black friday marketing strategies
Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) is one of the busiest shopping periods of the year. You need Black Friday marketing strategies to maximize this opportunity. In this blog post, we’ll provide 20+ effective Black Friday marketing strategies to help e-commerce business owners stand out from the competition.
In this part, we’ll explore these Back Friday marketing strategies:
Let’s dive in and explore how to make the most of this shopping event!
When introducing a new product, you want to build excitement around it. In this manner, there will be a market for the product when it eventually hits the shelves, a set of buyers who are eager to purchase it.
This is also true for Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) sale savings and deals. People start looking for shops with sales when their favorite items are cheaper. They either bookmark the page or add things to a wish list to be ready when the sale starts.
We will recommend three ideas for you:
While the page’s content is important, the approach to the BFCM sale can really get people excited. In fact, most of them are already putting money aside to buy the most important things during the sale.
Get inspired by the Mama Fox Black Friday campaign. With a countdown timer, special deals, and clear calls to action, they do an excellent job of getting people excited. It looks good and is simple to use, so it’s likely to grab and keep guests’ attention.
Many shops with a large budget use this strategy to turn their regular customers into loyal ones. They let them pre-order things from the BFCM sale for a set amount. This helps the store make more sales and ensure that their goods sell.
Look at Shein. Their social media ad for Black Friday is called “11:11,” and it takes place on November 11. We’re also more comfortable with “11:11” because if you check the time at that time, you’ll be lucky, or the person you’re thinking about loves you.
Nothing beats feeling like being a VIP, right? Giving your best customers early access to Black Friday deals can really make them feel special. It shows that you appreciate their loyalty and want to reward them for being part of your tribe.
Here are our tips for segmenting your email list to target these customers to consider this season:
With a seasonal buyers group, you can reconnect with people who bought from you during the Black Friday Cyber Monday campaign or another holiday sales event last year. This is your chance to remind them of the deals they got on Black Friday and prepare them for what’s to come.
You can divide this group of customers even more. As an example:
This way, you can ensure that your message fits what they expect from a Black Friday sale. You can divide your customers into groups based on whether they returned items they bought during a holiday sale. You can then send them specific emails or not include them in your BFCM campaign.
People who read your emails and click on the links inside them already know about you and your goods. They’ve been interested for months or even years, so make sure you reward that.
You can give them early access to deals, a bigger discount than what’s on your website, or a free item when they place an order.
For instance, Pioneer, a brand of slim wallets, contacted its members to inform them about a Black Friday deal that was only available to members.
Adobe Analytics shows that Black Friday was the best day ever, with sales up 2.3% to $9.12 billion. But if you want to win big this year, optimize your site (not by thinking about deals!).
Shoppers are getting smarter. They know they can find good deals all year round. So, what makes your Black Friday deals so special? The answer is experience. Make your website mobile-friendly, easy to navigate, and loading fast. And most importantly, make your customers feel valued and appreciated.
We understand it. That’s why we’ve updated our Black Friday and Cyber Monday checklist to help you prepare your website for the year’s biggest shopping event. Our checklist covers everything you need to know, from optimizing your site speed to ensuring a seamless checkout process.
Nobody is surprised that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are crazy days. Lots of people are in a hurry to get the best deals before they’re gone. But don’t start selling at the last minute.
Black Friday can be super competitive. That’s why it’s important to give your customers a sneak peek of what’s coming. Let them know what exciting deals you have in store.
& Other Stories did a great job by letting shoppers pre-select their shopping bags. It was like a little teaser to get them excited and ready to buy. Then, they launched a site-wide sale on Black Friday to seal the deal.
According to Convertica’s article, behavioral economists have found that the fear of losing out (FOMO) is a strong psychological. It cause that makes people buy when they think the market price for an item is low. This is why scarcity marketing works so well for selling things.
We noticed that flash sales are a great way to tap into FOMO. They create a sense of urgency and exclusivity, making customers feel like they need to act now or they’ll miss out.
MadebySUNDAY has seen this for herself. They make natural skin care products and use flash sales to get people to buy more and stay loyal. The founder, Chaymae Samir, once had a flash sale that brought in 890% more money than expected!
The secret to successful flash sales is to make them truly exclusive. Don’t always discount your products, or customers won’t feel the urgency. Make them feel like they’re part of a special club.
That’s why MadebySUNDAY did this by creating a password-protected shopping portal for their flash sales. This made customers feel like they were getting a VIP experience.
Want to make more sales and keep your customers happy? Combining multiple products into a cart can increase the average order value and make shopping easier for your customers. People may also be more likely to buy more if you offer savings or special deals on bundles.
A great example of the effectiveness of product bundles is G Bub Blooms. To make every bouquet special, they customizations to make each bouquet unique.
You can do more than just scroll through and share cat movies on social media. It’s a great way to find great deals and learn about new brands, especially on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Don’t just post, though, and hope things go well. You need a good plan to turn people who follow you on social media into paying customers. How to do it:
Leveraging user-generated content for BFCM:
Encourage your followers to share their own photos and experiences with your products or services. This is called user-generated content (UGC), and it’s a great way to build trust and engagement.
You can find more ideas in our guide for getting more customer reviews.
Reply to your audience:
Don’t just post and run. You should reply to comments, answer questions, and have real conversations with your followers. It shows that you care about their opinions and makes them feel valued.
Track your social performance:
A study by SimplicityDX found that even though 91% of brands advertise on social media, only 44% of the money they make can be tracked. This makes it harder for brands to determine how much it costs to get a new customer.
Certain platforms, like Facebook, come with integrated analytics tools that allow you to monitor the effectiveness of your postings and determine if they are reaching those interested in your store.
We all love it when things come for free, right? That’s what more than 68% of shoppers who bought something online said was the most important thing.
So, how can you use free shipping to boost your sales? We recommend offer it for orders over a certain amount. For example, Anthropologie offers free shipping on orders over $50 during Black Friday.
BFCM special edition product drops are a great way to get people’s attention and get them to buy. You make a special line of products or just one item for the BFCM season. You can only give the limited version to your VIP customers if you only have a certain number of items in stock. It’s a great way to thank them for being reliable.
To keep people interested and make them wait for the launch, run an email campaign that makes them wonder and feel like they are among the few who know about it.
Just like Tinker Watches did, they have an amazing job with their limited-edition watch launch. They used the excitement of Black Friday to create a buzz and get people excited about their new product.
Here is a tip: Keep the number of texts sent to BFCM email marketing to a minimum so the people who receive them stay focused on the subject.
According to MuseFind’s data, 92% of people today believe influencers more than standard ads or recommendations from famous people. This means that you need to use celebrity marketing in your efforts.
Once you’ve decided to use influencer marketing, the next step is to find the perfect influencer for your brand. Consider your goals, budget, and what you’re capable of managing.
One popular influencer marketing strategy is gifting. This means giving influencers your products for free. In return, you can ask them to join your affiliate program or write a review. You’ll often see these posts with the hashtag #gifted.
Hunter & Oak is an excellent example of how gifting can work. They regularly send their baby clothes to mom influencers and then share their content on their BFCM social media content. They also give influencers a discount code to share with their followers, making tracking results easy.
Businesses can get more sales from customers who aren’t sure what to buy during the extended shopping time by offering deals on days other than e-commerce promotions.
As an example, Deciem is great. Last year, they closed their shops for a while, but all through November, they had great deals. It was a smart way to keep things interesting and let people shop at their own pace.
Getting in touch with your customers through email can help you keep in touch and make more sales. You should tailor your messages to each person’s needs, though, if you want to really change things.
Divide your customers into groups based on preferences, buying habits, or other factors. This will allow you to send them more relevant and engaging emails.
To supercharge your BFCM email campaigns, your subject line is the first thing your customers see, so make it count. Keep it short and sweet, and personalize it to their interests. A good subject line can make a huge difference in your open rate.
More and more things are being bought online. 8% more sales were made online around the world, according to Salesforce Data 2023. With 9% more sales, the U.S. is in the lead.
This year’s Black Friday is expected to be even bigger. That’s why offering exclusive online deals is a must.
Bath & Body Works is a great example. They offered a “buy 3, get 3 free” deal that was only available online. It’s a fantastic way to get people excited and shopping.
People always forget about the things they put in their shopping carts during the Christmas shopping season. That’s when retargeting ads that stick around are useful. People will remember the things they were interested in after seeing these ads. By showing them personalized ads, you can get them to come back and finish their buy.
Most ad platforms let you target people who have added items to their cart but didn’t buy, viewed a specific product page, or bought similar items in the past. This means you can show them ads that are super relevant and encourage them to take the next step.
Traditionally, methods for making suggestions were pretty simple. They would tell everyone to buy popular things without taking into account what each person wanted. The picture below shows how smart AI is. Your customers’ likes and dislikes can be learned, and then products that are great for them can be suggested.
Want to add suggestions from AI to your online store? It’s easy to do with many apps. These are some well-known ones:
We all like to play games, and the idea of play is part of what makes us human. It’s no surprise, then, that gaming can help many fields, including eCommerce.
Gamified promotions can be a fun and unexpected experience for your customers. Imagine playing a game while shopping. And with a multi-level game structure, you can keep them engaged for a long time.
Our Place is a great example of how gamification can work. They offered customers a mystery gift with their purchase, which helped them sell more and encourage customers to spend more. It was a fun and exciting way to make shopping more engaging.
17. Create interactive content to drive engagement
There are a lot of choices for shoppers during the busy holiday season. It needs to be quick, easy, and fun for them to choose your store. Shoppers will stay interested in your store if you have interactive content. Your website can be more fun and interesting if it has votes, surveys, and quizzes.
Let us tell you that using the polls on Facebook and Instagram stories is the best way to add interactive elements to your BFCM plan.
With their “Pack with BÉIS” series on Instagram Stories, BÉIS did a fantastic job. They invited fans to select their favorite bag after showcasing their team preparing for a vacation.
As soon as these Black Friday marketing strategies are over, it’s important to look back at your work and find ways to make it better. You can see below the most important e-commerce indicators that the best e-commerce brands keep an eye on.
| Conversion Rate = (Number of Conversions / Total Number of Visitors) x 100% |
Shopify recommends your conversion rate should be 2% to 4%, which is the industry benchmark. If it’s lower, then it’s time to optimize your website and sales funnel.
Let’s say that 10,000 people visit your online store every month. If your average conversion rate is 2%, you should make 200 sales (10000 visits x 2% conversion rate).
Your conversion rate could go up to 300 sales in that same month if you optimize your website and raise it to 3%. That’s 10,000 visits times 3%. This is a 50% rise in sales from what seems like a slight 1% rise in conversion rate.
| AOV = Total Revenue / Number of Orders |
Average Order Value (AOV) looks at how much customers spend on each purchase, while the conversion rate is more about getting people to buy.
AOV is not a single e-commerce measure that works for all businesses. Benchmarks in your industry can help you get started, but your area and target group are the most important things.
We both know Black Friday Cyber Monday will be huge this year. To make sure your online store can handle all the traffic and sales, you need the right tools in place. Which is why we listed 3 robust e-commerce tools for you:
Businesses can boost inbound marketing ROI by distributing targeted content to specific community groups. By using resources wisely, organizations may increase interaction and revenue.
In our experience, you should reach out to last year’s shoppers. Even if they haven’t bought from you recently, they might be interested in your deals again this year.
You can use data from previous years’ shoppers and loyalty programs to create personalized deals that resonate with various customer groups. Then, send them personalized recommendations based on what they bought last time.
Here are some of the top-performing channels to consider:
In particular, email marketing is among the most effective marketing channels. That’s one of the main reasons why there are over 333 billion emails sent and received every day, according to statistics.
Building anticipation with teasers and countdowns, targeted email campaigns, and offering free shipping are the 3 Black Friday Cyber Monday marketing ideas for small businesses. These are strategies that maximize profits and bring high efficiency.
Read more: 35 Black Friday Marketing Strategies for E-commerce Sales.
But keep in mind that the most important thing is to focus on a niche. That way, you can make your goods and marketing more relevant to a certain group of customer, which increases your chances of connecting with them.
The holiday shopping season is intense, with shoppers constantly searching for the best deals. Those Black Friday marketing strategies mentioned above help you maximize your sales. However, once the dust settles, your brand might easily fade from memory, especially if you’re a smaller business.
To combat this, you need to implement post-BFCM customer retention strategies. In this case, a loyalty program that rewards repeat customers is one of the most effective solutions to foster customer retention.
If you’re a Shopify store owner, check out BON Loyalty. This app makes it easy to create and customize your own loyalty program. With a user-friendly dashboard, you can offer points, rewards, and exclusive deals to your customers for BFCM post-sale customer retention.
By implementing a loyalty program, you can keep your brand at the top of your mind and encourage repeat purchases long after the holiday season ends.
Lindsey Nguyen is a Content Marketing Specialist at BON Loyalty, specializing in digital marketing and eCommerce. At BON Loyalty, she crafts content that empowers Shopify store owners to build and sustain thriving customer relationships through innovative loyalty programs. Her articles, often featured on the BON Loyalty blog, provide valuable strategies and insights that help businesses enhance customer loyalty and increase customer lifetime value.
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