As many of us agree, Christmas can’t come soon enough this year! Over the past 11 months, we’ve seen a year unlike any other. Businesses have had to change the way they operate and market, and customers have changed the way that they engage and shop. So with this in mind, how can you be prepared for Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas? Keep reading to find out!
Black Friday & Cyber Monday
This year, we celebrate Black Friday on the 27th of November. However, some may say that it will be a November full of sales and offers. From big brands to small start-ups, businesses across the world will be taking part in the selling season of the year. So where does marketing come into this? Well, Black Friday is all about marketing. From television adverts to online campaigns, every business wants its customers to know that they have the best deals, and where they can find them.
If you’ve watched the news in the past few weeks, you’ll probably be aware that the UK is in another national lockdown. Unfortunately, this means that all non-essential shops have had to close their doors temporarily once again. As this is the case, many of us will be turning to online to purchase all of our goods. In the last lockdown, we saw trends for online shopping increase, just take a look at this Google trends graph for clothes:
At the start of the lockdown, we saw a dip in searches for clothing, which the rocketed during the peak of the lockdown. Here’s another example of a rise in searches, this time we are looking at loungewear:
We see a large peak during the lockdown and as we move towards the colder months.
When we look at searches for Balck Friday sales and offers in the last 30 days, we can see an ever-increasing number of searches:
As mentioned in this blog, this has been a bit of a different year to what we normally see. So, it only makes sense for trends to change and for people to be looking for sales on presents and goods.
These graphs tell us that although the world might be taking a pause right now, spending is not. Which mean that all businesses need to be at the top of their game in the upcoming weeks. With more of us being at home and looking for deals on Christmas presents, home electronics and treats for ourselves, your business cannot afford to shy away.
Here are some facts about Black Friday that are worth thinking about:
- Brits who are going to take part in the shopping sprees of Black Friday are planning to spend £295.67 on average each this year. This is 18% (£44.47) more than last year when shoppers planned to spend £251.20.
- As non-essential retailers have been forced to close due to lockdown, people have no choice by to spend online – at the start of this year 66% of all shoppers said they planned to shop online, this figure has only increased with the lockdown news.
- Last year, over 65% of all online sales took place on a mobile or tablet device. This is a YOY increase. Having a mobile optimised website is more important than ever.
Christmas
As mentioned, throughout this blog, the countdown to Christmas is on! It may come as no surprise, but people are really excited for Christmas this year. Take a look at this search terms report for Christmas gifts:
People started searching for Christmas gifts in August, and the increase is driving upwards as we edge close to the festive season.
So, with this information in mind, let’s get to the facts.
Here are some historic facts surrounding Christmas shopping behaviours:
- Christmas is associated with snow, cold weather and cosying up in front of the fireplace. During cold, windy and rainy days, spending activity increases – especially on smartphones.
- In December, spend increases on items such as food, clothing, toiletries and electronics. Interesting, spend on music and DVD’s increases by 116% on average.
Each year, businesses use online advertising platforms to promote their products, sales and gift bundles. You’ll often find that due to the increase in searches and purchases, many businesses find themselves limited in comparison to their competitors and other larger companies.
Christmas is the time of year when you need to ramp up your marketing efforts and focus in promoting your offers. First things first, you need the think ahead and create a strategy. Successful companies start to plan their Christmas campaigns months in advance. Take John Lewis, for example, their Christmas advert is carefully crafted each year by a team of experts and families in the UK countdown to see it. This is an excellent example of being prepared and starting early. Especially for 2020, we are all counting down to Christmas, even in November!
What Should You Do With Your Campaigns?
Given the various issues of 2020 as mentioned above, what should you be doing with your Online Marketing Campaigns? The simple answer is, maximising them!
It may seem like a risk or a leap of faith to some during these tough times. However, many businesses cannot and should not miss out on the revenue potential that Black Friday and Christmas brings. Pausing your campaigns over the lockdown will most likely bring your business more harm than good. Not only will you miss out to your competitors, but you’ll also then be starting from scratch before Christmas (when people are likely to be spending).
- So here’s how to make sure your business is maximised for the upcoming holiday seasons:
- Your website: Let’s start with the basics, your website. When shopping online, users look for an easy to navigate and quick to load website. If your website is slow, not mobile-friendly or uneasy on the eyes, you may have wasted a click. As discussed in my previous blog – Why is your website the backbone of your online success? – your website is important!
- Plan your budget: Budgeting is essential for all businesses all year round. Often businesses will increase their spend around the holiday season to capture as many sales as they can. Making sure you get the most out of your budget is important, so planning is essential.
- Optimise your campaigns: You’ve improved your website and you’ve planned your budget, but this is all in vain if you have not optimised your campaigns. Luckily for you, our team of experts can help! If you’re struggling, think about getting in touch,
- Plan and schedule social media content: Around the holiday season you’ll see your social media feeds sparkle with festive cheer. From organic posts, stories and reels all the way to sponsored influencer content. As a business, this is a great time to plan your content and get involved. Think of your upcoming offers, create well-designed banners and start to schedule in your content. Or as mentioned above, get in touch with a company that can help you to be prepared!
- Branding: Make sure your branding is recognisable, sharp and consistent. Fact: using a signature colour across your website and images can increase your brand recognition by 80%! Any promotional banners should include your branding and your logo, but remember, keep your theme consistent and the imagery clean, sharp and modern.
The Next Steps
Now that you’ve increased your knowledge on the importance of Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas, you may want to rethink your campaigns. We have a specialist team that can help you to improve your campaigns and thus, improve your sales and strategy.
If you would like to learn more about our services, you can get in touch with a member of our team. You can call us on the number 0115 727 0038 or you can complete our form on our contact us page. All of our specialists are ready to help you you so feel free to get in touch whenever you are ready to start your project.
