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Black Friday has quickly become a fixture in the retail calendar. It marks the launch of the festive sales season, beloved by retailers and consumers alike.
But for ecommerce start-ups, competing with the likes of Amazon is no easy task. So, to help, we’ve put together our top five tips to strike gold on Black Friday
Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving – this year, it falls on the 26th of November. Close on its heels is Cyber Monday, though these days, most Black Friday sales are online too.
Research from PwC showed that 51% of consumers were interested in the event in 2019, dropping to 38% after lockdowns in 2020.
But this year, Future Plc is predicting a bonanza! Its research found that 82% of British consumers will be equally or more engaged in Black Friday in 2021, thanks in part to the nearly £200bn they’ve accumulated in lockdown savings.
So with pent-up demand for a great festive season this year, plus concerns about supply chains prompting people to shop early for Christmas, could we be seeing a bumper Black Friday 2021? Or is the marketplace too crowded, and consumer confidence too low?
At Linney, we believe that Black Friday is a great opportunity for ecommerce start-ups – if you play your cards right. Here are our top tips.
- Clarify your objectives
Behind the Black Friday frenzy, you need to keep a clear head. What are you hoping to achieve: shifting outdated stock ready for a new collection? Building brand loyalty? High volume sales? Attracting new customers?
They’re all valid aims, but each requires a different marketing strategy.
- Build your customer base
This really is a great opportunity to grow your marketing lists. Promote sign-up on your social media and website with banner ads, pop-ups, and offers. Let customers know that subscribers to your newsletter will be the first to hear about your deals. If you have a bricks-and-mortar store, your shop assistants could enlist subscribers too.
- Stay true to your brand
If you’re a niche, luxury or specialist company, suddenly pivoting to knock-down prices won’t resonate with your customer base – it could even turn them off. And any new customers you attract could quickly fall away.
So stick to your values in terms of what you offer and how you communicate it. Money off will always attract attention – but Amazon can probably do it better!
A few ideas are: free next-day delivery; trade-ins (popular among phone brands); and free customisation. Use your customer data to see what could work for your brand.
- Start early and build up
Black Friday really is starting earlier every year – for many retailers, the sales last for the whole of November.
You might not want to offer perks for that long, but you can start piquing people’s interest. Google search trends show that interest started to rise seven weeks before the event in 2014; this year, it was 12 weeks.
So start trailing your offers in emails and on your website several weeks in advance. You could take out social media ads too – remember, the cost of these varies according to demand, so earlier might work out more cost-effective for you.
That said, it’s never too late – it’s amazing what a quick email drop near the end of November can do!
- Make sure your marketing stands out
Black Friday is a crowded time in the retail market. So you need communications that really zing!
Your website must offer excellent UX, with incredible graphic design and exciting video content. Your emails need to catch customers’ eyes in overflowing inboxes.
It’s a lot for a start-up to take on, but help is at hand from Linney. We’re experts in creative marketing, using data insights and cutting-edge technology to connect you with your audiences.
Contact us today to discuss working together.
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