This November and December, holiday spending is predicted to reach $692 Billion. In a recent poll, 41% of consumers plan on spending more money on gifts than they did last year, adding up to a hefty $10 Billion dollar increase in sales.

Your business, big or small, should be prepared and doing all that it can to benefit from this growth.

So, here’s some HB advice to follow, along with 2016 trends to be aware of.

200 Million people are using ad blockers in an all-out quest to beg brands to be less intrusive. One of the very best things you can do this season is partner with a trusted advocate in your industry or community to drive your message home to a targeted audience. For example, if you’re running a small retail clothing store, consider teaming up with a local television network to feature a ‘best looks of the season’ segment. Bottom line, think about how you can get in front of your audience in a more organic way, they’ll love you for it.

Monitor your online reviews and Customer Service very very carefully. 80% of shoppers checked product reviews and ratings before making a purchase. Trust is huge. Go online, check out the conversation and reviews surrounding your brand and make sure that you’re setting yourself up for success. Customers are doing the majority of their research online so remember how important every single customer is and treat them as such. 90% of consumers believe an online review is more important than getting input from a salesperson.

Have you identified your influencers? Here’s why you should: For every $1 spent on influencers, you should see $6.85 in return. 65% of shoppers use social media to find a gift and look to Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and their favorite blogs for suggestions. Your influencers should be authentic voices in your industry and have a solid following built from organic content that’s interesting, relevant and helpful. It is absolutely worth investing in Influencer based Marketing and doing it NOW.

The 2016 Shopping Season is longer than ever. Sales started as early as September and will extend into the new year. As a result, the emphasis on major shopping days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday are beginning to lessen. In fact, why not create your own important shopping day (or weekend) with deals your customers simply can’t refuse.

Everything is going mobile. We can’t stress enough how important it is to create a seamless mobile shopping experience for your customers. Mobile will hit an all-time high this year and mobile engagement and purchases will outpace desktop purchases by more than 50%.

For even more tips and Holiday Marketing help, reach out to us at ideas@heilbrice.com or call 949.336.8800.

‘Tis the season to get going! HEILBrice is here to help.