A second Online Holiday Mood Study, conducted and released by Washington-based Shop.org and BizRate.com on Dec. 9, shows that 71% of online marketers are optimistic about the holiday season, an 8% increase over those surveyed in late November. Fifty-nine Shop.org member companies participated in the survey.
Nearly one-third (31%) of those companies surveyed reported revenue gains of 50% or greater compared with the same period of last year, while 58% had increases of at least 25%. More than half (51%) of those surveyed report free shipping “with conditions” to be the best promotion for driving sales. And while 69% cite e-mails, 34% find search engine placements to be the best ways to reach online buyers.