This year’s economic reality means that the trends are going to be different than they have been in the past. While an increase in potential online shopping might seem somewhat dire, what it actually presents is a chance to adjust current marketing campaigns and get in on some great campaigns just in time for the holidays.

Practical gifts, such as gift cards, are sure to see an increase in popularity this year. There is a bit of irony here, as many people are planning on using gift cards to purchase the gifts that they will give this year.  So, giving gift cards to your friends might make sure that you get a gift next gift-giving season. One area that consumers have cut sharply is restaurant gift cards.

Spending on food and candy is up, while most other non-gift categories have declined. While statistics show that spending on items like decorations, greeting cards, and flowers is down, there are still opportunities to be found in the holiday season.

The good news is that many of the areas that people are interested in spending their money can be found online and more shoppers are turning towards the Internet to find deals. In fact, last year during the worst part of the current recession, online shopping outperformed brick-and-mortar in several key categories, including apparel, books and magazines, home and garden furniture, and greetings and gifts.

With this in mind, focusing on the campaigns in the best-performing categories in 2009 will boost your traffic and your earnings.  Apparel merchants like AdditionElle/Penningtons/MXM, and T-Shirt Monster are excellent choices to complement your retail traffic, and Zoobooks will be a good bet for consumers looking for educational gift for children. With many people minimizing their gift-giving costs, unique Christmas affiliate programs like Imaginary Greetings (Letters from Santa) and Santa’s Ornament Shop could be just the thing to reach your holiday consumers.

Whatever your focus, affiliates in the Share Results affiliate network will have plenty of options to choose from. Don’t forget to consult with one of our account managers, as they can really make a difference in helping to direct your seasonal campaigns.

Reducing investments in campaigns that might not be as popular this year as they have been in the past and instead focusing energies on the trends for the current climate will help to ensure continued growth in the fourth Quarter and a great start to 2010.