Holiday Retailer 2016 begins: It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

No matter the marketing discipline, preparation is a key ingredient for success. That’s the philosophy behind the annual midsummer kickoff of our Marketing Land Holiday Retailer coverage, which brings you the latest news, as well as expert insights — all designed to ensure you’re ready to employ the most effective digital strategies and tactics for the upcoming winter shopping season.

Though ecommerce seems like old news — we’ve been buying things online since the ’90s, after all — it’s still changing every day due to new technologies and developments in consumer behavior. And the good news is that it’s continuing to grow.

According to US Census Bureau estimates, ecommerce revenues in the first quarter of 2016 increased 15.2 percent from the first quarter of 2015, while total retail sales increased just 2.2 percent in the same period. In Q1, 7.8 percent of total sales took place on electronic platforms.

That growth is being driven by many factors, and among them is innovation on the part of retailers and retail marketers. There are so many ways consumers are empowered to shop today: on their desktops or on their mobile devices; using free shipping offers or shipping “clubs” like Amazon Prime or same-day store pickup; on websites, via apps or using voice commands. And the more choices consumers have regarding their path to purchase, the more challenges retailers face in managing and tracking what’s happening.

These are the very challenges that our special section was designed to address. Not only will our news coverage let you know about all the new opportunities unveiled by publishers and tool companies, but our columnists will get down and dirty and explain realistic ways of employing these new marketing methods. Or they may even help you decide that, given your vertical and your goals, they’re not worth pursuing at all. Whew!

As a retail marketer, you’ve got lots of decisions to make to gear up for the winter shopping season. Let Marketing Land’s Holiday Retailer provide insight and guidance to make those decisions easier and more effective.

We’re starting Holiday Retailer with a bang today, offering you an updated holiday marketing checklist from contributor David Rekuc, along with James Green’s lessons from the 2015 season and tips on beating Amazon from Mike Sands. Stay tuned in the coming months for everything retailers need to know to thrive in 2016.