Christmas is the busiest time of the year for many businesses, both online and offline. A survey recently conducted by Mediahawk (November 2016) showed that despite the increased popularity of online shopping, over 40% of the businesses asked revealed that they received between a 30-70% upsurge in phone calls over the Christmas period, resulting in up to a 40% increase in sales. This suggests that despite the popularity of online, many customers still prefer to make their transactions over the phone, particularly at Christmas.
This influx of sales also changes the way in which marketers plan their activity over the festive period. The survey showed that a surprising 70% of the businesses asked said that social media was their primary marketing channel over Christmas; however, many use four or more marketing channels during this time.
The infographic below shows the full results of the survey:
