Black Friday is round the corner and it is time to blitz your holiday shopping list. Whether you need a fresh bottle of Omega tablets, new headphones, or an electric toothbrush, now is the best time to take a look at what’s on offer, as we inch closer to the big Black Friday weekend.
>> What is Black Friday?
Black Friday is the name given to the Friday after American Thanksgiving and signals the start of the Christmas holiday shopping season. The name was first coined in the 1950s.
The Black Friday sale is the most important date in the calendar for shoppers looking to snap up a bargain or two ahead of the holiday season. Black Friday refers to the day after Thanksgiving and is seen as the start of the holiday shopping season. This year, Black Friday falls on November 25, the final Friday of the month. Stores offer big discounts on electronics, toys, and other items. Most retailers and online stores and marketplaces have started publishing their deals and encouraging shoppers to shop.
In 2021, about 155 million Americans shopped during the Black Friday – Cyber Money (BFCM) sale, of which about 88 million shoppers made online purchases. In September 2021, Amazon had 9.9 billion product views, in 2022 that number has jumped to 10.2 billion product views, an increase of almost 3%. Intelligence data shows that in this year’s ramp-up period, clothing, electronics and home are the three biggest categories shoppers are interested in.
>> Covid and Black Friday
Covid pandemic in 2020 saw most retailers being shut down. Most deals were available only online. In 2020, for the first time, more than 100 million people shopped online on Black Friday and the number of online-only shoppers increased 44%.
1> Optimize Your E-Commerce Strategy To Increase Sales. Here’s How
Black Friday is the single largest day where more shoppers are shopping. It is time to turn this Black Friday sales 2022 into big profits for your retail or online business by using the right tactics and strategies. Give more attention to your marketing because that’s a great way to reach potential buyers. Here are a few ideas and strategies for increasing sales on Black Friday 2022:
2> Re-Visit Your Customer Acquisition Gameplay
So, what’s your customer acquisition strategy? Are you doing enough PPC?
Traffic and competition will increase considerably over BFCM weekend, so be prepared to adjust your budgets and bids constantly. We recommend forecasting a 10-20% increase in overall budget from last year’s BFCM. This additional budget will allow you to increase your bids a few weeks before the actual event, catching the demand of users who like to get ahead of the game.
Review last year’s performance and identify what bids got you into first position. Make the most of Google’s recent product and feature updates for search ads, like a third headline and second description line for expanded text ads, and responsive search ads to capitalize on Google’s machine-learning.
3> It’s Not Just About Heavy Discounting
Plan your discounting wisely. Keep in mind shipping costs. Offering exclusive discounts for customers is tip number one. Otherwise, your sales will suffer if you skip this step. Giving first-time visitors the best deals will attract their attention to buying from you.
Ensure to optimize your website for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and your servers can handle the high traffic volumes. Check your inventories, and keep stock ready for items known to sell fast.
You can also prepare promotional material such as flyers, product descriptions, and social media posts. Offer earlier access to your deals that will give customers time to explore your products, take action, and give them an incentive to visit your store over your competitors.
4> Build The FOMO
Urgency works because customers know that whatever deal you offer on Black Friday will expire, and if they want your bargain, they must act ‘now.’ To build this sense of urgency in advance, put teasers onsite like “Don’t Miss Our Big Deal” and “60% Off – One Day Only” to give your customers a sense of what your deals will be and how they must hurry to get them.
Another great way to create FOMO is to show you have a limited supply. You’ve seen this on both travel and retail sites with blurbs onsite and in ads like, “One dress left in this size,” “Three people are also viewing this product,” and “Deal available to first 50 customers.” Since FOMO is all about missing out on something, offer your customers access to something with limited membership and make them feel special. Amazon Prime does this by offering free 2-day shipping (and its fastest shipping options) to members only.
5> Advertise. Advertise
Paid advertising is another eCommerce marketing strategy to amplify your products and attract more customers this Black Friday season. Do you know that 79% of companies consider PPC a massive driver of their success? Due to the many customization options, you can benefit from your paid ads in front of your target customers.
Run Google Ads to directly target those users searching for your products and deals and increase the chances of purchasing them. Examine your shopping data from previous holiday seasons and improve your current ads.Use other powerful channels like Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, or Facebook to promote your deals and target them based on your customers’ interests, demographics, and preferences. Quora and Reddit are fantastic channels to publish promotional content and directly offer you an interaction opportunity with your target audience.
6> You Are Selling Perfumes, So Are Other Sites
Almost every brand uses the same Black Friday methods these days. Everyone tries to catch customers’ attention and make them instantly buy. Notice that it’s not easy for consumers. They must navigate your websites, compare products, and create lists to purchase their favorite things. Make sure to think of the most attractive offers and stock them up for different levels of discounts.
Plan your promotion to make the most of your promotional opportunities this holiday season. Run Agile campaigns to see which promotional experiment is working well and which isn’t.
Use interactive tools like surveys or quizzes to engage your audience and motivate them to take action. You can even gamify your digital interfaces to boost engagement while shopping. Consider using curated content as part of your promotion to enhance engagement with your audience.
7> Social Is Important
Social media is one of the most powerful tools to promote your Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals and increase sales. Social platforms like Instagram and Facebook are great choices to build your brand voice and better connect with your followers. It is essential to listen to your customers and make changes based on their expectations to achieve success.
Use and monitor dedicated hashtags and visual UGC to create shopping campaigns on social platforms. Create promotional videos, stories, and Instagram Reels to attract your target demographic. Primarily younger demographics use social media to search for brands.
8> Bring Back The Newsletters To Target Old Customers
Email marketing allows companies to engage with customers one-on-one. It is essential to send personalized emails to make your Black Friday and Cyber Monday campaigns successful. The email subject line, preheader content, and body may all be customized to engage the reader further. Tease Black Friday sales and inspire customers to sign up for your newsletters to get special offers or pre-sale deals. Use their shopping preferences and purchase history to send them relevant content.