5 Ways Facebook can help you to adapt your business for the new Christmas season

by Kathy Tan

November 14, 2020

6 minute read

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In 2020, shopping habits have shifted online as people are less likely to spend much time in the mall or offline due to COVID.
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Source: “Coronavirus Research April 2020” by GlobalWebIndex (online survey of people in AU, BR, CA, CN, FR, DE, IN, IR, IT, JP, NZ, PH, SG, ZA, SP, UK, US), Mar31-Apr2),2020


With constant reports showing a swift in consumers behaviour. What insights can we quickly adopt into our year-end holiday strategy?
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Let’s unwrap the 5 behaviour insights and opportunities this Christmas 2020:
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Insight #1 - GenX and Boomers drive global mobile and eCommerce growth
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Gen X and Boomers have been increasingly adopting mobile across the Christmas purchase journey.

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COVID-19 outbreak has further accelerated the growth of online shopping among the Gen X and Boomers

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Opportunity 1 - Seamless Shopping
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Yet 79% of Genx & Boomers surveyed experience problems while Christmas shopping on mobile and more prone to message a business before making a purchase.
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Thus, Make shopping easier at every step:

i) Easier to help
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Bring the expertise of your in-store staff to mobile via Messenger experiences
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ii) Easier to buy
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Bring the immediacy of in-store purchasing to mobile by making your ads shoppable
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iii) Easier to communicate
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Delivery slots get taken up quickly in the Christmas period, create a WhatsApp experience which personally notifies people when convenient delivery slots become available
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iv) Easier to pick-up
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Give shoppers a stress-free BOPIS experience by dynamically indicating when the store is quiet for pick-up & optimising ads to BOPIS* conversions, great for last minute shoppers.
*Buy online, pick up in store
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v) Easier to shop
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Help people shop where they’re browsing products today with Facebook Shops and Instagram Shopping
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Insight #2 - Self-gifting & seasonal shopping can be positive outlets in difficult times
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During difficult times, people find new simple ways to reward themselves.

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and when it comes to Christmas, shoppers see it as a great time to self-gift

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In fact, self-gifting is even more popular than gift giving during mega-sales events.
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Opportunity 2 - Discovery Commerce
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Help people discover things they’ll love using the power of automation by connecting the right product to the right person — even before they search for it.
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i) Automatically match intent
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Use the power of signals and machine learning such as Dynamic Ads For Broad Audiences (DABA) to let your products find interested people before they discover your products.
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ii) Automatically go global

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Dynamic Language Optimization with Auto Translate

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Across the globe shoppers are open to trying new products from abroad, cross border ads automatically brings the right products to the right people, in the right language.
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Or engage with one of the trusted Facebook Global Expansion Partners listed in Facebook Business For Cross-border to optimise your cross-border ads.
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Insight #3 - Imposed disruption fuels receptiveness to new products and services
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Millions are trying new Behaviours and products globally. 1 in 3 of adults surveyed indicate they have used a new brand or product.
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Discovery of new products will be different in 2020 with Less Sampling, Less Strolling The Mall and Less Browsing Your Favourite Store.
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Opportunity 3 - Spark Connection
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Drive discovery and the confidence to buy through the power of partnerships:
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i) Partner with trusted voices
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Partner with the creators your audience trust to inspire choice. Branded Content Ads help you reach new audiences and make your investment more accountable using Branded Content Ads.
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ii) Partner with empowering AR

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AR Filters on Instagram

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COVID-19 outbreak has limited consumer ability to go in stores and experience new products in real life.
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Let consumers engage with your products in 360 degrees through AR experiences with AR Filters and AR Ads.
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Insight #4 - The economic downturn will expedite the rise of Mega-Sales
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People are expecting their finances to be negatively impacted. 86% of adults surveyed say they expect the COVID-19 outbreak with negatively impact their personal/household finances.

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Most people surveyed have delayed large purchases due to COVID-19 outbreak

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Mega-sales could be the moment shoppers are waiting for. Even prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, price was the greatest Christmas concern.

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60% of people surveyed globally bought something during mega-sales events

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Source: Facebook Internal Conversion Data


Mega-sales event shoppers are more likely to be high spenders and mobile-first. However, the purchasing is concentrated with 82% of surveyed mega-sales day purchasers buying from the top 5 key categories which are Apparel/Fashion, Electronics, Health & Beauty, Food and Household Appliances.
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Opportunity 4 - Accelerate Action
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Better align with shopper preference:
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i) Maximize Sales with Automation
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Automation frees your campaign to deliver the highest possible return with Automatic Placements, Campaign Budget Optimization and Dynamic Ads.
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ii) Personalise your flyers
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Reimagine print flyers as personalised experiences, boosting return on spend & shopper engagement using Instant Experience and Carousel ad format.
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iii) Entertain for commercial gain
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Create Live experiences with product experts to build excitement by launching flash sales and demo-ing hot products such as Polling Ads, Live and Collection Ad.
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Insight #5 - The new perspective on value; affordability, authenticity and action
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Christmas shoppers want real, authentic and informative content as much as sale/offer updates from businesses on Facebook and Instagram.

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COVID-19 outbreak has shown that people expect brands to react with action, not just marketing gestures. 47% of internet users worldwide said they had switched to a different product or service because a company violated their personal values. Social action not only benefits the community, but also impacts purchasing decisions.
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Opportunity 5 — Share Your Values
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Share more than deals, share values and take action.


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An example of using stories with polling ads
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Combine values with commerce

Sharing values doesn’t mean neglecting sales, highlight the action you’ve taken & showcase the products that prove it, sparking community interaction.
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Lastly, let’s close with some thoughts from the people who are leading the digital transformation in their companies:

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“Meekco team helped launch our website, set up retail POS and delivered an integrated system enabled to sell worldwide. Service beyond expectation." – Nawal Hannah, eCommerce Lead, Air Asia Foundation
“First time working with Meekco.Asia. The CEO is helpful! If you are looking for a Shopify expert, Meekco.Asia may be one of the best choices. You can try their services before making any decision.” – Irene Tan, eCommerce Manager, Bonia

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Grab the 5 opportunities today and wish you success in adapting to the New Christmas season 2020.
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This exclusive insight is brought to you by Meekco.Asia - Facebook Global Expansion Partner & Shopify Plus Partner. Helping retail enterprises & brand owners to build successful cross-border eCommerce.
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Source:
-“Facebook Seasonal Holidays Study” by YouGov (Facebook-commissioned online study of 48,348 people aged 18+ across 31 markets: AE, AR, AU, BR, CA, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, ES, HK, ID, IT, FR, KR, MY, MX, NL, PH, PL, SG, TH, TR, TW, RU, SE, UK, US, VN, ZA). Minimum N=1500 for all markets. 2 Dec to 24 Dec 2019.
-Edelman Trust Barometer, Special Report: Brand Trust & the Coronavirus Pandemic, March 2020.
-“Coronavirus Research April 2020” by GlobalWebIndex (online survey of people in AU, BR, CA, CN, FR, DE, IN, IR, IT, JP, NZ, PH, SG, ZA, SP, UK, US), Mar 31 — Apr 2), 2020.
-Bain & Company, Inc.

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