The latest figures are in: retail purchases climbed by 0.7% in March from February, with e-commerce leading the surge in eight out of thirteen retail categories, signaling a clear trend.
That points to a story of opportunity and Q2 revenue growth for publishers, but success hinges on knowing your audience – their changing habits, shopping triggers, events piquing their interest, and the content that makes them click that Buy Now button.
Luckily, there’s no need to spend hours researching to find this information. Skimlinks’ US Q2 2024 Publisher Playbook has all that intel and more. Consider it your key to unlocking your content strategy and maximizing your ecommerce revenue stream.
Skimlinks, a Taboola company, has a unique vantage point—its partnerships with 60,000 publishers and 48,500 merchants, who drive $6.3 million in sales daily, give it a wealth of data to analyze. The team sliced and diced this data, extracted actionable insights, and packaged it into this latest playbook.
Download the Skimlinks US Q2 2024 Publisher Playbook
Curious about what’s inside? Here’s a glimpse:
Be laser-focused with event-centric shopping guides. Consumers need inspiration and advice. By directing readers to top revenue-driving merchants from top-performing verticals, you’ll tailor the content to match what consumers want to buy and boost commissions. For Mother’s Day, think of flowers from UrbanStems, stylish clothes from Anthropologie and Coach, and stunning jewelry from Abbot Lyon.
A deal’s appeal comes down to age. Although consumer optimism is improving, who doesn’t love a deal or discount? However, not all incentives resonate with consumers. Push Buy More, Save More promotions to Millennials, but skip them if your audience is mostly Baby Boomers; that said, everyone loves free shipping.
Consumers are already making summer-oriented purchases. Launch summer-focused content now, paying particular attention to the products from the retail verticals that achieved the greatest year-over-year commission growth across summer-related content last year. Some categories seem apparent, like Travel Accessories and Cycling; others, such as Sex Toys and Streaming, present an opportunity since your competitors might not know about this insider data-supported tip.
Today’s shopper is purpose-focused. More than half of consumers prefer a ‘straight-to-the-point’ e-commerce experience versus a ‘fun to browse’ approach. That means you need to balance engagement with readers’ mission-driven priorities. Create thorough product guides that lead them directly to the items they are searching for without much fanfare.
Go for the biggest commissions. Leverage the fact that consumers are now coughing up more cash for in-person experiences, like travel, by tapping into trending content themes, such as all-inclusive resorts, family vacations, and tours for singles. Bonus tip: Add ‘vacation’ to URLs – it’s proven to increase traffic and boost commission.
No free return policy, no spot in your content. Check merchants’ shipping, delivery, and return policies. Over 50% of consumers won’t purchase from merchants if they don’t offer free returns, so promoting those will waste your time and annoy your audience. Replace those merchants with ones that have returnless refund policies, a factor that motivates 65% of shoppers to buy.
The time to act is now. Consumer spending is on the rise – the opportunity is yours for the taking! Download the Skimlinks US Q2 2024 Publisher Playbook and get ready to watch your e-commerce earnings soar.