If you’re visiting ad:tech in London over the next couple of days, be sure to pop over to the Experian stand (270a) and say hello to us and our Experian colleagues.
At 10:30 on Wednesday I’ll be taking the stage for a presentation entitled “Looking forward to a multi-channel Christmas”. Here’s the blurb:

How will the retail sector perform this Christmas? Drawing on a combination of insights from Christmases past and the latest online and offline behavioural trends, this session will highlight the key challenges and opportunities facing online and multi-channel retailers this festive season.
Find out how Experian Marketing Services can help drive, and measure the success of, your multi-channel campaigns, by understanding:
- The peaks in Christmas retail traffic, and how it varies by sector.
- How the profile of the multi-channel consumer changes over the Christmas period.
- Which customer acquisition strategies deliver the greatest return?
- The role of social media in online retail
One question on every retailer’s lips at this time of year is: what will be the hot products this Christmas? This is something that we’ll be tracking on a regular basis in the run up to the Christmas, but by way of a taster, here are the top 20 from the last week in August:

No real surprise to see Apple’s iPhone at the top of the list, but as you can see that it is facing increasing competition from Andriod devices, particularly the HTC Desire. The iPad is also high up the list, but currently below Microsoft’s Xbox 360. The surprise entry is the Kymera Magic Wand, which recently featured on Dragons’ Den. Searches for the TV remote control have dropped off since its appearance on the BBC show but have stayed at a respectable level, picking up more searches than any other TV-related product. As the chart below illustrates, searches actually increased last week, implying that the product will be more than a flash in pan and a possible big seller this festive season.

For more help planning for the pre- and post-Christmas period online, please come and see us at ad: tech or listen to our recent webinar on the topic (and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter!).