1.
Maximize Your Next 100 Days!
ARE YOU
READY?
MAXIMIZE YOUR RETAIL SUCCESS IN 2021

2.
INTRODUCTION
With the back half of 2021 remaining (approximately 175 days left), how can you take
advantage of the key holidays and trends to maximize your efforts?
Max Connect Marketing will help you navigate the chatter and nuances of Omni-channel
Marketing, Unified Commerce, Immersive Commerce, and the latest from Ad Week called
Discovery Commerce.
In reality, whatever the commerce, Max Connect Marketing’s Real-Time Intent Platform and
dedicated personnel will help you reach new consumers and convert them into loyal customers
ensuring ongoing business success.
Additionally, we have an offer for each of you that will help you maximize your results through
the 2021 holiday season. Contact us today to learn more.

3.
It’s a very different Retail Climate than 2020.
Consumer demand is high, retail sales are
climbing above pre-pandemic levels, e-commerce
continues to expand, and mall traffic is on the rise.
Don’t miss your opportunities to maximize
success for the back half of 2021.
MAXIMIZE YOUR SUCCESS
DURING THE NEXT 175 DAYS
1. Back to School
2. Labor Day
3. Early Holiday
4. Holiday

4.
RESEARCH: 2021 RETAIL SALES
Source: Statista
More than 10%
Growth in 2021
Mobile commerce and e-commerce
(desktop) will lead the way in growth
for 2021.

5.
RESEARCH: LOCATION
Source: Statista
52% to 71% of
consumers still
prefer to shop
in person
Platform and location shopping
preferences differ by age group.

6.
RESEARCH: LOCATION
Source: Statista
Big Box
Retailers Lead
the Way
Gender differences exist for location
purchasing preferences.

7.
RETAIL TODAY
June 2021 retail sales grew
by 11% YOY
• June 2021 was the ninth consecutive month of U.S. retail sales
growth, excluding auto and gas expenses, as economic activities and
spending picked up, according to a July 8 Mastercard report.
• The U.S. retail sales for the month of June not only exceeded sales last year
but also surpassed pre-pandemic consumer spending.
• In June, retail sales grew by 11% year-over-over (YoY) compared to a
10.4% YoY increase from June 2019, according to the report.
• E-commerce sales have been increasing steadily since 2019 and
skyrocketed last year due to the lockdown.
• Online sales grew in June by 8.3% YoY and nearly doubled compared to
2019 by increasing 95%, the report stated.
Source: July 8 Mastercard report.
E-commerce
sales are up
95% versus
2019

8.
BACK TO SCHOOL
40% More
Up 16%
$32.5B Total
$612 Per Child
Mid-July through Mid-September Opportunity. Plus, don’t forget College Students!
• Despite an unpredictable back-to-school environment, overall back-to-school
spending is expected to increase by 16% year-over-year to $32.5 billion
for K-12 students, according to Deloitte's Back-to-School survey emailed to
Retail Dive. This year, parents plan to spend an average of $612 on average per
child, the survey found.
• Compared to last year, 40% of parents expect to spend more on back-to-
school items in 2021. Among the top three places consumers will spend the
most on school purchases are mass merchant stores (48%), online-only stores
(15%), and dollar stores (5%), per the survey findings.
• Remote learning has catalyzed sales growth in electronics. Among survey
respondents, 31% said they plan to buy computers and hardware, up from 22%
in 2020. Plus, 37% anticipate purchasing electronic gadgets, compared to 24%
in 2020.
Source: Deloitte’s Back-to-School survey

9.
LABOR DAY
SEPTEMBER 6
e-Commerce shoppers will not only be looking for value, but also ease.
• Labor Day always falls on the first Monday of
September, so this year it's penned in for September 6.
• Most customers now expect deals to start online and
in-store at least a week prior to this date. And, the
expectation is for the deals during this sale to be the
best prior to November and Black Friday.

10.
EXPECT MORE DURING 2021 HOLIDAYS
GROWTH IS EXPANDING
The holidays aren’t yet top of mind for most consumers, but
brands and retailers know that planning for these make or
break moments start now.
Much like last year, this holiday season is sure to look unlike
any other. People are eager to return to tradition in a big way
—but at the same time, Covid-19 irreversibly changed the way
people discover, shop, and buy.
Brands and retailers of all sizes will be challenged to capture
pent-up demand and adapt to new ways of serving
customers. Source: Ad Week

11.
EARLY HOLIDAY
PREDICTIONS
Source: Ad Week
An Extended E-commerce Driven Season:
Many shoppers started holiday shopping before Black Friday which helped drive a dramatic 47%
increase in e-commerce sales during the traditional holiday season. Many of these transactions
happened on mobile. Adobe reported that over half of digital Christmas revenue in 2020 came from
smartphones.
The Roles of Stores and Digital Reversing:
With less ability to browse in person last year, we saw in-store shopping become more intent-based and
transactional. For many, online/offline hybrid solutions like Curbside Pickup and Buy Online Pick Up in
Store (BOPUS) redefined expectations for convenience. It’s essential to create convenient, frictionless,
omni-channel offerings that bring the store experience online and the digital experience to stores.
Discovery commerce is becoming a big thing!
Facebook and Instagram are built for social commerce—or as they like to call it, “Discovery Commerce.”
You know, that serendipitous feeling when you discover a compelling product, service, or brand on social
media that you may or may not have been looking for. Or maybe didn’t even know existed. It sparks an
interest, and you feel compelled to learn more or to even purchase the product spontaneously.
With Discovery Commerce, products find people, and people discover the things they are most likely to
love. It enables businesses to go one step further than they might be able to go with other marketing
strategies. Not just meeting customers’ needs, but anticipating them. And discovery happens more on
apps during the holiday season than during any other period.
Social Commerce
Represented 11%
of Sales in 2020
Source Grand View Research

12.
EARLY HOLIDAY
47% increase in e-commerce during 2020
• October has become the new November in holiday shopping. And with
pent-up demand from the pandemic, retailers should prepare now to take
advantage of the increased online and in-store traffic that is predicted to
occur.
• In 2020, there was a 47% increase in e-commerce sales during the
traditional holiday season.
Source: emarketer

13.
The 2021 holidays will stand in stark contrast to the 2020 season.
Certain behaviors will look like the mirror image of last year, while
others will carry forward—and even strengthen—in the post-
pandemic economy.
Figuring out what those behaviors are and planning accordingly can
put retailers ahead of the curve.
HOLIDAY
PREDICTIONS
Source: emarketer & salesforce.com
As with 2020, holiday shopping will begin in early October.
Holiday 2021 will continue to see a significant increase in social commerce.
E-commerce and Brick & Mortar coordination will continue to be vital to success.
Retailers must prioritize mobile programs.
Give customers contactless checkout and return options.
Enable sales associates with the right tools and training.

14.
HOLIDAY
With pent up demand from all of 2020 and more dollars
for customers to spend, the time is now to reach them.
Source: salesforce.com
Core recommendations to help maximize your 2021 holiday results include:
• Grow your digital audience and build loyalty with customers.
• Listen to your shoppers. Conduct surveys, early and often. Provide Social listening.
• Build new audience segments and continue thorough A/B Testing.
• Choose your channels thoughtfully.
• Update your SEO Strategy and SEO Tactics
• Reconsider your promotions and your promotions cadence

15.
2020 HOLIDAY MEDIA MIX
Source: Yiedify

16.
Media mix will continue to dramatically shift to personalizations and localization.
We continue to predict more than 10% of mobile orders will be through social
channels.
With more brick and mortar locations being open in 2021, a thorough local
market plan is crucial for success.
In anticipation of more competition in 2021, audience segmentation and
targeting are vital.
2021 HOLIDAY MEDIA
MIX RECOMMENDATIONS

17.
2021 HOLIDAY MEDIA
MIX RECOMMENDATIONS
1
Digital Spend will increase with focus
on performance media and
marketing. Efficiency, measurement,
and attribution will be necessary.
Source: Salesforce Blog

18.
2
It will also be critical to plan at the
market level — real localization.
Source: Salesforce Blog
2021 HOLIDAY MEDIA
MIX RECOMMENDATIONS

19.
3
It will be even more important this
holiday season for marketers to focus on
audience segmentation and
targeting to reach the right customers, in
the right locations, at the right time.
Source: Salesforce Blog
2021 HOLIDAY MEDIA
MIX RECOMMENDATIONS

20.
Customers want diversity of communications. Not just sales events and
promotions, but retailers who are establishing real connections.
It will be important for retailers to cater to holiday traditions in an effort to
help consumers establish “normalcy” for holiday season.
2021 HOLIDAY MESSAGING
RECOMMENDATIONS

21.
1
#1 Retailers need to Diversify Communications
Saying the same thing repeatedly may work from an awareness perspective. But if your content calendar is
nothing but sales-driven promotions, you’ll soon lose the attention of your audience. Keep your content fresh
and diversify your communications to include a healthy mix of:
• Stories
• User generated content (UGC) highlights
• Events (in-person or online)
• Brand partnerships
The recipe for long-term success is helping your customers feel like they are part of a community.
2021 HOLIDAY MESSAGING
RECOMMENDATIONS
Source: Google & MasonInteractive

22.
2
#2 Strategize Scarcity
How to break through the noise when Holiday content starts overflowing inboxes and social media
feeds from October?
Nothing incentivizes us humans more than FOMO and a sense of urgency. In addition to
traditional promotions and offers, create scarcity with limited drops.
Release a limited “drop” of products or collections, only available in small quantities, and set up “get
it before it’s gone” campaigns.
2021 HOLIDAY MESSAGING
RECOMMENDATIONS
Source: Google & MasonInteractive

23.
3
#3 Advertise Smarter During Holidays
With so much uncertainty in the past year, it’s impossible to predict consumer behavior this holiday
season. But it’s very likely that CPMs will be more expensive than the 2020 holiday season. The “pay-
to-play“ environment makes it harder, especially for small businesses, to compete on the same scale they
did last year.”
With higher advertising costs and limited targeting and measurement capabilities resulting from the
recent Apple iOS 14.5 update, is it even worth advertising on social media anymore? The simple answer
is yes.
Advertisers need to become more strategic, especially during a peak season such as the holidays.
2021 HOLIDAY MESSAGING
RECOMMENDATIONS
Source: Google & MasonInteractive

24.
PREPARE FOR A BACK TO TRADITION
HOLIDAY SEASON

25.
To create experiences that enhance customers’ lives,
while making a difference in your business.
WE DRIVE SUCCESS

26.
We’re a digital-first agency with creative capabilities.
MAX CONNECT | THE PERFECT FIT
We focus marketing efforts on
hyper-targeted audience segments.
Based on real-time intent data, we identify the right
audiences and market to them with personalized
approach and high frequency.

27.
Nationally-recognized agency and
ranked by Google among the top
digital agencies in the world.
MAX CONNECT | THE PERFECT FIT

28.
We use real-time customer
behavior data to optimize your
spend, generate engagements
with people who want to buy,
and then deliver results against
your objectives.
OUR TEAM AND EXPERTISE
CORE COMPETENCIES INCLUDE:
• Digital Marketing & New Media
• Organic & Paid Social Media
• SEO & Reputation Management
• Full-Service Creative
• Customer Nurturing & Journey Campaigns
• Traditional Media Buying

29.
OUR REAL-TIME INTENT PLATFORM
PROPRIETARY INTENT DATA
CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY
HUMAN INTELLIGENCE
Data-Driven
Strategy
Audience
Identification
Campaign
Structure
Tracking &
Attribution
Insights To
Application
Business
Growth
Optimize
Creative &
Channels

30.
We use real-time customer
behavior data to optimize your
spend, generate engagements
with people who want to buy,
and then deliver results against
your objectives.
$999 Max Connect Marketing offer for Holiday 2021.
Services Provided:
• SEO Audit
• Google Analytics Audit
• Social Audit
These full audit details will be provided within 10 business days of agreement.
*If we provide ongoing digital, social, SEO, or creative services, the $999 fee will be applied
toward your first month’s invoice for digital services.*
SEE HOW WE CAN MAXIMIZE YOUR RESULTS

31.
MAKE THE MOST OF THE 2021
HOLIDAY SEASON!
CONCLUSION
Contact Jeff Pearson
801-200-1057
jeffpearson@maxconnect.com

32.
THANK YOU.
www.maxconnect.com