INSIDER GUIDE

GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR

BLACK FRIDAY PROMOTION

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More consumers are avoiding

the long lines—and potential dan-

ger—of shopping in-store on the

infamous shopping holiday.

According to ShopperTrak1, in-store sales on Black

Friday last year fell almost 12% to $10.2 billion.

But retailers shouldn’t panic—the holiday isn’t go-

ing anywhere, it’s just changing. Online sales were

up almost 15% from 2014 indicating consumers

were simply shopping from the comfort—and

safety—of their own homes.

Here are some things to consider when planning your Black Friday promotions this year.

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TARGET ONLINE SHOPPERSAccording to the National Retail Foundation2, 103 million

people last year said they shopped online compared to the

102 million that shopped in-store. And online sales were up

over the entire weekend according to Adobe5: Thanksgiving

Day was up 25% and Black Friday 14.3%. Sales on Cyber

Monday were up 16%, hitting a record $3.07 billion USD4.

Online sales for the whole weekend topped $11 Billion

USD — a 17% increase year-over-year.

Despite overall web traffic being up, in-store sales still

topped online, bringing in $20.43 billion USD1 over the

4 day weekend, compared to the $11 billion spent online.

It makes some sense — shoppers who wait in huge lines

likely feel more commitment to purchase items than those

surfing websites at home.

Expert Tip:

Drive more online sales with digital promotions. Replicate the urgency and commitment to purchase mentality of in-store shop-ping with promotions that make consumers earn their discounts.

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LOSE THE ONE DAY ONLY MINDSETShoppers moved away from the one day only event last year,

spreading their purchases out over the entire weekend.

According to ShopperTrak1, sales on Black Friday only

accounted for about half of the $20 Billion spent over the

entire holiday weekend.

Expert Tip:

Don’t limit yourself to one-day-only sales - you’ll end up losing out on potential revenue. Instead find ways to drive repeat visits and purchases throughout the weekend. One example is a digital promotion that offers better discounts for people who shop on each day.

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Over half of 18-35 year olds said they shopped over the

holiday week-end in 2015 compared to 41% of other adults

surveyed by the NRF2. And 57% said they shopped online

compared to 42% of other adults.

Millennials also spent more: 25-34 year olds spent an

average of $425.08 compared to the average of $299.60.

And they bought more for themselves: 69% went towards

gifts vs 76% average.

WIN OVER THE MILLENNIAL

Expert Tip:

Gamify your digital promotions to better connect with Millen-nials. Consider using a fun instant win game like Flip to Win.

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Cut through the Black Friday clutter with

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Expert Tip:

Don’t forget to promote your sales on your social networks. You can also drive social sharing and build social communities with a gamified digital promotion.

CHOOSE MEDIA CHANNELS WISELY

Facebook 26.0% vs 14.2% avg.

Instagram 10.2% vs 3.9% avg.

Twitter 5.45% vs 2.9% avg.

Friends & Family 28.95% vs 19.6% avg.

In addition to spending more, Millennials are also looking

for promos in different places. Most notably they look for

promotions on social media considerably more than the

other adults surveyed by the NRF2:

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According to IBM Watson3, mobile made up 36.2% of sales

on Black Friday last year and accounted for 57% of online

website traffic. While smartphones were the device of

choice for the weekend, driving 44.7% of traffic on Black

Friday and 36.6% on Cyber Monday, tablet users were the

top online spenders. Tablet users outspent even desktop

users on Black Friday, with avg purchases of $136.42 vs

$134.06 on desktop and $121.06 on smartphones.

Expert Tip:

Optimize your website and promotions for mobile and tablet users in order to reach the most shoppers.

MAKE IT MOBILE

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Discounts remained the number one reason shoppers

headed out to stores or online on Black Friday: 50.4% said

they shopped because the deals were too good to pass up

according to NRF2.

OFFER SMART DISCOUNTS

Expert Tip:

Consumers are hunting for bargains, but don’t just give away your product. Get more from your discounts with promotions like The Couponizer that capture consumer data and drive brand loyalty.

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Increase the ROI on your Black Friday discounts with

THE BOTTOM LINETargeting online Black Friday shoppers will con-

tinue to be critical for retailers hoping to

compete. Key strategies will be optimizing for

mobile users and attracting bargain hunters

with smart promotions.

Retailers hoping to target their millennial consumers should also invest in gamified promotions that drive social sharing and sales in order to best connect with and convert holiday shoppers.

SOURCES: 1 http://www.shoppertrak.com/media/press-release/in-store-retail-sales-decline-on-black-friday-weekend/ 2 https://nrf.com/media/press-releases thanksgiving-weekend-shopping-brings-

big-store-and-online-crowds-according-nrf 3 http://www-01.ibm.com/software/marketing-solutions/benchmark-reports/black-friday-2015.html 4 https://blogs.adobe.com/conversations/2015/

12/cyber-monday-2015-largest-online-sales-day-ever.html 5 http://www.cmo.com/adobe-digital-in\dex/articles/2015/11/30/adi-reports-11b-in-online-sales-thanksgiving-through-cyber-monday.html

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