Help Consumers Set Records

Black Friday’s Internet sales hit $9 billion in 2020. 

At the time, this was the second highest amount consumers had ever spent online in one day (only behind the $9.4 billion spent on Cyber Monday in 2019).

In case spending $9 billion in one day just online isn’t crazy enough, here’s some added perspective: consumers spent $6.3 million a minute online last Black Friday, according to Adobe.

But wait! It gets nuttier.

A few days later, consumers dropped $10.8 billion on Cyber Monday.

So, here are the updated standings

Cyber Monday 2020

Cyber Monday 2019

Black Friday 2020

Numbers are flying all over the place and rankings are constantly changing, but all you have to worry about is how your brand will take advantage of consumers spending millions of dollars a minute on Black Friday.

via GIPHY

Having a strong showing on what will likely be a record-setting day (consumers will spend $17 billion online, according to BlackFriday) is a terrific way to end 2021. 

Since your brand won’t be the only one participating (that would be nice), you have to earn your cut of the $17 billion!

Good Monster will share some of the strategies our marketing experts are developing so our clients can take advantage of, most likely, the soon-to-be highest amount ever spent online in a single day.

Offering Some Guidance

A “15% OFF” marketing campaign won’t move the needle if everyone else and their mother are doing the same thing.

Another way to miss out on a historic opportunity? 

If your website tells customers “We’re sorry, our site is undergoing some technical difficulties.”

Neither will fly. Especially on Black Friday.

Continue reading to learn how to achieve the results you want. 

Category Specific

As opposed to the “15% OFF” campaign on the idea board, take time to develop and market sales that are category-specific. 

A great starting point is identifying the category with the highest margins. That way, you can be more flexible when creating offers while still turning a profit.

Depending on your industry, what phase your company is in, etc., a certain category could be more in demand than others. For instance, assuming the numbers make sense, a new clothing brand trying to get its winter line off the rack (in a metaphorical sense since we are talking ecommerce) should concentrate on selling that.

Category-specific sales also help your team stay organized. Employees will have a better idea of what inventory they will need more of, and they can work with your suppliers to ensure both sides are ready for a high volume of orders.

Show Your Vips Love

Your VIPs, or whatever you call them, have already proved their loyalty to your brand, and it is your job to ensure it stays that way. This is why they deserve more intriguing deals than the rest of your target audience.

Yes, this does mean more savings.

via GIPHY

You should actually be happy about this because it is a win-win situation for both your VIPS and brand!

A report from Klaviyo states VIPs on your email list (who you should be marketing Black Friday offers to) account for three to five percent of your entire list and spend THREE TIMES as much as other customers.

Showing your VIPs some extra love is well worth it.

Trust us.

Plan Ahead

Shoppers will not just stumble upon your brand’s site and spend hundreds of dollars on Black Friday, but piquing their interest before the potentially-17-billion-dollar day will lead them there.

Be Social

Social media is something we have mentioned in the past, and we are going to again.

As it relates to Black Friday, it is the perfect place to raise awareness and build up anticipation. This direct line of communication to your target audience allows you to

• Learn which categories customers want deals for (i.e. conduct a poll)
• Advertise promotions
• Answer questions customers may have come Black Friday
• Create excitement

Utilizing the platforms your brand is on will increase your site’s visitors on November 26, 2021.

Emails

Emailing your target audience regularly is a start, but as it pertains to Black Friday, not every customer should receive the same email.

A perfect example of this is the aforementioned VIPs. The “60% OFF” offer they are eligible for, an email subscriber who has yet to purchase a product is not, so make sure the latter does not receive it.

Your marketing team must segment the emails to

• VIPs
• Return customers
• One-time customers
• Category buyers
• Subscribers who have yet to make a purchase

Customers in each category are in different stages of the buying process. Your Black Friday promo emails should reflect this. 

Coordinate

In addition to maintaining social media accounts and email marketing, your team also has to run the brand’s site. All need to operate simultaneously and in a coordinated fashion.

Whatever your brand’s promotional strategy is, be certain to represent it on all three. This increases the likelihood your customers will remember your brand’s Black Friday offerings and pay your site a visit.

Focus on Customer Experience

The opportunity to connect with customers is one you should relish. It earns you their trust and enables you to understand their needs.

We can thank the Internet for this, but the high-speed Internet they enjoy has also made them quite impatient!

Any deficiencies your website has is essentially telling customers, “Leave this page and take your money elsewhere.”

Not the message you meant to convey, but it is how they will interpret it.

Check the boxes below so customers do not leave your site until placing an order.

Go Faster

Web performance expert Tammy Everts found a two-second page speed decrease could boost your conversions by 66 percent.

Moral of the story: make sure your site’s performance and speed meet their expectations.

Polish Mobile Experience

Sixty-six percent of sales on Black Friday and Cyber Monday happened on mobile devices in 2018, according to Shopify merchants. 

Just think what they will be in 2021.

Several customers still use their mobile devices to browse and desktops to check out, but the amount who see the entire process through on the former is increasing.

Some tips to ensure your mobile site is up to par

Improve site navigation

Increase site speed

Offer one-click purchases

Not only will customers leave happy about their purchase, but will be more likely to return.

Easy to Check Out

Offering one-click purchases simplifies the checkout process by getting customers to the final step and encourages them to satisfy their urge to make an impulse buy!

A regular occurrence on Black Friday.

A complicated checkout process can (at the very least) do two things to hurt sales

Frustrate the customer so he or she leaves before finalizing the purchase

Give the customer enough time to second-guess the decision to go through with the impulse buy

Both ruin your chances of having a killer Black Friday. Just make this process easy so you have one less thing to worry about.

Copy the Excitement

Scarcity and urgency each encourage consumer spending. Make sure your website’s copy has both.

Providing no additional excitement will crush your customers’ holiday spirit.

Avoid being “blah” and liven it up with copy like this

• Limited time only.
• Hurry! We’re selling out fast!
• Only 3 items left!
• This offer is valid for another 25 minutes.

Straightforward, concise copy like this motivates the customer to proceed.

Amazon

Amazon boasted 24.2 percent of online sales during Black Friday, last year. 

Best Buy was in second at seven percent, according to Finances Online.

Talk about a drop off.

No matter how hard you work to improve your site and create a memorable buying experience, consumers will turn to Amazon to find Black Friday deals. It is inevitable.

All you can do is accept it and ensure their Amazon order includes your products by checking on the following

• Reviews
• Inventory allocated for Amazon
• Product images and descriptions
• Correct pricing
• A team ready to handle those orders

Over half of online shoppers search for products on Amazon before anywhere else. 

More reason to strengthen your brand’s Amazon presence to reach your target audience.

Have a Great Weekend

After having a successful Black Friday, you can catch up on some well-deserved sleep, which you will need because Cyber Monday is three short days later.

The post How To Be Ready For Black Friday appeared first on The Good Monster.