Splitting marketing budgets remains an immense challenge for shops over Christmas. The festive season is all concerning the big brand campaign battle, with retailers inclusive of Argos, Marks & Spencer, Next and John Lewis all pumping millions of pounds into high-profile television commercials this year.

Yet there’s also a lower level battle going as retailers put money into mobile and digital as their importance within the purchasing journey increases. Per figures from Yahoo, the net is probably the most used media two hours before consumers buy groceries and so they are inclined to return to the web in the event that they don’t buy anything in store.

Patrick Hourihan, Yahoo’s head of study in Northern Europe and author of its Time To shop for research, says: “The role of devices and the net in supporting physical store visits is increasingly more important. Retailers cannot just market on one platform, it isn’t the way in which people engage or shop.”

Yahoo’s comments are backed up by figures at the growing ubiquity of cell phones, with almost three-quarters of UK consumers now owning a smartphone, with penetration at 90 per cent among 25-34 year olds, in accordance with Deloitte. Separately, a study by Weve found that 28 per cent of individuals cite mobile as their first screen, with this number rising to 46 per cent among 18-34 year olds.

At Christmas, digital is much more important, with Yahoo claiming they see a large spike in searches for gifts and online shopping.

“Around Christmas there’s further and further engagement with digital. Online shopping is gigantic at the moment of year because individuals are buying stuff for people and that they like to do it quickly!” says Hourihan.

This opens up a chance to interact with consumers digitally by offering a content-rich experience that supports the only they find in stores. Where previously a mobile website that allow customers research products online could have been enough, now individuals are expecting next-generation mobile services which might be image heavy, fast and whole of content.

Retailers are taking heed. Very has announced a transformation in business plan within the run-as much as Christmas to highlight content marketing and social media, while John Lewis is forecasting that mobile traffic will overtake desktop traffic to its website at 5pm on Christmas Day and is launching an iPad app which will bring content from the retailer’s magazines and catalogues to the tablet.

Marks & Spencer has updated its iPhone app with My Offers, as a way to offer customers exclusive content and deals relevant to their shopping preferences. Plus it’s
planning to debut its new Christmas ad campaign online first and is offering teasers on Instagram just before its first play on Monday (4 November).

It can be using social media to interact with customers, asking them to choose a reputation for the dog that looks inside the ad, with the winner out of a decision of Magic and Sparkle revealed in a version of the ad with a view to run during Downton Abbey on Sunday 10 November.

Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne, the retailer’s executive director of promoting and business development, says: “Brands are all about interaction and conversation and the role of digital at large is to create conversations. Social media gives us a voice to our consumers, letting us engage with them throughout the journey.”

Argos is additionally desirous about content and social media as a way of bringing its catalogue and products to life and to take advantage of growth that has seen mobile traffic increase by 124 per cent during the last year to make up 16 per cent of its total. It has expanded a small test it ran with augmented reality app Blippar early this year to its Christmas catalogue, offering users access to content along with videos and games.

The technology converts static images into interactive content, using a smartphone camera to recognise “blippable” images and respond with anything from videos to competitions to weblinks.

Betrand Bodson, digital director at Argos, says: “Content is vital since it is compelling for purchasers and an entry point to engagement with the logo. We need to be social to bring people to our platform, get them clicking on our products and get them buying.”

Argos is likewise using social media to amplify the consequences of Blippar. Among the many blippable images gives users the choice to take an image with the family of aliens from its campaign and post that to Facebook or Twitter, while it’s also asking people to call the hot baby alien.

After only a week, Bodson claims customers are highly engaged with the content, with all people using the app an ordinary of 10 times.

“This is greater than only a gimmick, it is a fantastic conduit into digital. We had a challenge in that the catalogue is celebrated but has limitations since it is static. This can be a way of bringing paper to life and offering customers an experience in accordance with content round the Argos brand. Mobile is absolutely the connector between the web site that folk are using at home and the stores.”

Bodson believes it’s much more important within the run-as much as Christmas, when competition among retailers is at its fiercest and each brand is making an attempt to be seen as innovative.

“Christmas is a key time to focus on [digital marketing innovations]. Retailers are less comfortable in content and social. There’s a possibility here because most still aren’t using it,” he concludes.