Black Friday 2020 was markedly different from prior years, with lockdown regulations forcing the event to take place completely online.
While shoppers can now return to brick-and-mortar retailers for this year’s event on November 26, 2021, the popularity of online shopping is here to stay.
Operating an online Black Friday campaign involves different challenges to running one in-store, so it’s up to retailers to keep up. One challenge involves matching the excitement and demand of Black Friday online.
Shopping in-store is completely immersive: other shoppers, visible discount signs, and rapidly emptying racks all contribute to a frenzy of activity. This is more difficult to reproduce online.
If you push sales too hard, visitors will leave your site; if you push too lightly, they run the risk of missing your Black Friday event entirely.
The second challenge is converting Black Friday consumers into regular repeat customers. While the event usually results in a substantial increase in revenue and new customer acquisition for shops, its success is typically fleeting.
Given the present condition of the world’s economy as it attempts to recover from the effects of the pandemic, this is even more likely. However, with the relevant tools and strategies, brands may overcome these obstacles.
Rather than limiting Black Friday to a brief burst of activity, you can increase sales and gain loyal customers who will keep returning long after the event has ended.
BLACK FRIDAY 2020
In many respects, last year was a record year:
- Black Friday ecommerce sales rose by 22% year over year, reaching $9 billion worldwide.
- 49% of customers now shop online more than they did before COVID-19
- 100 million consumers shopped online, an increase of 8% year on year.
- 52% of consumers took advantage of early discounts (which typically begin in October)
- In 2020, the average conversion rate increased by 3.8% over 2019.
TOP TIPS FOR BLACK FRIDAY
To help online retailers and brands out, we’ve compiled our Top 10 tips to help make Black Friday 2021 one for the record books.
MAKE IT PERSONAL
Consumers are unlikely to be swayed by blanket Black Friday discounts, given the massive number of offers vying for their attention. Rather, segment your clients based on what you know about them – age, gender, average order value, frequency of purchases, and location – and then provide them with offers tailored to their specific requirements and preferences.
For example, a garden company may advertise relevant premium plant care items to high-value consumers who have just purchased particular plants. Increase interaction further by including contextual information, such as flora suitable to cold conditions, and personalization, such as their name in the subject line.
Additionally, it is important to examine what drives your consumer groups to purchase on Black Friday. Men, according to research, are more inclined to purchase for themselves, while women are more likely to purchase presents for others.
EXTEND YOUR CAMPAIGN
By limiting your Black Friday offer to the day, itself, you’re competing for customer attention with numerous other brands. In 2021, promotional emails will inundate inboxes worldwide, with some providers processing more than 5.8 billion emails on Black Friday alone.
Rather than limiting your campaign to November 26, try expanding it to a week, two weeks, or even the whole month. While you may be concerned that this could erode the campaign’s exclusivity, when done well, it can have the opposite impact. Exclusive offers, such as those on particular goods for a short time, may entice consumers, create a feeling of urgency to purchase and drive them to return for more discounts on other things.
Customers who purchase once are 32% likely to return; customers who purchase twice are 54% likely to return. By rewarding repeat purchases on Black Friday, you may enhance the chance that consumers will return after the offer ends.
BUILD A BETTER EMAIL LIST
Black Friday is one of the most significant shopping days of the year for retailers. When it comes to marketing a Black Friday campaign, it’s obvious that you’ll want to reach the largest possible audience. An email marketing campaign can help you, as a retailer, achieve this objective.
Prior to Black Friday, use the opportunity to grow your email list of subscribers who are really interested in hearing about future discounts and special offers.
This may be done by promoting your email registration prominently on your website, social media channels, and even in-store. Consider utilizing a pop-up or banner to advertise your great Black Friday bargains and collecting consumer sign-ups to be the first to hear about them.
Come Black Friday, your customers’ inbox will be busier than ever. And one of the few ways to stand out from the crowd is to make your subject line stand out. That’s because 47% of email recipients read emails only on the basis of the subject line.
Therefore, avoid treating your subject line as an afterthought; instead, ensure that there’s a strategy behind it.
Consider including some vibrant or unique emojis that the recipient may not encounter often. In the subject line, make a point of mentioning the goods included in your sale. Alternatively, you can get more creative with your copywriting by writing something intriguing, funny, or edgy.
TIMING IS EVERYTHING
Black Friday deals start earlier every year. Even though Black Friday has become a week-long event (sometimes spanning an entire month!) maintaining correct timing is essential.
While you don’t want to start your Black Friday campaign too early, you can use online and email promotions to entice your consumers and get them excited to check their inboxes and your website on Black Friday.
But, with that in mind, competitors’ promotional activities will also begin early this year. As a result, if you promote your campaign too late, consumers may skip your products or offer in favor of your opposition.
OFFER DIFFERENT PAYMENT METHODS
The more payment options and alternatives you have, the more likely it is that you will appeal to a larger audience. Making it simpler for individuals to pay you increases your chances of getting more sales!
Did you know that 13% of online consumers cancelled their most recent purchase because they were unable to pay in the way they wanted?
DON’T FORGET MOBILE
Global eCommerce transactions are projected to be dominated by mobile devices by the end of 2021, accounting for almost 73% of all eCommerce transactions.
If one thing’s for certain: your eCommerce store should be mobile-friendly and accessible on smartphones and tablets as well as desktop computers.
> MOBILE APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT IS A BOOMING INDUSTRY.
During the last several years, mobile apps have gained both popularity and success. Businesses that have mobile applications have a considerable advantage over their competitors.
Mobile apps convert at a rate that is 157% greater than mobile web sessions. If you don’t already have an app, make sure your website is optimized for mobile devices as well as computers.
> PAYMENTS VIA MOBILE PHONES (ALSO KNOWN AS MOBILE WALLETS).
Among the mobile wallets that have grown in popularity are Apple Pay, Android Pay, and PayPal. Customers may pay securely when they use a mobile retail app to make a purchase.
> WHAT EXACTLY IS A MOBILE WALLET?
Payment card information is stored in a mobile wallet. It may be accessed through a mobile device that has an app loaded. Mobile wallets enable customers to make in-store payments without carrying a physical wallet or to conduct secure and simple online purchases.
Did you know that …
- 48% of consumers begin their search using a mobile device and a search engine.
- 58 % of Google searches are conducted via a mobile app. In 2016, the figure was 34%.
- 65% of clicks on sponsored Google search results originate from a mobile device.
USE REVIEWS YOUR ADVANTAGE
A business with only good reviews will not seem genuine; if there are no negative reviews, consumers may assume the reviews are false.
Ascertain whether your response plan is capable of handling all reviews. Positive as well as negative. Ones that are dissatisfied or furious are more likely to submit a review than pleasant, pleased customers.
One thing is certain though – negative evaluations are not always detrimental to a company. When a merchant reacts well, it often results in purchases by reluctant customers. It’s critical to understand how to transform a bad review into an opportunity.
Prior to making a purchase, online buyers do research by collecting information about the goods they want to acquire. Reading customer reviews, product reviews, and ratings is an important aspect of the purchasing process.
Did you know that …
- 88% of customers place the same value on internet reviews as they do on personal recommendations.
- Only 12% of customers disregard reviews prior to making a purchase.
- 85% of customers report reading up to ten reviews before making a purchase.
- 50 or more reviews per product may result in an increase of 4-5% in conversion rate.
Keep in mind that your internet reputation is intrinsically linked to your offline reputation. You just cannot afford to ignore any of them.
Insert a flyer or card demonstrating your reputation inside the box of a product. At the same time, request feedback; this demonstrates a desire to grow and perform better.
USE SOCIAL COMMERCE
Combining eCommerce with social media is very effective. It allows customers to discover and purchase items that they would not often find on a fashion eCommerce site.
SEE IT, CLICK ON IT, AND PURCHASE IT.
Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and TikTok are social media sites that currently enable social commerce.
Customers may view a product on the app, click the “buy now” button, and then finish the transaction right there in the app. Pinterest does not function in the same manner, since customers are not routed to an eCommerce site and therefore cannot finish the purchase in the app.
WHO ARE THE CUSTOMERS?
Generation Z was born with a phone or other mobile device in their hands and have a totally different attitude to social media and digitalization in general than earlier generations. Instagram is used by 60% of Generation Z in the United States to find new businesses, goods, and services.
48% of 18-34-year-olds in the United States have made a purchase via social media.
GROWTH OF SOCIAL COMMERCE
According to Business Insider, social commerce will account for 4.3% of all retail eCommerce sales in the United States in 2021. According to Emarketer, social commerce will grow from $34.8 billion in 2016 to $36.09 billion in 2021.
Fashion, which includes clothing and accessories, is still the most popular area for social commerce today. In other words, social commerce is a long-term eCommerce trend that will continue to play an important role in the future.
CREATE A SENSE OF URGENCY
Another effective strategy is to create a sense of urgency in order to get customers to make a purchase right away or before switching to a rival.
Countdown clocks are ideal for creating a feeling of urgency, especially during a sale.
Countdown clocks look cool and often catch the attention of customers. They are also dynamic, which means that the clock will display the correct time every time a recipient opens an email, or a visitor refreshes a landing page.
USE REMINDERS
There is nothing more frustrating than painstakingly creating Black Friday ads full of great offers, graphics, and personalization… just for the deal to fall through at the last step! There are many reasons why customers add goods to their shopping cart but never check out.
They may get sidetracked, discover a better bargain elsewhere, be concerned about delivery delays, or be skeptical of your brand’s reliability. All these impediments may be overcome using abandoned basket email reminders.
These emails are sent when a customer abandons an item in their shopping cart. And it may contain information about the product’s advantages, good customer reviews and pictures, delivery timelines, as well as contact information for assistance if customers have any concerns.
(A small discount coupon or code may of course also assist in providing that last push to buy!)
BONUS TIPS!
- Don’t be forced to close up shop too early – Keep track of your stock, and possibly restock before Black Friday.
- Website speed and efficiency – take some time and optimize your site, clean it up and make it easy to use (Tools like Yoast BV come in very handy!)
Good Luck!