Turmoil, Deals and Sociability

While the "nicheing" of flash-sale sites will likely grow leading into the 2011 holiday season, the importance of social networking traffic, namely Facebook, will also continue to flourish. Traffic referrals from social networking sites increased 27 percent for the 2010 holiday season compared to the 2009 holiday season. Consumers often visited a retailer's website immediately after leaving that retailer's Facebook page. Retailers wisely leveraged this trend by using Facebook and other social media platforms to promote products and specials throughout the season. This trend is expected to be even more pronounced this year.