that more online retailers are gearing up for the upcoming holiday season, and will be using social media too attract consumers.  This comes after the NRF reported on Tuesday, that they anticipate holiday shoppers to spend about 3.2% less than they spent last year, averaging about $682 a person.

The new survey said that over 47% of online retailers who were polled stated they would be increasing the use of their social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, realizing that shoppers are continuously on those sites, and that using these tools could be more effective.  Just over 60% said they have created or beefed up the companies Facebook page, while 59% have done that with Twitter.  And 66% of online retailers have added and improved on their company blog.

The NRF also reported online retailers are trying to entice shoppers to purchase items online with offering free shipping.  In fact, just over 79% of companies said they would offer free shipping with conditions and 57% said they would offer free shipping without conditions.  With that said, consumers will most likely have to check out the social networking sites for exclusive sales and discounts that they won’t be able to find in the newspapers or at the store.

“Retailers know that times are tough, so they have created promotions and incentives to help Americans save money this holiday season,” said Scott Silverman, executive director of Shop.org. “From free shipping to Facebook, online retailers are combining new initiatives with tried-and-true tactics to make their companies stand out.”

More shoppers plan to shop online this year than compared to year’s past according to MarketLive and the E-Tailing Group who released a report on Tuesday about consumers planning to shop online this holiday season.  In fact about 55% of shoppers surveyed said they would be doing some if not all of their holiday shopping online, which is a dramatic increase from last year where only 49% of shoppers purchased items online.