Online Sales Rise 30 Percent On Cyber Monday


The results are in and the popularity of online shopping continues to rise. It’s a clear sign to businesses already expanding into online sales that they are on the right track. And for companies who do only limited online marketing and sales or…gasp…none at all, it’s a warning that you could be missing out big! We’ll be looking at the results of Cyber Monday, a day set aside to promote online shopping for businesses large and small, and at some tips we all might consider when bringing our A game to the new online business space. Check it out!

The New Shopping Experience

The sky’s the limit. There seems no end in sight for the growth of online sales as total revenue rose by 30 percent on Cyber Monday. The growth was a bit below last year’s 33 percent rise, but experts think this may be due to the ever increasing window of online discounts, some extending beyond the designated online shopping day, causing some customers to spread out their purchases and not buy all at once. Either way, it’s a clear sign there’s money to be made online. The Wall Street Journal

A mobile revolution. This was clearly the year for shopping via smartphone or tablet. In fact, PayPal, which tracks the kind of transactions passing through its service, says mobile purchases, distinguished here from online purchases in general, were up by an incredible 190 percent over 2011. There’s no doubt mobile shopping is becoming the norm. It’s time to make sure your Web presence is ready and able to handle the customers of the future. They’ll be visiting your store not in the flesh or on a PC, but from a mobile device while on the move. Quartz

Social left behind? If you’re wondering what role social media played in all this hoopla, well, as Tricia Duryee reports, it’s a bit complicated. You see, while data shows that sites like Etsy, which reported its strongest sales in its seven year history, received most of its customers via mobile devices, it also shows that almost none of those visitors came from social media at all. But wait a minute! Before you count Facebook and Twitter out, remember that social traffic can be harder to follow. So some of those purchases may have started with social referrals from friends, though this can be more difficult to measure. All Things Digital

Online Sales Survival

Always stay engaged. While data may indicate social media is not the prime driver for online sales, this doesn’t mean you should ignore social tools entirely when trying to improve your virtual store. Take page rank with search engines, for example. In a recent post, SEO copywriter Rachel O’Riordan explains how a recent study by Search Engine Optimization and digital design company Tasty Placement shows social media has very definite impact on page ranking with Google. But as it turns out, not all social media channels are created equal. Mission Imblogable

How to beat Amazon. When trying to get your piece of the online sales pie, it seems obvious that online retailer Amazon is the one to beat. Many small online businesses may assume that trying to outrank an Amazon page on Google is an unrealistic goal. Online marketing expert Tom Shivers doesn’t agree. Watch a video about ranking against Amazon by Google’s Matt Cutts. Then, read Shivers’ ideas for doing Amazon one better with a simple strategy that should bring a better Google ranking against stiff competition. Capture Commerce

Spread the Word

LinkedIn leverage. And if you’re looking for one more place to highlight the product or service you offer online, LinkedIn can be another great option. You may never have thought of sharing your products or services on LinkedIn. If that’s the case, you’ll want to read this blog post and watch the video tutorial as new media strategist Jacob Curtis shows you how LinkedIn’s new products and services tab provides a whole new option for getting customers’ attention. Social Media Tutorials

The real deal. You can’t develop better online sales without taking a look at your online marketing first. PR and marketing expert Marsha Friedman warns that the most important quality to keep in mind when doing this marketing is authenticity. Nothing will turn your online customers off faster than becoming part of the “fakeosphere.” If you want to know how to create more authentic online marketing to boost your sales, don’t miss Marsha’s full post. EMSI

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  1. Thanks for linking back to my tutorial video. I’m happy you included my Linkedin Products and Services guide into your article. I agree it is often overlooked, but can be very lucrative if done right!

  2. Great roundup. I’m not surprised to see this increase in cyber Monday sales. What with the havoc of Black Friday, it was nearly inevitable.