Shortly after its November 2017 release, the iPhone X became the most-searched holiday gift, according to Google data. The smartphone retailed for $999 and just imagine how much money 688 million of them would cost. That staggering, almost unfathomable number — $687.87 billion — is how much consumers collectively spent during last year’s holiday season. And they’re on track to spend even more this year. The National Retail Federation predicts a 4.3 to 4.8% increase, bringing 2018 holiday spend north of $717 billion.

Relatively speaking, “the holidays” is a pretty short time, spanning about six weeks from late November through early January. However, the holiday season has an outsize impact for retailers. Surveying retail marketers at manager level and higher, Marigold Engage by Sailthru found that 58% expect those few weeks to account for 21 to 50% of their annual revenue.

Naturally, that makes the stakes that much higher. Smart marketers understand that the holiday season has far more value than simply helping meet fourth-quarter goals or 2018 sales projections. They understand that it’s about using and learning from increased holiday activity to build a sustainable advantage to power profitable growth throughout the following year.

Speaking of “increased holiday activity,” marketing messages also tend to increase as the year draws to a close, making it that much more challenging — and that much more crucial — to stand out. We put together a 2018 holiday guide to help you do so.

Download Marigold Engage by Sailthru’s 2018 Holiday Marketing Guide to find out:

  • The biggest trends to expect and plan for this holiday season
  • How to incorporate personalization into your holiday communications
  • The best ways to rescue abandoned shopping carts
  • How to optimize the mobile shopping experience
  • Best practices for perfecting your checkout pages
  • The benefits of diversifying your discounts
  • How to drive success by building loyalty beyond Black Friday