Many people consider Black Friday to be the formal start of the holiday season, and it is an excellent opportunity to get in front of your target audience and plant your promotional flag in the eCommerce mountain.
Black Friday has become a yearly retail calendar fixture, a time when brands from all industries can raise exposure, generate customer engagement, and, most crucially, increase their winter sales.
Despite a COVID Christmas, an average of £243 was spent on Black Friday purchases last year. People are still wanting to shop, even if studies predict that the average spend per person is still struggling to adjust to post-Covid behavior. According to Think With Google, holiday shopping began in June in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
While Black Friday is a popular time for firms to differentiate themselves and increase sales, it is also a crowded market.
To make a meaningful impact this Black Friday, you must answer your clients’ demands head on in an authentic and unique way.
Offering an offer or discount and hoping for the best during the Black Friday holiday season will only get you so far. The best way to maximize your sales and develop your brand popularity is to stand out from the crowd on Black Friday.
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Marketing Trends for Black Friday
By understanding emerging consumer trends, you can use the correct channels or touchpoints to your benefit. Here, we will look at some key Black Friday trends while also providing practical marketing recommendations or takeaways for your brand’s consideration.
1. Incentives for customer loyalty
Did you know that? Loyalty programs are one of the primary reasons that 52 percent of buyers choose specific stores or brands.
The customer loyalty program has the potential to be a powerful promotional tool. Such schemes or programs provide consumers with a perceived amount of personal value, which can convert a one-time buyer into a repeat buyer and brand advocate.
Creating a specific Black Friday loyalty scheme registration landing page or email, can allow you to increase your audience in advance of the big day by motivating consumers to commit for early access to Black Friday bargains.
This method will not only ensure that you earn a healthy amount of Black Friday sales, but it will also enhance engagement during your Christmas and New Year marketing efforts because you will have a plethora of new loyalty scheme consumers at your disposal. A fantastic return on investment (ROI).
Tip: Gaining access to unique content, promotions, and discounts is a winning incentive for clients of all ages. Use your most engaged platforms to give ‘early bird’ or ‘exclusive VIP’ Black Friday deal access, and you will increase sales as well as consumer loyalty in the long run.
Be as friendly as possible when sending out your Black Friday loyalty scheme incentive content, while showcasing some of your greatest Black Friday loyalty scheme bargains or perks in the wording. More people will sign up as a result of this.
2. Campaigns with a Theme
To create a themed campaign that stands out from the crowd, concentrate on your best marketing channel or touchpoint and give a great hook that will resonate with your target demographic.
For example, if you own a sustainable clothing company, you may use the 2021 COP26 Summit to make social media advertisements or Black Friday product selections based on the conference’s primary news or subjects. Alternatively, if you sell customized running shoes, your Black Friday advertising subject (or hook) may focus on the strength of personal endurance and individuality, giving a free trainer consultation and purchase discount to individuals eager to ramp up their winter training efforts.
Last year, the eccentric games colossus surprised customers by abandoning their pranks and donating their whole $250,00 budget to organizations selected by its team members. This sincere satire of materialism and genuine charitable approach gained the brand a lot of respect and attention. Throughout the pandemic, Card Against Humanity’s sincerity, great campaign concepts, and highly creative take on Black Friday marketing have helped the company maintain its beloved cult reputation.
Tips: Rather than overcomplicating things, focus on one or two of your most engaged channels and stand out with a concept or theme rather than depending solely on discounts to entice the hungry Black Friday throng.
Take the time to consult your buyer personas, look at the most popular goods in your niche, and catch customers in with attention-grabbing content and graphics while promoting your offers or discounts with powerful call to actions (CTAs).
Read Also: 7 Ideas To Understand Your Customers Better
3. Immersive mobile experiences
Immersive technology usage is increasing, and many industry executives (63 percent) believe that 5G will be the most important driver across industries in the next four years.
Immersive smartphone experiences have grown in popularity after the successful introduction of IKEA Place in 2017. You can create trust while providing personal value by putting consumers at the center of your brand narrative and providing an extra layer of connection.
Many large retail or eCommerce firms are utilizing immersive app technologies such as Augment to build virtual walkthroughs of their shop or products, allowing customers to interact with them digitally or acquire an idea of what an item may look like in their personal space (home, office, storefront or business reception).
Brands in a variety of industries frequently underestimate the reality that Snapchat is a very engaging immersive mobile app. With a plethora of built-in immersive capabilities, several eCommerce and retail marketers have found success by establishing Snapchat marketing campaigns.
Gucci used Snapchat to promote its new skater sneaker collection, allowing its audience to virtually try on different pairs by aiming their phone cameras right at their feet and sharing the photographs with their followers. Customers were also able to quickly return to the proper product page and purchase their preferred footwear thanks to the platform’s user-friendly features.
This simple yet successful immersive mobile marketing accomplishment resulted in a significant increase in sales as well as a favorable return on ad spend (ROAS) for the company.
Tips: You will cut through the noise and get more conversions by collaborating with an immersive third-party app and allowing your customers to get up close and personal with what you have to offer on Black Friday.
With promotions and product recommendations, you can encourage different parts of your audience to participate with your app or campaign, increasing sales and driving customer loyalty.
Bonus Ideas for Boosting your Brand’s Visibility on Black Friday
You are undoubtedly excited to go now that you know how to stand out from the crowd on Black Friday. Here are some quick-fire Black Friday bonus tips to help you get started:
- Launch a pre-booked early bird or Black Friday weekend pop-up shopping experience.
- Collaborate with influencers in your field to increase brand recognition and make your promotions or discounts go further.
- Run a social media-based Black Friday contest or competition to increase interaction leading up to the big day.
- Host an exclusive, invite-only virtual Black Friday event where customers can ask you questions and earn access to exclusive discounts on products that have yet to be launched.
Conclusion
Consider the individual demands of your clients and present content that delivers more than a deal or discount alone to cut through the noise on Black Friday. This will boost your chances of getting an advantage over your competitors. Engage your customers with these innovative Black Friday marketing strategies, and you will reap the benefits of increased brand value and client loyalty long after December is over!