The new breed of empowered consumers honed its shopping skills during the recession. Now, these consumers are taking full advantage of e-commerce sites, smartphones, and social media to save money and make more informed purchase decisions, says Jeffrey Grau, principal analyst, e-commerce, at eMarketer.

These finely tuned shopping skills are most evident during the hectic holiday shopping season. But digital marketers can’t wait until the end of the year to plot their online strategies for reaching these increasingly savvy consumers. Now is the time to kick your year-end promotional planning into high gear.

But where to start? Grau sat down with iMedia Connection to discuss the latest patterns and trends driving online holiday shopping behavior. Consider these insights as your plan your year-end online strategy.

iMedia Connection: Most marketers recognize that the rise of online shopping has drastically changed the way consumers spend leading up to the holidays. But what is one surprising insight or data point regarding this shift that you don’t think most marketers are privy to?

Jeffrey Grau: ( A principal analyst in e-commerce) U.S. consumers seem to have an insatiable appetite for good deals, as evidenced by the increased popularity of digital coupons, daily deals, and flash sales during the holiday season. But make no mistake about it. Many of the online deal hunters are not people on a fixed budget. There is plenty of research showing that online coupon users tend have higher income and a higher level of education compared with users of newspaper coupons and the general population. Marketers should keep this in mind when targeting their promotions.

iMedia: When it comes to holiday marketing online, what channel seems to be giving brands the biggest bang for their buck? Why do you think this is?

Grau: Email does not get the attention of social media or mobile commerce as a digital channel for reaching customers. But it is a very effective and cost-efficient way to deliver promotions. Customers prefer to receive promotions via email much more so than through the mail, social media, or mobile phone text message. What’s more, consumers often share promotional emails with friends and family.

Read the rest of this Article at I Media Connection