Gift sales are the purchases a shopper makes with the intention of giving them to another person. During the Christmas shopping season-when retail in the United States has topped $449 billion-gift giving accounts for a staggering slice of sales (1). But it's not just December that sees the bottom-line difference-gift sales can buoy your business during the entire calendar year.
Making your site enticing for gift givers is lucrative for several reasons:
Some gift sales are impossible to track, but online retailers who offer gift wrap or gift receipts will have an easier time estimating gift sale purchases. You can also isolate sales in which the billing and shipping address for an order are different, as many gifts are mailed directly from the retailer to the gift recipient. Finally, you can reasonably assume that purchases generated from a holiday marketing campaign (say, Mother's Day discount codes or Christmas paid search campaign) are gift sales.
While anyone can buy a product on your site and give it to someone as a gift, there are a few simple ways to strategically boost gift sales on your site.
1. "Retail Sales 2014: Consumer Spending Drops During Holiday Shopping Season Despite Low Gas Prices"
High-volume or established business? Request a demo