These days it seems it’s hard to know when the best time to do your holiday shopping is between Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Free Shipping Day and Super Saturday, which are all made up days created to boost holiday sales.

Do you jump right in after Thanksgiving and knock out everything on your list? Or do you hold out for possibly better deals with the chance of not getting what you want? Or are you like me this year and got a really late start and are hoping for the best?

The National Retail Federation anticipates holiday sales this year will increase 4.1% over last year. Holiday retail sales reports have been very mixed this year. It started with a disappointing Black Friday, which is typically the busiest shopping day of the year. But despite a slow Thanksgiving weekend, November sales were actually up slightly over last year. It seems this can be attributed to an expansion in the sales season with retailers offering deep discounts as early as Halloween. With spotty sales reports so far this holiday season, retailers are now banking on Super Saturday, the last Saturday before Christmas, to make up for slow sales so far this year. In fact, according to ShopperTrak, Super Saturday is expected to surpass Black Friday as the top revenue-generating day of 2014 for brick-and-mortar stores. That means stores have to rely on procrastinators like me to save the holiday shopping season.

While the forecast for in-store sales is good this year, on-line holiday sales forecasts continue to grow year after year with Cyber Monday now being the biggest online shopping day of the year. Online sales are expected to grow 8 – 11% this year. The surge in online shopping shows holiday shoppers are in search of deals that are most convenient.

With lower gas prices and unemployment rates at a six-year low, retailers are hoping shoppers will have a little more cash to spend this holiday season. And with Christmas falling on Thursday this year, most people will have Friday off which will give them another opportunity to take advantage of after Christmas sales.

We’ll have to wait a few more days to see how the holiday shopping season ends up this year. In the meantime, I’ve got to get to it … Happy Shopping!

We look forward to the holidays all year long. They are a wonderful time for festive gatherings, re-visiting family memories and traditions, and creating new ones. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Chanukkah or Kwanzaa, the virtues of each of these holidays are celebrated for weeks and months in advance.

However, preparations for these celebrations can really zap our time. On any given day, the challenges presented by Father Time during the holidays can be intense. A Hollywood producer might love to document the chaos of a holiday reality show — imagine Gordon Ramsay trying to handle the heat in the kitchen while simultaneously shopping, decorating, wrapping, delivering and entertaining!

And beware! Just when you think you’ve wrangled things into manageable chaos, factor in a last minute curveball, because Someone. Will. Get. Sick.

It’s tempting to throw in the towel and let yourself get voted off the island and retreat. But with a little patience, pluck and determination, you can survive the holiday jungle and actually enjoy your holidays!

Here are a few of our tips on how to get through the season in one piece and beat Father Time at his own game:

• Drink calming tea – it’s vital for survival.
• Pay attention to behaviors. Delegate the right tasks to the right people. And, by all means, bring in “special teams” when necessary.
• These days are long, people! Avoid the jitters and get an extra boost of sustainable energy with a Radiant Red Glow (with jalapeno) from The GEM.
• Survivors will be welcomed back into civilization and rewarded with the rejuvenation gleaned from a good night’s sleep. On The Porch, we love the comfort and feel of crisp percale Egyptian cotton sheets. Lyric by Peacock Alley are our faves.

So enjoy the chaos and the glamour of the holidays, but remember, when it all comes down to it – there is a reason for the season. Take a deep breath, grab a mug and position your children under each arm, because “It’s a Wonderful Life” is truly what we have.

Digital Summit Dallas

This week, our team had the opportunity to attend the Dallas Digital Summit, the region’s largest digital gathering, to re-enforce our digital insight strong hold.

Attendees were from a diverse range of organizations including national brands, agencies, technology, media, B2B providers, associations, nonprofits and start-ups. 

The conference was two days of jammed pack information all things digital insight ~ from SEO, email, mobile, social, analytics to cross-channel campaigns, trends and overall digital strategies.

Here’s the top 10 take-ways the team will be rockin’ on the porch in 2015:
1)   It is Search Everything Optimization not Search Engine Optimization
2)   Local SEO is absolutely vital for any business with a physical location
3)   Everyone wants their emails to be meaningful! Change your email strategy and get it opened
4)   Social media is not elective any more
5)   Employees can be the biggest brand ambassadors
6)   Create a behavioral statement to compliment your mission and vision
7)   Watch your inauthentic dislikers ~ it’s ok to ask why they don’t love you anymore
8)   2015 trend watch: more video, more spend on social
9)   Make it pervasive, participatory, personalized and prescriptive
10) Wheel and Spoke – Cross Channel is essential

Need to get started on your 2015 digital plan? Let’s get together on the porch and rock it out.

How is Thanksgiving and the holiday season already upon us?

It’s hard not to go full speed from now until the end of the year trying to get it all done – holiday shopping, end of the year goals and quotas at work, holiday festivities, family commitments … the list goes on and on. As much as we might have going on during this hectic holiday season, Thanksgiving is a good time to stop, take a breath and reflect on the experiences and things in our lives that have brought us to this point and most importantly, to be grateful.

Oftentimes things seem harder than they are. Being grateful can help put things into perspective. Being thankful and expressing gratitude will improve your life.

Take the time to be thankful each and every day, not just on Thanksgiving.

It will make you appreciate the good things in your life and allow you to enjoy them to the fullest.

This Thanksgiving we are thankful for our team, families, friends, partners and clients who have appreciated us, pushed us to perform to new heights and have stuck with us. You are a gift to us. We are thankful and grateful for each and every one of you!

We wish you all the happiest of Thanksgivings!