Labor Day, Taxes, Shopping, California
As Labor Day Weekend approaches, it is time to take stock at how we Californians are doing, money-wise, labor and tax-wise. In the work force, the typical Californian works from January 1 to April 24 till he or she reaches a tax-free day. California’s 2013 Business Tax Climate Index Ranks 48 out of 50 states when it comes to areas of taxation that impact business. According to the Tax Foundation, corporate taxes, individual income taxes, sales taxes, unemployment insurance taxes, and taxes on property, including residential and commercial property, are factored into the equation. Most parents and students have tackled back-to-school shopping strategies, while retailers have their eyes on bigger “fish” — Christmas holiday shopping & shoppers.
Five holiday shopping trends in 2013 (see 2012 trends):
1. Mobile — over half of retailers surveyed said that a mobile-optimized website is one of their most important investments this year.
2. Search and email — nearly half of retailers are investing in Google Product Listing Ads, while another third want to deliver personalized emails to their customers.
3. Free shipping is back again this holiday. In 2012 Google found that nearly half of shoppers will leave a site if it doesn’t offer free shipping.
4. Product detail page enhancements are key– honest customer ratings and reviews are the shopper’s most valuable tool.
5. Videos as shopping tool– 70% of retailer sites offered product video on their site, up from 59% two years ago.
