Black Friday: top tips for running a successful online campaign

Published: 2021-10-12

The total spend during Black Friday weekend 2019 in the UK was a huge 8.6 billion pounds, with 194 million visits made to UK retail websites on Black Friday itself. 

Despite an online spending boom during Black Friday weekend in 2020, overall sales were lower than in 2019, as non-essential shops remained closed due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.

This year, with online sales remaining high, and physical shops open, we expect to see a return to spending levels of 2019. To help you cash in on Black Friday, we’ve put together our top tips for running a successful online campaign.

 

The simpler, the better.

Aim to have a small selection of Black Friday Gift vouchers, with a range of price points. Too many offers will cause decision paralysis so keep it simple.

If you’re giving people a limited time to take up an offer, particularly for something high value and time sensitive, such as a hotel break, then you need to make your offering as clear and easy to purchase as possible. If it’s complicated, shoppers will be quick to go elsewhere.

Marketing Tip: A simple, small selection of offers, clear call-to-actions and an easy route to checkout = happy shoppers!

 

It’s more than just one day.

It’s essential, in order to maximise reach and sales, to start promoting the fact that you’ll be offering some spectacular bargains, in advance of the day itself. Put out some teasers on social media, ask people to sign up to a dedicated VIP email list or add a countdown to your website. But, be careful not to give away too much too soon and lose your captive audience on the day itself.

Marketing Tip: If your sale is doing well and you still have some capacity, then don’t be afraid to extend the deal for another day to reap more rewards: ‘due to overwhelming demand, we’ve extended our sale for another 24 hours!’

 

Harness the power of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out).

Make it clear to shoppers that this is a one-time only deal, a one-off price never to be repeated. If they think that they’ll be missing out then they’re more likely to make an impulse buy.

Marketing Tip: Post regularly on social media about your sale using striking graphics or short videos. Encourage your followers to share and tag people into posts, and consider spending some money on social advertising to boost your reach.

 

Instil a sense of urgency.

Phrases like ‘Hurry!’, ‘Be quick’ ‘Almost sold out’ will encourage quick action from your audience. Be clear about the offer end time and remind people when time is running out.

Marketing Tip: Send a series of enticing emails to your existing customers including pre-sale VIP access to a hidden voucher shop, an email on the day of the sale and a ‘last chance’ email. 

 

We can help boost your Black Friday sales

With a little forward planning and expertise, our clients know from experience the excellent sales that can be generated on Black Friday. For this reason, we’ve created a digital marketing strategy tailor-made to help businesses sell more gift vouchers on November 26th 2021. Find out more here, give us a call on 01803 872999 or drop us a line info@clock-work.co.uk

 

Sources:

https://www.pwc.co.uk/industries/retail-consumer/insights/black-friday-cyber-monday.html, accessed 13/10/2017

https://www.statista.com/topics/5849/black-friday-in-the-uk/

https://www.blackfriday.co.uk/news/32/black-friday-history-and-statistics

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/nov/27/big-fall-in-black-friday-uk-retail-sales-despite-online-spending-boom