NEW YORK, N.Y., Sept. 23, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via PRWEB - Recently released survey data from marketing software platform Offerpop shows that brands are increasing their investment in social media and focusing on driving sales through social media during the all-important $650 billion holiday retail season.
The 2014 holiday shopping season spending is expected to grow a strong 8 percent (Prosper Spending Score) from last year's $602 billion (National Retail Federation), making the stakes higher and the opportunities bigger for brands.
Offerpop, a leading software-as-a-service platform, surveyed more than 120 marketers and found that social marketing is increasingly critical to successful holiday retail campaigns. In a climate where social media strongly influences purchasing decisions, mobile commerce is on the rise and nascent social commerce tools on Facebook and Twitter allow direct social media purchasing, marketers are expanding their social media budgets and connecting social campaigns directly to sales initiatives.
The survey findings are published in Offerpop's new research report, "Top Holiday Marketing Trends for 2014."
Offerpop's study found that:
Driving sales and extending brand reach are top priorities: 62% of marketers pointed to sales and brand reach as the primary goals this holiday season, a stark contrast to the days when getting more fans was the main component of an effective social strategy.
Facebook will dominate social spending: 92% of marketers say they plan to spend the majority of their holiday social marketing budget on Facebook, despite the platform's plummeting organic reach. Only 22% said they would spend less on Facebook this holiday season.
Brands will increase social media spending: 67% of marketers polled will increase their spending on social media this holiday season; only 4% indicate they will decrease social media spending.
Instagram is the breakout social network of 2014: 73% marketers polled identified Instagram as the breakout social network of 2014 for brands, with Vine and Snapchat making up the remaining 27%.
Marketers will not rush to invest in untested networks: 48% of marketers do not plan on investing in any emerging social networks like Snapchat and Swarm this holiday season.
"Offerpop's survey data shows that social marketing is maturing rapidly, with a new focus on driving commerce and increasing investment in proven revenue channels like Facebook," said Kevin Bobowski, vice president of marketing for Offerpop. "This holiday season, we'll see marketers testing Facebook and Twitter's new commerce capabilities and leveraging Instagram for holiday campaigns."
The full "Top Holiday Marketing Trends for 2014" research report is available to all subscribers to Offerpop's Holiday Marketing 365 content program. The program, which launched last week, delivers seasonal marketing insights to marketers' inboxes all year long.
Sign up for Holiday Marketing 365 here: http://www.offerpop.com/holiday-marketing-365
About Offerpop
Offerpop is a digital marketing software-as-a-service platform transforming how global brands connect, engage and convert today's mobile and social consumers into long-term loyal customers. Leading enterprises and agencies use Offerpop's integrated platform to power campaigns, content and commerce, and provide marketers with rich consumer data for smarter marketing decisions.
Offerpop is an ExactTarget Marketing Cloud partner, Facebook Preferred Marketing Developer, a Twitter Certified Product and has been highlighted as a recommended Instagram platform developer. Learn more at offerpop.com.
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