It will, in all likelihood, include giant screens that let consumers virtually touch and feel the merchandise in retail stores, share products with their friends, and then buy at the touch of a button or a click of their mobile phone.

In other words, this holiday season consumers can expect an interactive shopping experience that connects to their lives — digitally.

So, for better or worse, here’s just a small sampling of the latest marketing trends Creative Search Media has unearthed in our quest to define what this holiday season has in store for consumers and marketers alike. Yes, I know it’s early but we like thinking ahead.

Digital Signage

This holiday season, consumers will find themselves engaged and persuaded by digital out-of-home media – digital screens that intercept them throughout their daily lives. Advertising messages displayed on the screens will engage (or hound, depending on your perspective) them everywhere they go – while they wait in line for their morning coffee, pump gas, sit in a doctor’s waiting room, and, or course, shop. Some digital screens will even let consumers browse merchandise, view merchandise from different angles, choose colors, sizes, compare models and even save an item to an account then purchase it online – just by touching the screen or taking a picture of a bar code on their mobile phone.

Mobile Marketing

With the launch of the Apple iPhone, consumers in the US are beginning to understand why Japanese and Europeans have a zealot-like fascination with all things mobile. What can US shoppers expect to use their mobile phones for this season? Uh, shopping? You guessed it, with 250 million consumers clutching their text-enabled, internet-connected mobile phones this season, brands are taking the hint and rolling out mobile (mobi) e-commerce web sites. One of the early companies to tap into the mobile market is innovative brand, Ralph Lauren. Their new mobile web site launched in August even incorporates Quick Response (QR) codes that give consumers the opportunity to shop via their mobile phones by taking a photograph of the code appearing in print advertisements, store windows, mailers and, yes, on digital signage.

Social Media

Whether they’re connected via social media or not, consumers should prepare to be sucked in this holiday season. Although still cautious, brands are beginning to leverage social media sites to market and promote their products. Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Ning and a myriad of up and coming social media outlets and blogs are watched and tracked closely by brands looking to learn what Joe Public is saying about their products. If a consumer with a Facebook or Twitter account mentions a particular product or brand in a post or shares it with their friends, they can be sure the brand in question will know about it. What the brand does with that information remains to be seen, but consumers should brace themselves for more interaction with tech-savvy companies online this season.

Got any more marketing trends for the upcoming holiday season? Post your comments below.

Tags: Digital Signage, holiday marketing, Mobile Marketing, new year, Social Media

This entry was posted on Friday, September 12th, 2008 at 4:01 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.