Retailers must prepare effectively for this year's Black Friday to capitalise on consumer demand and drive sales.
In 2023, UK consumers spent over £13.3 billion on Black Friday, up 7.3% YoY, highlighting the event's significance in the retail calendar. In this blog, we detail the latest insights and strategies you need to help you prepare for a successful Black Friday.
Planning for Black Friday: Segmenting customer and audience data
Begin by segmenting your customer data to better understand your target audience and what they are looking for.
Key data points to consider:
- Demographics: Age, gender, location, and income levels can significantly impact purchasing behaviour.
- Purchase History: Analyse past purchasing data to identify trends and preferences.
- Customer Engagement: Track how customers interact with your brand across various channels.
According to Shopify, personalisation brings in 15% higher conversion rates as well as 20% higher customer satisfaction rates, making segmentation a key strategy to improve conversions.
Defining messaging for cross-channel promotion
Once you have segmented your audience, the next step is to define your messaging. Consistent, clear messaging across channels not only reinforces your brand identity but also enhances consumer trust.
Channel messaging tips:
- Highlight Value: Showcase discounts, offers, and unique selling points (USPs) in your communications.
- Create Urgency: Use phrases like “limited time only” or “while supplies last” to encourage immediate action.
- Tailor Content by Channel: Adjust your messaging based on the channel; what works on social media might differ from email.
By aligning your messaging across all platforms such as social media, email, website, and paid ads, you can create a cohesive experience that guides the consumer journey.
Website optimisation
Your website is the backbone of your Black Friday strategy. According to HotJar, a complicated checkout process deters 17% of shoppers. Additionally, website errors or crashes lead to 13% to abandon checkout.
Key optimisation strategies:
- Speed: Ensure that your website loads quickly. Aim for under three seconds.
- Mobile-Friendly Design: With over 50% of purchases made on mobile devices, responsive design is crucial.
- User Experience (UX): Simplify navigation and streamline the checkout process to reduce friction.
Regularly test your website’s performance to ensure there are no bugs and that it can handle the increased traffic.
Landing page
Landing pages are where conversions happen, and they need to be optimised for Black Friday. According to Landingi, A/B testing landing pages can increase conversion rates by up to 300%.
Landing page tips:
- Compelling Headline: Grab attention with clear, benefit-driven headlines.
- High-Quality Visuals: Use engaging images and videos to showcase products.
- Clear Call to Action (CTA): Ensure your CTA stands out and prompts action.
A/B testing your landing pages can provide insights into what resonates with your audience, enabling you to refine your approach continuously.
Targeted offers and incentives to drive website traffic
Consumers are on the lookout for offers during Black Friday. It’s important to provide deals that not only attract visitors but also convert them into buyers.
Effective discount strategies:
- Tiered Discounts: Offer different discount levels based on spending thresholds.
- Bundled Deals: Create bundled packages that encourage customers to purchase multiple items.
- Exclusive Early Access: Provide loyal customers with early access to sales to strengthen brand loyalty.
According to Opia, 84% of customers are influenced by promotions to some degree, emphasising the need for incentives and discounts.
Email marketing
Email remains one of the most effective channels for Black Friday marketing. With a well-planned email strategy, you can drive significant traffic and conversions.
Email best practices:
- Segmentation: Tailor your email campaigns to different segments of your audience.
- Compelling Subject Lines: Use urgency and exclusivity to increase open rates.
- Clear CTAs: Direct customers to your Black Friday landing page with prominent CTAs.
According to HubSpot, segmented emails drive 30% more opens and 50% more click-throughs than unsegmented ones, making personalisation crucial for your Black Friday campaigns.
Social media
Social media platforms are powerful tools for engaging customers and promoting your Black Friday deals. With consumers spending significant time on social platforms, leveraging these channels effectively is crucial for driving brand awareness and conversions.
Tips for success:
- Teaser Campaigns: Build anticipation leading up to Black Friday with sneak peeks and countdowns.
- User-Generated Content: Encourage customers to share their purchases either by written review or video review via their profiles. This creates social proof which many consumers now look via social channels for before making a purchase.
- Live Videos: Use platforms like Instagram Live or TikTok to showcase products and engage directly with your audience.
According to GWI, 43% of consumers use social media to research new products making it an essential marketing tactic for driving traffic and brand awareness.
Social Commerce: The rise of in-app shopping
Social media has evolved beyond just discovery—it has become a fully integrated shopping experience. Social commerce, where users buy products directly within apps like TikTok and Instagram, has dramatically reshaped how consumers make purchases.
In 2024, 64% of Gen Z and 59% of Millennials reported purchasing products directly through social media platforms, with TikTok and Instagram leading the charge. As consumers increasingly expect seamless shopping experiences, your Black Friday strategy must consider social commerce opportunities.
How to leverage Social Commerce for Black Friday
Shoppable posts:
- Use Instagram’s Shoppable Tags and TikTok’s Shopping Ads to link products directly in your posts. These allow users to make purchases without ever leaving the app.
- Feature Black Friday deals in Stories or Reels to reach a broader audience. Tag specific products with discounts to drive urgency.
Influencer partnerships:
- Collaborate with influencers who can promote your Black Friday deals. Influencer recommendations on platforms like TikTok and Instagram can lead to higher engagement and increased trust among followers.
- Use Instagram Collabs or TikTok Shop features to make it easy for influencers to feature and sell your products.
Live shopping events:
- Host live shopping events on TikTok or Instagram, where you showcase Black Friday-exclusive offers. Live shopping allows you to create a sense of urgency and offer real-time interaction, which can significantly boost conversions.
- Consider offering limited-time deals during the live events to motivate immediate purchases.
User-generated content:
- Encourage your customers to share their Black Friday purchases using branded hashtags. You can then feature this user-generated content in your social channels, this builds trust with potential buyers.
Paid advertising and retargeting
Investing in paid advertising can significantly increase your Black Friday reach.
Common advertising strategies:
- Search Ads: Target keywords related to Black Friday sales to capture intent-driven traffic.
- Social Media Ads: Use Sponsored ads to reach targeted demographics effectively.
- Retargeting Campaigns: Remind visitors who didn’t convert during initial visits with tailored ads to draw them back.
Research by SalesLion shows that retargeted visitors are 70% more likely to convert than those who are not retargeted, making this a highly effective tactic during Black Friday.
SMS Marketing
With high open rates, SMS marketing is an effective channel to communicate Black Friday offers directly to consumers.
Best practices for SMS marketing:
- Get Permission: Ensure you have opt-in consent from customers before sending messages.
- Keep It Short and Sweet: Craft concise messages with clear CTAs.
- Timing Is Key: Send messages at strategic times leading up to Black Friday.
According to Klaviyo, 74% of European shoppers have purchased after receiving a text from a brand, slightly more than the global average of 72%.
Customer loyalty programmes
Black Friday is an excellent opportunity to engage and reward loyal customers.
Effective Black Friday loyalty strategies:
- Exclusive Offers: Provide loyalty program members with special discounts or early access to sales.
- Points for Purchases: Encourage purchases by offering points that can be redeemed for future discounts.
- Referral Incentives: Encourage existing customers to refer friends with additional discounts or rewards.
Analytics and tracking: Measure the metrics that matter for Black Friday success
Tracking the success of your Black Friday marketing efforts is essential for understanding what worked, and what didn’t, and how to refine your strategy for the future. Setting up and optimising your analytics tools allows you to gather real-time data and insights, ensuring you make informed decisions during this critical sales period.
Key metrics to track this Black Friday:
- Traffic Sources: Understand where your visitors are coming from online whether from organic search, paid ads, email, social media, or direct traffic.
- Conversion Rates: Measure how many visitors are turning into customers.
- Average Order Value (AOV): Track how much each customer is spending per product to understand the average order value.
- Cart Abandonment Rate: Identify how many customers leave without completing a purchase.
- Bounce Rate: Monitor the percentage of visitors who leave after viewing only one page.
- Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): Assess the long-term value of customers acquired during Black Friday.
By using UTM links and setting up tools like Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager, you’ll be able to monitor key metrics, measure campaign success in real time, and make data-driven decisions showing attribution and ROI.
In summary
By understanding your audience, creating a consistent and compelling message across your digital channels, and tracking performance, you can create a successful Black Friday campaign that drives sales and strengthens your brand.
Need help planning your Black Friday marketing strategy? Our team of experts is here to help. Contact us today to discuss your goals and learn how we can help you take advantage of these strategies and drive sales this Black Friday.
