In recent years, online shopping has allowed companies to start marketing for the holiday season very early, overlapping with other holidays such as Black Friday.
By: Hanin Atighi
The expansion of online shopping has changed the traditional holiday shopping experience as many consumers now purchase products online.
“I find that there are significantly more promotions and deals hounding me every year. Black Friday used to be a day and now its an entire week, that has merged with the holidays. It’s no longer about an experience, it’s about a purchase,” said Ravin Ramnarain, a third-year marketing student at Ryerson University.
Canadian shoppers have recently been lured online by promotions on Black Friday, a previously U.S.-based tradition in line with American Thanksgiving.
“Before the internet took over, Canada’s big sale day was Boxing Day for Christmas. With the introduction of online shopping, Canadian retailers were almost forced to adopt Black Friday. While this could be looked at as a consumer shift, it is also a cultural shift,” said Christopher Gibbs, an expert in digital media marketing at the Ted Rogers School of Management.
“No longer are things like borders able to protect traditions, the internet and online shopping allow the consumer to chase the deal or the specific items no matter where they come from,” said Gibbs.
(Adrian Bueno/RSJ)
Although there are negative views regarding cookies, many people believe it is positive.The use of web cookies allows for companies to collect data that your computer leaves on sites. Companies use this data to make assumptions about consumers interests and send advertisements of products they believe you would purchase.
“Cookies simply provide a way for companies to recognize you and keep track of your preferences,” said Victoire Tshibangu, a fourth-year Business Technology Management student at Ryerson University. “They are a brilliant tool for digital marketing, because they learn what the consumer wants and suggests products that are relevant for the customer.”
Marketing for the holidays has drastically changed over the years with the expansion of the internet and online shopping. The future of holiday marketing looks to become even more targeted in the next few years based on the amount of data being acquired.
(Nabeeha Baig/RSJ)
Leave a Reply