All of this demonstrates a fantastic start to the season, to be sure – but now the focus turns to making the most of the 23 shopping days left. Before shipping deadlines hit in a few weeks, historical patterns tell us that we can likely expect the next two Mondays to be significant sales days also. My take is that retailers are sitting on a gold mine of sales data garnered over Black Friday weekend and Cyber Monday, which they should now use to make the most of the next few weeks:

Turn best seller data into social media, email, site content. Those rafts of Thanksgiving weekend sales data on best sellers and most popular items are perfect for “trend” messaging. Pepper social media outlets, emails, Web sites and mobile apps with this trend content – it’s up to the minute, it’s authentic (straight from fellow customers), and it’s a rich source of ideas for customers to feel they’re buying the “right” gifts this season (whether for others or for oneself).

Don’t take your eye off the paid search ball. As Michael Griffin of Adlucent noted in the 2011 Shop.org Holiday Strategy & Planning Guide, proactively managing paid search through the extended holiday shopping season is crucial. Review which categories and products spiked over Black Friday weekend and Cyber Monday, then see if it’s feasible to advertise those proactively; adjust day parting rules to reflect holiday shopping behavior (patterns may be quite different now than even a few weeks ago); and add site links to top performing categories to improve click through rates and traffic.

Remarket shopping carts to customers who didn’t quite get to “confirm order.” Maybe the customer just wasn’t sure, maybe they were shopping at multiple sites, maybe they’re still holding out for a better offer even now – my guess is that there are many abandoned shopping carts sitting out there after last weekend. Whatever the original reason for leaving, that unrequited shopping cart is a natural way to reengage (quickly!) with the customer, with or without a sweetener such as a discount or shipping offer. Check out several papers in the Shop.org White Paper Library on this topic, from companies such as SeeWhy and Listrak.

So, with four weeks to go before December 25, what does Black Friday weekend tell online retailers?

Economic worries notwithstanding, U.S. consumers appear – for now, at least – determined to have a good holiday this year.

• Of the estimated total $52.4 billion that we lavished on gifts (and ourselves) this weekend, 37.8% was spent directly online (a tidy $19.81 billion), up from 33.3% last year (or $14.98 billion).
• Online Black Friday weekend buyers spent an average of $470.79 on holiday shopping, or 18% more than the average for all shoppers this weekend. Of that, online Black Friday Weekend buyers spent $246.15 directly online. But in something of a surprise turn of events, men spent an average of $200 online, women spent closer to $100 online, showing how men like a bargain but may not want be in stores to nab those.
• Top of the shopping lists for online shoppers this weekend: clothing and accessories (65.2%, vs. 51.4% of all shoppers); books and media (55.4%, vs. 37% of all shoppers); consumer electronics and computer-related accessories (54.9%, vs. 39.4% of all shoppers); toys (46.8%, vs. 32.6% of all shoppers), and – of course! – gift cards (37.4%, vs. 23.1% of all shoppers).

However, consumers are still intent on finding value, and are actively doing the homework – and pavement pounding legwork – to find that.

• One-third of online Black Friday weekend buyers shopped on Thanksgiving Day, rising to almost three-quarters on Saturday. Of those who shopped on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving), half got to the store by 6 a.m., with fully one-third arriving before or right around midnight.
• True to cross-channel shopper form, online Black Friday weekend buyers shopped in multiple venues, not only the web, including department stores (58.3%) and discount stores (43.8%) to specialty stores such as electronics (43%) and clothing and accessories (37.4%).

Retailers need to communicate the value that they offer clearly, repeatedly, and across all channels and marketing media to get consumers to make that purchase.

Online shopping is now firmly entrenched across three screens, requiring increased coordination between retail teams.

• As predicted, smartphones and tablet devices figured prominently in online Black Friday weekend buyer shopping. Over half of those who own a smartphone or a tablet device planned to use these to research products and compare prices, while 2 out of 5 planned to look up retailer information such as locations, hours, and the like. Not surprisingly, tablet device owners were somewhat more likely to purchase products via this device than were smartphone owners.

In the weeks ahead, retailers need to ensure that online shopping works flawlessly (and, I’d add, intuitively) across the web, smartphone and tablet device, as well as integrated with stores and catalog operations. That means not just from a technical standpoint, but also in terms of ongoing coordination between teams spanning marketing, merchandising, customer service, fulfillment and, of course, development.

Don’t let up on site monitoring and operations. When we asked retailers last year in our post-holiday survey, “Looking ahead, what ONE thing will you do differently for holiday 2011?” inventory management and site performance topped the list. In recent years, the first three Mondays following Thanksgiving are among the top online grossing days for the holiday season, so retailers need to be prepared for that onslaught of traffic and demand (this year, that’s Cyber Monday (November 28), along with December 5 and 12). Monitor the site vigilantly, prepare the fulfillment and customer service teams, and ensure that marketing isn’t planning to push a product or category that merchandising knows is selling through faster than anticipated.

A few highlights of our survey findings:

• Average web sales growth across all retailers surveyed was 29% (Q4 2010 vs. Q4 2009)
• One quarter of retailers surveyed experienced YOY growth of 50% or higher.
• Retailers earning over $100 million in annual web revenue reported average growth of 24%.

Many retailers noted that Black Friday and Cyber Monday were especially strong this year. Several noted increases in average order value (AOV), while others commented on promotions as part of the market landscape.

The big question now, of course, is whether this increased penchant for spending will last into Q1 and beyond, or will consumers step back now that the after-Christmas sales are done? The first test comes with Valentine’s Day gearing up in a matter of weeks.

Shop.org members can download the full results summary now from the Shop.org site.

Congratulations on an incredibly successful Cyber Monday – your biggest sales day ever! What trends did you see develop on Cyber Monday this year compared to last, and how do you hope to keep the sales momentum going through the rest of the holiday season?

First, thank you for the congratulations. It was a fun weekend as Black Friday beat our previous record with sales up 76% over Black Friday last year. Then we were fortunate to eclipse our new record three days later on Cyber Monday with sales up 54% versus last year. All in all, over the five-day Cyber Weekend, eBags sales were up 63% versus the same five days last year. When you’re in retail, it doesn’t get much better than that.

We think there are several factors that played a role in our growth. On the macro side, there is no question more shoppers are using the internet to conduct research and make purchases. This year, we knew the holidays would be challenging so we started planning last spring. That included all facets from marketing and merchandising, to site performance and logistics. We were running A:B tests less than a week before Black Friday to come up with the optimum product detail page. And our logistics team carved out a full day in the average time it takes to get a package to the customer, which will be critical as we get closer to the Christmas shipping deadline.

In many of NRF’s consumer surveys, we’ve noticed a shift in holiday gift giving away from basics and necessities back to more discretionary, “fun” gifts. We’re also noticing an emphasis on value over price. Are you seeing similar trends this holiday season?

Clearly value is important to shoppers and we knew that would be the case this holiday so we negotiated with many of our brands to move their traditional December 26 through January sale events forward to the Black Friday through Christmas time period. Why not have your best products and lowest prices for when customers are shopping for the holidays? One by one, our brands agreed and eBags has been able to offer great deals to our customers. But to your question about basics vs. fun, we saw our luggage and laptop case categories grow 78% and 73%, respectively, powered by the strength of top brands such as Tumi, Samsonite, and Kenneth Cole. We would categorize these purchases as more along the lines of basics and we think there is quite a bit of pent-up customer demand to get back out and shop again. Retail therapy, if you will.

As online retail continues to grow, companies have been investing in site features and services to maximize their holiday sales. According to a recent Shop.org survey, a majority of retailers say they have invested in the company’s Facebook page in advance of the holidays and many say they have invested more this holiday season in a Twitter campaign or Twitter feed. Talk about how eBags is using social media to leverage its online presence.

I am a big believer in social media, yet clearly the potential of Facebook and Twitter for online retailers has not been realized. It is not a question of if, but when social and retail will converge. At eBags, we have done a nice job of building out our Facebook page and are active with Twitter and our blog. Probably the most promising area in regards to social media on eBags is how our 400+ videos are tied into Facebook. When a shopper watches a video on eBags.com, like the eBags TLS Weekender, they can click “Like” or make a comment and the video and comment are uploaded to the shopper’s Facebook account. The viral potential of eBags videos ending up on thousands of Facebook pages is exciting.

On the eBags blog you mention being thankful you get to work in the “wonderfully challenging, fast-paced world of internet retail.” What do you find most rewarding about e-commerce?

I love the fact that e-commerce is an uber-dynamic environment which allows for real-time testing, revising, and optimizing. The metrics are there for everyone in the company to see 24/7. At any time, eBags.com executes multiple online tests and customers tell us via their clicks which options work best for them. And the results are not always what you expect, which reinforces the need to test.

You recently brought your core customer service center back to the US and expanded your call center hours to 24/7. How do you think these operational changes will impact your sales this season? What prompted you to make the change?

Several years ago we split off part of our Denver-based customer call center and had many of our incoming calls handled by a team in the Philippines. This outsourcer handled calls for several other top 100 e-commerce retailers and did a nice job for us. This fall we decided to return our call center to the US. Although our new domestic call center is not the lowest cost option, we believe it is a smart investment that will pay off in both the short-term and long-term, through additional immediate sales, quicker issue resolution, and ultimately higher customer retention and satisfaction. The move to a 24/7 call center as well as offering chat, Facebook, and Twitter allows us to communicate with our customers whenever they want and through their preferred method. We are here to listen and, as shown by our two million customer reviews to date, our customers have a lot to say.

Traditional retail stores can utilize storefront window displays to attract customers and showcase hot products. In what ways can a purely online retailer establish visuals that similarly engage customers and enhance the shopping experience?

You hit on an area where we think the internet has distinct advantages versus brick and mortar. A bricks-and-mortar store has a window display that is the same for everyone and is cumbersome and expensive to change out. Even twelve years ago when we started eBags.com, being able to create a personalized shopping experience for every visitor was our goal. We made significant investments in this area in 2010 and are well on our way to optimizing personalized shopping on eBags.com. Being able to tailor creative and offerings to online shoppers is a big reason why e-commerce will continue to steal retail market share.

With airlines limiting the number and size of bags customers can carry on planes, what are some things to keep in mind this holiday season when shopping for the perfect carry-on?

The “rules of engagement” with the airlines and TSA are always changing and it is important to think about the bag you carry on. On some of my most recent flights, they are instructing the last one-third of passengers boarding the plane to gate check their carry-ons because the overhead bins are full. For this reason, we advise travelers to select a carry-on that can withstand the rigors of being checked. Also, since you give up possession of the carry-on for a period of time, make sure that the bag can be securely locked. Another trend is that travelers are packing smarter and opting for convertible backpacks that can be used as a small duffel, yet have backpack straps to make it easy to throw on your back when walking longer distances. Some of these have the advantage of fitting into regional jet smaller overhead compartments or under the seat, thereby avoiding the need to check. One last thing I tell people shopping online is to make sure you read the customer testimonials. We have over two million on eBags.com and it is invaluable to get feedback from others who have purchased and used the products. I am always amazed at the level of detail eBags customers include in their bag testimonials.

Your corporate values are respectful, resourceful, achieving, pioneering, and passionate. If you could add a sixth value, what would it be?

That is a hard one because the team of eBaggers that came up with those values spent a considerable amount of time before landing on the five finalists. Maybe I would add “fun-loving” because we have a culture that promotes having fun along the way to make sure we do not take ourselves too seriously. We are charged with navigating through complex technologies, stiff competition, and demanding shoppers. Those that see that as a fun challenge do well at eBags.

Given its relative newness, though, how much of a difference is mobile actually making this holiday season?

When we asked retailers in the 2010 eHoliday pre-holiday survey (conducted in partnership with BIGresearch) what they had invested in most significantly this year to prepare for the holidays, over one quarter specifically cited mobile commerce applications.

A smart move, it turns out, as consumers are increasingly using mobile devices as part of their shopping research and purchasing experience. While 38.5% of consumers stated they don’t have a smartphone,  over a quarter of consumers said they definitely planned to use their smartphone to research or make holiday purchases.

To top it off, consumers also told us that mobile phones play an increasingly important role for major holiday shopping events such as Cyber Monday, when 6.9% of consumers planned to use their mobile device to shop. If that percentage looks small, consider that it translates into over seven million individuals in the US, and that these numbers are almost double those for Cyber Monday last year (if this trend plausibly continues next year, that’s an increasingly significant chunk of your customer base).

While it’s a little late to change much vis-à-vis your mobile execution for this holiday season, I encourage both mobile “newbies” and “experts” alike to spend an hour listening to the playback of our November 15 Webinar on “The Obstacles and Enablers of Mobile Commerce” with Sucharita Mulpuru and Andrew Koven, President of E-Commerce & Customer Experience at Steve Madden.

Best practices abound in this webinar with tactics and examples from a variety of retailers. Perhaps most striking of all is the realization that it’s not just about mobile as a singular channel – or even a channel that will deliver tons of sales directly – but rather as part of a “synchronized experience,” as Sucharita notes, across all of one’s channels.

Something tells me we’ll be seeing more of this cross-channel support between mobile, desktop and store in the coming year – and a whole lot more by the time Holiday 2011 rolls around.

Of course, all eyes in retail now are on Cyber Monday, and here is what NRF / BIGresearch data tells us some of what retailers can expect:

• 106.9 million consumers plan to shop on Cyber Monday this year, a nice jump from last year’s 96.5 million.
• Retailers are fueling consumer interest in Cyber Monday with special offers, free shipping promotions and other specials to entice consumers to spend online.
• While 9 out of ten consumers (96 million people) plan to shop from home, over seven million (6.9%) plan to use their smartphone for this purpose also — and that’s even higher among consumers aged 18 to 34. Retailers who have set up their mobile sites with store locator, pricing, and customer review info should do well with these consumers.
• 44.2% of Cyber Monday shoppers plan to shop online in the early morning hours, posing little problem for those retailers who have been diligent about load testing their site for the holidays. Traffic should progressively ease a bit over the course of the day (particularly over the lunch hour — lunch itself appears to be taking precedence over shopping for many), with one quarter of Cyber Monday shoppers shopping in the early evening.

For further detail, please see Cyber Monday Trends 2010, as well as the Shop.org press release.

Recognizing that consumers are largely multichannel shoppers, retailers surveyed who operate brick and mortar stores this year will be pulling out all the stops in their online arsenal to promote in-store specials, promotions and events. As we found out in our recent eHoliday 2010 results, retailers have invested significantly this year in social media, but email is still the primary vehicle of choice for this purpose: eight out of ten retailers surveyed will use email to push consumers into their stores on Black Friday, while not quite six out of ten will use Facebook to do so.

In the NRF data, the direct correlation between the age of a consumer and his or her likelihood to plan to go shopping over Thanksgiving weekend is striking: almost half of shoppers between 18 and 34 say they definitely plan to hit the stores. If you can segment your customers by age group, perhaps use one email message to push younger customers into your stores, while separately targeting “older” shoppers (um, 35 and older) with messages about how much your online store will help them avoid the crowds and find great gift ideas and specials – all backed by your guarantee to get those shipments there in plenty of time.

Finally, don’t forget to use other online vehicles to promote your brick and mortar stores – fewer than half of retailers surveyed planned to leverage their home page to get out the word about in-store specials and events for Black Friday, and just one third planned to use search marketing for this purpose – either a reflection of lingering channel conflict issues, or just an odd (unfortunate?) oversight of two prime online promotion vehicles.

I have a few observations and comments.

First, congratulations to the many retailers who experienced a strong kick off to their online holiday season.  Based on the reports I’m seeing, many retailers saw significant growth yesterday.  While we don’t yet know if Cyber Monday is a bellwether for the rest of the holiday, the strong start is certainly encouraging and is aligned with the optimism expressed by so many online retailers heading into the holiday season.  This strong performance is yet another reminder of online being the bright spot in retail.

The ongoing media coverage was quite impressive including CNBC broadcasting the entire afternoon from Amazon.com’s distribution center in Phoenix.  One of my favorite stories was in the Boston Globe – Cyber Monday dilemma: Brady or bargains?  The answer, of course, is that you can shop and watch Tom Brady (lose to the Saints as was the case last night) by doing what has become a regular occurrence – shopping online on a laptop from the comfort of your couch while watching your favorite TV show.

Like every year, we saw the Cyber Monday doubters.  This year, the doubters were suggesting that Cyber Monday is no longer relevant because retailers started their promotions early and plan to offer them them past Cyber Monday.  I think they’re missing the point.  Black Friday is a decades old retail tradition and retailers have held sales and promotions before and after this day as well.  Yet, these activities haven’t diminished the importance of Black Friday or the number of people who venture out for deals.  Similarly, with more people shopping on Cyber Monday and more retailers offering deals, Cyber Monday has only grown in importance.

As the group that coined the term, Cyber Monday, this day has special meaning to Shop.org.  Not only because of the excitement it brings to the industry, but also because it is our primary opportunity to raise money for the Ray M. Greenly Scholarship Fund.  I’d like to thank the many Shop.org retail members who participated in Cybermonday.com this year.  Once again, we had record traffic to the site, which we expect will result in record money raised for the scholarship fund not to mention the sales it sends to participants.

Congratulations again to the retail industry for a great Cyber Monday!

Stay tuned to this blog and Shop.org’s Holiday Central for ongoing updates about the 2009 Online Holiday Season.