The shopping marathon has already taken over as Christmas is just around the corner. For marketers, especially those that work in the retail sector, Christmas is a vital time of the year, as consumers are feeling spendy and retailers need to serve their needs and wants at the right place and at the right time.
You might be asking, when is the best time to serve consumer demand? Your best bet is Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Black Friday is the name given to the last Friday in November that has become one of the busiest retail days of the year. Black Friday originated in the US but in the past few years it has increased in popularity across our side of the Atlantic. Last year in the final week of November, one out of every 550 searches in the UK concerned Black Friday and in-store sales were booming in the UK in stores like Asda. One interesting piece of research by Nielsen highlights that more men are expected to shop in-store this coming Black Friday (28 November) while most consumers are expected to hold off and shop on Cyber Monday this year, which shows a shift in consumer shopping habits.
Cyber Monday refers to the Monday after Black Friday. Last year UK consumers logged over 115 million visits to retail websites – a 9% increase from 2012. This time last year we suggested a few tips and tricks that you could use for your business to take advantage of these days, but this time we would like to take a look at some innovative Black Friday and Cyber Monday marketing approaches we’ve seen that might inspire you when it comes to your festive marketing activities. One thing to remember, although this may just seem like a topical festive themed post, the lessons here are applicable all year round. So let’s get started:
1. Craft Lifecycle Emails
Lifecycle emails build a road between your products and those consumers that are interested in your brand. Bombarding customers with Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals on the day won’t get you far as the emails might get deleted on the spot. Instead, start building consumer trust weeks or even months before the date. Before writing the email, make sure you’re not only clear on the action it will be triggering, but the benefit the user will gain by taking that action. Too often, companies write from a self-centred perspective that commands the user, rather than entices them. Instead of instructing, try luring the customer to your site.
So when it comes to Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals look at your customers’ behaviour, what products they put in their basket but never bought, what people are buying in bulk, could you offer personalised deals in you emails? A great example that illustrates how you can build relationship with the customer by showcasing what is trending is this Net-a- Porter email. Sure, it’s obviously a way to generate sales, but its focus is on little snippets of useful, educational information, as opposed to last minute deals and discounts.
2. Offer Shopping Ease
Over the last few years, people have started feeling confident that they can leave their online shopping until quite late in December and retailers will still be able to deliver gifts before Christmas. With some retailers guaranteeing delivery of orders placed as late as 23rd December, consumers have much less pressure than in previous years to get their online orders in early. This offers a convenient approach to online shopping as consumers are not under pressure to buy and are aware about their options. For retailers this means a few things: (1) they have to be alert during the whole festive season, (2) it’s more difficult to stand out as the larger brands will have time and budget for large scale Christmas campaigns. However, on the positive side there are plenty of opportunities to improve the shopping experience:
Exclusive deals – Make deals available to your CRM lists, followers and fans. Put those special offers right in their email messages and Facebook feeds. Don’t forget the exclusive offers in-store as well. Asda became the first major retailer to offer in-store only discounts on Black Friday last year. It said the reaction to the promotion was “phenomenal” and this was demonstrated in the extraordinary sales figures. It sold a month’s worth of televisions in 45 minutes, 16,000 tablets in an hour, and 60% of its entire Black Friday stock was cleared out in two hours!
Reward the users that engage with your brand on social. Give your brand’s customers a chance to win it before they buy it in a simple giveaway. They are buying these products and services anyway, so incentivize them to enter your sweepstakes for a chance to win that item instead.
Shoppers have the freedom to shop when it suits them, and this is reflected in the continued spikes of online activity, which businesseses fully expect to continue in the run up to Christmas. So be ready, be mobile! Mobile traffic grew to 39.7 percent of all online traffic on Black Friday 2013, up 34% year on year. So offer the best on the go shopping experience. Great shopping via mobile devices or tablets plays a significant role on 30th November during “Sofa Sunday”. Jon Owen, Retail Director at Shop Direct, Owner of brands such as co.uk and Littlewoods, said: “Sofa Sunday is when they browse from home. It’s a moment for online retailers to take back share from stores.’’ It’s important to remember that as technology has made it easier for consumers to shop on the go, new shopping trends emerge which reflect the flexibility of consumers being able to shop, where, when and how they want.
3. Tie in with Social
A lot of brands have had success in the past with social campaigns around the holidays. For example, last year, popular retailer Topshop conducted a successful social campaign. Its holiday campaign, “Dear Topshop”, ran across all the brand’s platforms and provided personalised holiday gift guides for every type of recipient via the popular social media site, Pinterest.
This created a perfect personalised platform that encourages buying. Another great example of a simple but effective campaign is when Amazon partnered with Twitter to allow shoppers to add items to their online wish lists by replying to tweets with the hashtag #AmazonWishList.
Although this may just seem like a topical festive themed post, the lessons here are applicable all year round. The Black Friday and Cyber Monday marathon is not to be missed by retailers and there is a lot to learn in the process.
What are your favourite festive campaigns? What would you add to our list of tips and tricks? Let us know in the comments section below or by tweeting @fastwebmedia.
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