While the holiday shopping season is top-of-mind for everyone, smart retailers are thinking a little further ahead and taking post-holiday time into account as well. According to ShopperTrak, the day after Christmas is the fifth-busiest day of the year for shopping traffic – and the seventh highest in sales. Finding post-holiday bargains is a tradition and passion for many shoppers, so digital marketers need to take advantage of this key time.

First, let’s look at what consumers are purchasing in the post-holiday period. Top sources of spending in January are:

• Fitness Equipment. A popular New Year’s resolution for many is to get in shape.
• Winter Apparel. Winter clothing deals remain good buys through January.
• Home Furniture. January is a good time to purchase old inventory, before new collections are released.
• Electronics. Previous-generation devices will see new price cuts.

Now for specific tactics for retailers and marketers to consider:

The takeaway: the holidays are huge, but the post-holiday period can also be extremely significant for retailers. Great visuals, smart targeting, and customized offers can go a long way in helping your digital marketing efforts close the deal for bargain-hungry post-holiday shoppers.

Sources: DealNews, “The Best and Worst Things to Buy in January”, January 2014; “Retailers Counting on After Christmas Sales to Escape Doldrums”, Susanna Kim, December 2013; “For Boosting Post-Holiday Sales”, Brandi-Ann Uyemura, January 2014; Entrepreneur, “Know Your Shopper to Boost Post-Holiday Sales”, Dec 2013; Multichannel Merchant, “How to Avoid the Post-Holiday Blues”,  Jan 2014; Los Angeles Times, “Retail Sales Pick Up in January after Lackluster Holidays”, February 2013; Special to CNBC, “Hey, It’ll be Cheaper After Christmas”, December 2013; The Denver Post, “Shoppers try to find Bargains in Post-Holiday Sales”, December 2013