Take advantage of this epic eCommerce shopping weekend
While it’s not yet as huge as in America, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are growing rapidly in the New Zealand market.
Last year, Black Friday surpassed Boxing Day for the first time to become the year’s biggest day of online sales. Shoppers spent 12.8% more on Black Friday than the previous year, with Paymark figures for the day hitting $253 million.
Large retailers such as The Warehouse, Farmers, Noel Leeming, and JB Hi-Fi are already launching their landing pages for Black Friday/Cyber Monday 2020 – and we want to make sure you’re getting a slice of that action too.
This year, Black Friday will take place on November 27th, with Cyber Monday following on the 30th.
After a shaky year for many retailers, Black Friday could provide a much needed boost on the way to Christmas. eCommerce shopping has exploded in New Zealand since the first lockdown, and hasn’t shown signs of slowing down, making this an ideal time to launch a fresh digital marketing strategy that positions your products in front of the right people.
Here is a guide for taking advantage of this epic shopping weekend for your eCommerce business.
Shoppers are planning already – are you?
Your customers are likely already planning what they’d like to buy on Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Data in the US shows that consumers begin browsing and collecting ideas from October onwards, meaning that if you haven’t already started creating your Black Friday strategy, you should start sooner rather than later.
The two primary questions you’ll need to answer are: what is your offer, and who are you targeting?
Will you offer a blanket storewide discount? Will you create bundles or mystery packages? Will you offer discounts over a certain spend? Or choose a few hero products to push?
There’s no limit to the ways you can discount and offer your products but bear in mind that customers are looking for the best deal on the day, so there is an expectation that your offer will be competitive.
Figure out exactly who you’re targeting with this offer. This will allow you to focus your marketing spend on reaching those people who are more likely to convert. Your customer demographic will dictate which marketing channels you use, how you use those channels, and the advertising copy/graphics you create.
Next, get into the details: promo codes, shipping & logistics, and site capacity.
The last thing you want when trying to encourage demand for your products is disappointed customers – a site crash, buggy promo codes, or overloaded logistics pipeline can cause headaches and potentially damage your reputation, so make sure you take some time to have all these behind the scenes processes running smoothly before the big day.
Test promo codes on your site before sending them out, stress-test your platform on both desktop and mobile, and make sure that your shipping partner can manage demand or set expectations around delivery.
Finally, push your ads and build buzz around your sales.
As the day comes closer, you’ll want to start building excitement around your business’ sales. One popular tactic for Black Friday is to build suspense by teasing the sale without revealing any details – keep the customer guessing until the clock ticks over on the day, by which time they can’t wait to click through to see what’s on offer.
Sprocket Digital can help you to both plan and execute a digital strategy that reels in your customers and creates the excitement you need for your eCommerce sales in 2020 – get in touch with our team to start planning now.
Marketing is competitive – you need all the tools in the box
Digital advertising is always a competitive space, but this year it’s becoming more competitive than ever as consumers are looking for online shopping as a result of Covid.
This is why it’s vital to use every tool in the box – including a strong set of data – to create a targeted strategy for success.
An omnichannel approach to digital marketing utilises the strength of each channel to reach your target audience and achieve your sales goals without excess spend.
To increase efficiency, utilise tools such as retargeting to call back abandoned carts and reach out to previous visitors, email marketing to engage your audience and prep them for upcoming sales, and Google shopping and SEO to widen the net for acquiring new customers.
Make the most of the madness
With your strategy sorted and marketing toolbox applied, when Black Friday approaches in late November you’ll be well on track to make the most of the shopping madness.
This Black Friday, create more sales, more customer satisfaction, and eliminate headaches with a strategic omnichannel marketing strategy from Sprocket Digital.
