As we return to the office after a long holiday weekend and begin to dig out our inboxes, it is impossible not to notice the huge increase in email volume last week tied to Black Friday. Black Friday has been... More

As we return to the office after a long holiday weekend and begin to dig out our inboxes, it is impossible not to notice the huge increase in email volume last week tied to Black Friday. Black Friday has been a key sales day for retailers for years and typically sets the tone for the holiday season, but it is also clear that email marketers have embraced this event and used it to drive significant revenue growth.
 
According to ShopperTrak, retail sales rose .5% for Black Friday compared to 2008, but Online sales surged. According to an NRF survey, one-fourth of Americans shopping over the weekend (28.5%) were shopping online. Comscore reported that consumers spent $595 billion online, or 11% more than they spent in 2008.

Notable trends:

• Increased message frequency - experienced email marketers know they need to contact their customers more frequently during the holiday season to stay well positioned in the inbox and to keep hot deals top of mind. On average I received 3-5 emails from my favorite brands last week.
• Sales started early - many Black Friday sales started as early as Tuesday, and "doorbusters" were available online in the early evening on Thursday
• Free shipping isn't enough - most email marketers combined free shipping with 10-25% discounts
• Coupons are important - visits to coupon sites grew 17 percent versus a year ago to 3.3 million visitors
• Consumers still like their circulars - A study conducted by Deloitte before Thanksgiving found that 40% of consumers were still going to turn to print to get their deal info, and many etailers like Target, Dick's Sporting Goods, and ToysRUs acknowledged this preference by including links to the circulars in their email messages
• Mobile is making an impact - PayPal is reporting that mobile online payments surged nearly 650% compared to last year, and TheFind reported a 120% year over year surge in search queries on Black Friday.
• More marketers used social media to reach out to consumers with Facebook and Twitter promotions heading the list, and more consumers used their social networks to arm themselves with research prior to making in-store and online purchases

Brace yourself! Today is Cyber Monday and your inbox is bound to get another serious workout.
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In September,  I worked with our sister company, ORC to conduct a  consumer survey on their use of social media in planning for the upcoming holiday season. Not surprisingly, we found a flurry of social activities - checking Facebook pages... More

In September,  I worked with our sister company, ORC to conduct a  consumer survey on their use of social media in planning for the upcoming holiday season. Not surprisingly, we found a flurry of social activities - checking Facebook pages for gift ideas, checking out Twitter deals, and finding ratings and reviews will all be part of Holiday planning for 2009. Here's some of our research highlights on consumer behavior

Consumers are finding gift ideas from Facebook and other social networks. Let's face it - it sort of ruins the surprise if you ask "So what do you want for the holidays?' Instead our survey found that 27% of online shoppers who used social networks also planned to check out friends and family profile pages to get ideas for what to give this holiday season. By checking Facebook profiles and fan pages - there's a little less guesswork without ruining the surprise.  

Consumers are increasingly researching gift ideas online. Nearly one-half (45%) of the group surveyed will use social networks to research items, compare prices and look for offers. Additionally, 20% of those surveyed will look to blogs for gift ideas. While consumers may go direct, an increasing number will also look elsewhere for ideas and research products before purchasing - all without leaving their home.

Consumers look to Social Networks for deals. About one-fifth of online holiday buyers are specifically looking to social networks for exclusive deals or free shipping. This means the message might not just be PPC buys, online ads, and website promotions. Instead offers should include messaging through social networks.

What it all means - Consumers increasingly are deciding when where and how they would like to engage with a brand. That means to marketers ensuring a consistent message at different consumer touch points, and having relevant offers in multiple channels. If you haven't done so already, create a Facebook page, so that consumers can associate themselves with you. Integrate rating and reviews on your website, and in email campaigns, so that consumers can research their purchasing decision without leaving your site. Finally, make sure to extend offers to relevant social media channels - like Twitter or Facebook.Together, these tactics can ensure your brand stays top of mind as consumers plan for last minute holiday purchases.

But hey, don't just read it here - check out eMarketers' take. Less

The best computing solutions are patterned after biology - they have the ability to quickly adapt and learn in response to stimulus. Similarly, some of the most intriguing musical performances have the same qualities More

Like all biological life forms, they have the innate ability to quickly adapt to their surroundings in response to stimulus.  To adapt, but also learn and evolve.

By comparison, the best computing solutions are patterned after biology - they have the ability to quickly adapt and learn in response to stimulus.  Similarly, some of the most intriguing musical performances have the same qualities.

Take for example, the song "Quadrant 4", from Billy Cobham's Spectrum album. (Go to iTunes and download it, then continue.)  The song is based on one of the most familiar, basic patterns in music: the blues.  Yet the four musicians take this most basic of formats, blues in 4/4 time (four beats to a measure), and twist it into something entirely new - largely in response to each other - all at breakneck speed.

The first minute is an improvised keyboard and drums segment.  The ambidextrous drummer, Billy Cobham, plays like a speeding locomotive: both feet and hands churning away with mind-boggling speed and precision.  At the 0:57 second mark, you'll hear him and the keyboardist playfully mimic each other as they head into the main section of the song.

At the 2:50 mark, you'll hear a perfect example of adaptation in response to stimulus - the guitarist goes off on a rhythmic and melodic tangent, and the drummer instantly adapts in a very complex 6-second game of "follow the leader".   Not something you could exactly predict, or maybe even understand, but the result? "Wow."

In the end, what they did was take a familiar structure (4/4 blues), adapt it in real time, and create something deeply personalized and compelling on the spot.

An elite few interactive marketing software solutions have this same ability: to take something basic and familiar (an email marketing message, website, microsite, social media communication, etc.), receive real-time campaign feedback stimulus, and then adapt, learn and continually evolve it - all in real time, at breakneck speed.  Yesmail has such a solution, one that has received a patent for its universal ability to dynamically adapt and learn as it personalizes interactive media channel content. Examples of this real-time "situational awareness" stimuli that can be received from the targeted audience are:

- What time is it where the email or webpage is being opened?
- Where is the viewer of the email or webpage when it is being opened?
- What is the weather like at that location?

Those are just a few examples of how this solution - similar to our musician friends - can create something highly personalized, relevant and compelling on the spot.

You'll be hearing a lot more about this innovation in the weeks to come.  I'm pretty sure it will make you say, "Wow." Less