An interesting set of survey figures that may spark an opportunity

November and December are good days for online shopping. In the United States, a handful of dates each year are the big online shopping days, and if your business faces the US market these deserve attention and a precise promotional plan.

24 November, Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a day every American takes seriously, and buying and giving gifts is a given. In 2015, Thanksgiving online shopping rose 25%, an increase of US$173 million.

25 November, Black Friday

Close to year end, and after Americans have been paid at the end of the month, Black Friday is the day people shop frantically. In 2015, Black Friday online shopping rose 35.8%, totalling US$164 million.

28 November, Cyber Monday

Designated by the US retail association to encourage online shopping. In 2015, Cyber Monday online shopping reached US$310 million. Amazon recorded 24.1% growth across the Thanksgiving-to-Cyber-Monday window in 2015.

5 December, Manic Monday

Everyone rushes to buy Christmas gifts while stock lasts.

25 December, Christmas Day

Every physical store is closed, yet on this important day half of all customers are still shopping online.

26 December, Boxing Day

The appetite for shopping is still strong. In 2014, online shopping that day was 47% higher than in 2013.

Christmas Eve, by contrast, is the quietest moment of the season for online shopping.

One more thing worth knowing: mobile online shopping grew 59% in 2015, an increase of US$500 million. Over the holidays, 40% of shopping site traffic comes from smartphones.

These results are genuinely encouraging — and they came out of planning, from retailers who were already running heavy email marketing back in October 2015.