This year we celebrate 10 years since Black Friday was first introduced in Romania, and the success it enjoys has meant that every year, an increasing number of stores have joined the biggest shopping event of the year. And if in the past the big retailers were the ones that consumers focused their attention on, now even the offers of small or niche stores attract more and more buyers.
So, regardless of the store you have, the products you offer, or the distribution channels, here are the 3 stats* that can help you build the strategy for Black Friday.
- Black Friday online shopping has grown 22% year on year to $9 billion globally.
So, it is becoming more and more important not only to participate in Black Friday but also to offer your buyers the option to purchase your products or services online. Whether you’ll have the same offers as in your physical store or exclusive offers for the digital environment, the first and most important thing is that this option exists.
In order to make sure that everyone in your target audience finds out about the offers on the site, you can announce them in advance, through a mix of communication both online and offline. Online, you can create banners to announce when they will become available and what will be the period in which they will apply (some stores extend the discounts for the entire weekend). Offline, you can mark in-store the products that will benefit from discounts and offers or you can create a corner dedicated to these products.
- 49% of consumers buy more online now than before COVID-19
It is no longer a novelty that the pandemic has accelerated the digitalization process, both in terms of store offerings and the purchasing habits of buyers. But in addition to the online presence of your store, it is important to make sure that the entire shopping experience rises to the safety standards imposed by the pandemic.
For example, if you offer the option to pick up from the store, you need to make sure that all employees wear the mask correctly, that all surfaces are constantly disinfected, and that all other regulations imposed by the authorities are maintained. And if your customers choose to receive the products at home, you must carefully choose your delivery partners, so that you are confident the ordered products will be delivered according to all safety standards.
- 52% of buyers took advantage of the early offers, often starting in October
One of the ways you can make sure your store will be in the attention of shoppers is to give them access to deals before Black Friday. Thus, when the big day comes, they will have already created the reflex to check your site, expecting better prices than the competition provides. Also, another tactic is to extend the offers after Black Friday, to give everyone the opportunity to access your products or services at the best prices, even if they can not get away from daily activities on that day.
Regardless of the strategy you implement, don’t forget that it is very important to communicate it: announce the offers in-store, post on social media about the products that will be discounted, inform your customers through newsletters or create a pop-up in the accounts they have on your site. And if you know that there are also representatives of generation Z in your target, here you can find 5 ways in which you can gain their loyalty.
Conclusion
No matter how your store looks like, online presence is one of the best steps you can take, both during Black Friday and in general. Also, give your customers as much information as possible, as early as possible, about the offers you are preparing for this period and make sure that, no matter how they get hold of their products, they feel safe during the entire process.
* statistics sourced from Apptus.com