As Black Friday & Cyber Monday (BFCM) approach, every retailer has an unprecedented opportunity to capture sales and build customer relationships for long-term success. In 2023, U.S. online sales on Black Friday hit a record $9.8 billion, with 54% of purchases made through mobile devices. This year, Adobe Analytics projects holiday spending to reach a staggering $240.8 billion, with Cyber Monday alone expected to drive $13.2 billion in sales. Below is a detailed roadmap on how retailers and other businesses can capitalize on this consumer demand to boost their revenue and profits.
Craft Irresistible Offers to Drive Sales and Upsells For Your Retail Marketing
Creating a compelling offer isn’t just about attracting attention—it’s about increasing overall cart value and capturing new customers who can become repeat buyers.
Here are ways to accomplish this:
Use Loss Leaders: Offer a popular product at a deep discount as a "loss leader," meaning you’re willing to sell it with little or no profit because it will attract customers. Customers drawn in for a great deal often add full-priced items to their carts, resulting in higher transaction values. For example, a discounted high-demand tech gadget can draw people in, but many will add complementary accessories that aren’t discounted.
How to Implement: Choose a product that will generate a high volume of interest and advertise it heavily across channels. Make sure it's prominently displayed on your homepage, social media, and email campaigns.
Bundle Discounts: Bundling products encourages customers to spend more than they might on a single item. It also helps move inventory and can create a better value perception for the customer.
How to Implement: Analyze your inventory and identify popular products that complement each other (e.g., a winter bundle for skincare or an electronic bundle for tech gadgets). Set attractive bundle prices, and emphasize the "savings vs. buying separately" aspect in your marketing and on your website.
Tiered Discounts: Offering tiered discounts encourages customers to spend more to access a better deal. For instance, 10% off orders over $50, 15% off over $75, and 20% off over $100. This structure incentivizes higher spending and can significantly increase average order value.
How to Implement: Set clear discount tiers, advertise them across your website, and highlight them at checkout to remind customers they’re close to the next discount threshold.
Limited-Time Flash Sales: Flash sales create urgency, motivating customers to make quick purchasing decisions. These short bursts of discounts, perhaps lasting only a few hours, also help keep customer interest high throughout BFCM.
How to Implement: Promote flash sales through email, push notifications, and social media. Use countdown timers on your site to build anticipation and urgency. Flash sales for Cyber Monday advertising and Black Friday marketing are key pillars of the holiday season and need to be reiterated across multiple channels.
Define a Strategic Shipping and Delivery Approach
Free or reduced shipping offers can reduce cart abandonment and increase conversions, as shipping costs are often a primary reason shoppers abandon their carts.
Set Free Shipping Thresholds: Offering free shipping above a certain purchase amount can boost average order values, as shoppers will add extra items to hit the threshold.
How to Implement: Set thresholds strategically based on your average order value. For example, if your average cart is $40, a $50 free shipping threshold might motivate customers to add an extra item. Make sure to communicate the shipping offer prominently across product pages and checkout.
Flexible Shipping Options: With options like curbside pickup and buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS), you can attract local customers who prefer to avoid shipping fees. This convenience also minimizes shipping-related costs and delays.
How to Implement: Partner with a local delivery service, if needed, and add a curbside or in-store pickup option at checkout. Make sure customers know this option is available by advertising it across your website and in marketing materials.
Early Delivery and Extended Returns: Shoppers tend to purchase more willingly when they know returns won’t be a hassle. An extended return policy through the holiday season is especially effective in converting cautious buyers who want gift flexibility.
How to Implement: Extend return deadlines to accommodate holiday shoppers, clearly communicate this in your checkout and return policy pages, and emphasize the added peace of mind in your marketing emails.
Invest in Targeted Advertising to Capture Ready Buyers
Targeted advertising, especially during Black Friday / Cyber Monday, allows businesses to reach shoppers already prepared to make purchases. Smart advertising can significantly boost traffic and conversions during this critical period.
PPC and Social Media Ads: Paid search ads capture high-intent shoppers who are actively searching for deals, while social media ads reach users as they browse. PPC and social media ads let you target specific keywords and demographics, bringing you customers actively looking for BFCM deals.
How to Implement: Start by researching popular keywords for your industry and adjust your bids for higher conversion times, like the days leading up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Invest in retargeting ads to bring back visitors who’ve engaged with your brand but haven’t purchased.
Hiring a professional advertising agency, if you don’t already do so, is another great way to create high quality marketing campaigns with guaranteed results. Investing in advertising is part of a well structured business that generates interest and guarantees sales.
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Influencer Partnerships: Influencer marketing can reach shoppers who trust recommendations from people they follow. Influencers can showcase products in use, answer questions, and create a sense of urgency.
How to Implement: Work with influencers who align with your brand’s target audience. Have them review or unbox your products with exclusive BFCM discount codes to measure their impact.
Use Video Ads: Video is highly engaging and perfect for showcasing products, creating visual excitement, and driving traffic. Video ads also allow you to highlight products in action and build a connection with potential customers.
How to Implement: Create short, engaging videos that highlight top products, special deals, and features. Run these ads on social media platforms with autoplay, like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, where video engagement is high.
Retarget Previous Visitors and Loyal Customers
Retargeting allows you to reconnect with visitors who showed interest in your products but left without purchasing. This is especially effective for converting “window shoppers” and past customers.
Dynamic Retargeting Ads: Use personalized retargeting ads that remind customers of specific products they viewed. These dynamic ads encourage customers to return and complete their purchases.
How to Implement: Platforms like Google and Facebook offer retargeting options that display ads featuring products a user previously viewed. Set up retargeting in advance and include holiday-themed creatives to refresh their interest.
Email Retargeting: Remind customers of abandoned carts or showcase holiday deals for items they’ve previously purchased or browsed.
How to Implement: Use email automation tools to segment your email list. Create personalized reminder emails with photos of the abandoned items and offer a small discount or limited-time offer if they return to complete the purchase.
Optimize Email Marketing Campaigns for High Engagement
Email remains one of the most effective ways to engage both new and repeat customers, providing a direct line to your audience.
Warm-Up Emails and Exclusive Early Access: Begin teasing your sale in early November, creating excitement and anticipation with “early access” for subscribers or loyal customers. This drives loyalty and helps ensure strong engagement once your sale begins.
How to Implement: Start with a pre-sale email sequence in early November, giving loyal subscribers access to preview deals or exclusive discounts. This not only builds excitement but also encourages customers to spread the word.
Personalized Recommendations: Personalized product recommendations based on past purchase behavior make customers feel valued and increase the chances of additional sales.
How to Implement: Use customer data to offer relevant recommendations in email communications. Many email marketing platforms have built-in AI tools that can analyze customer behavior and tailor recommendations automatically.
Send Post-Purchase Follow-Ups: After BFCM, follow up with a thank-you email, encouraging them to return for New Year sales or offering a small discount on their next purchase.
How to Implement: Set up post-purchase automation to send personalized thank-you emails. These can include recommendations for related products, encouraging customers to make repeat purchases.
Prepare Your Website for Mobile Traffic
As mobile purchases continue to grow, ensuring a seamless mobile experience can make or break your BFCM sales. Mobile-optimized websites provide faster browsing and easier navigation, making shopping more enjoyable.
Optimize for Mobile Speed and UX: Mobile shoppers are less likely to stay on a site with long load times or clunky navigation. Test your mobile load times and remove unnecessary scripts or large images that may slow down the experience.
How to Implement: Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool and page speed tools like GTmetrix or Google PageSpeed Insights. Remove heavy graphics and add easy navigation, like larger buttons and simple forms for checkout.
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Offer Mobile-Exclusive Discounts: With mobile-exclusive offers, you can increase mobile conversions and make mobile users feel valued.
How to Implement: Advertise a specific mobile discount code that users can only apply if they shop from their mobile device. Promote this mobile offer through social media and on your desktop site.
Implement a Holiday Theme with Strategic Visuals
Holiday visuals help create a festive atmosphere that encourages spending. They also help differentiate your BFCM sales from everyday promotions.
Add Holiday Branding and a Festive Look: Update website banners, product images, and marketing emails with holiday-themed graphics to draw attention to special BFCM deals.
How to Implement: Use eye-catching colors and imagery that represent the season, like reds, greens, snowflakes, or gift-wrap designs. Emphasize BFCM savings across the site.
Leverage Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) Options to Increase Purchase Sizes
Offering BNPL services is a growing trend that can make higher-priced items more accessible to customers by breaking up the purchase into smaller, interest-free payments. This method reduces purchasing friction and increases conversion rates, especially for high-ticket items.
How to Implement: Partner with BNPL providers like Afterpay, Klarna, or Affirm and integrate their payment options directly into your checkout process. Promote this option on product pages and in your marketing to highlight the affordability of your products during the holiday season.
Why This Works: By making purchases feel more manageable, BNPL can help increase both conversion rates and average order values, as customers feel more comfortable adding multiple items or purchasing higher-priced items with a payment plan.
Enhance Customer Support with Live Chat and Chatbots
As online shopping surges, so do customer questions. Providing fast and efficient support through live chat or chatbots can enhance the customer experience, reduce bounce rates, and drive conversions.
How to Implement: Add a live chat option on key pages like the homepage, product pages, and checkout. Many platforms like Zendesk and LiveChat also offer chatbot integrations that can handle common queries, leaving live agents free to assist with more complex issues. Consider hiring seasonal staff to help manage customer inquiries and ensure support remains prompt.
Read up on our guide for hiring the right employees this holiday season.
Why This Works: When customers receive immediate answers, they’re less likely to leave the site and more likely to complete their purchase. Efficient customer support also builds brand trust and can lead to repeat customers.
Create an Exclusive BFCM VIP List for Loyal Customers
Loyalty rewards during BFCM can increase purchase frequency and drive higher sales among your returning customers. Offering exclusive early access or deeper discounts can also make these shoppers feel valued and drive urgency.
How to Implement: Segment your email list to create a VIP group of repeat customers or subscribers. Send an exclusive email campaign offering early access to your BFCM deals, along with perhaps an additional discount or bonus for being a loyal customer.
Why This Works: VIP customers who feel appreciated are more likely to make larger purchases, share your offers with friends, and return after BFCM. Early access creates a sense of exclusivity that often leads to higher conversion rates.
Encourage Reviews and User-Generated Content for Social Proof
Encouraging customers to leave reviews or share their purchases on social media provides authentic social proof, which can build trust among new shoppers and encourage more purchases.
How to Implement: Offer incentives for customers to leave a review or post about their purchase, such as a discount on their next order or entry into a giveaway. Use branded hashtags to organize and reshare user-generated content (UGC) on your social media.
Why This Works: UGC serves as real-life validation for your products, making new customers feel more comfortable about buying from your brand, especially if they’re first-time shoppers. Social proof can be a powerful motivator for hesitant customers.
Optimize Your Product Pages for High-Conversion Keywords
With so many shoppers turning to search engines for deals, optimizing product pages for keywords like “Black Friday deals,” “Cyber Monday sale,” and other relevant search terms can increase organic traffic and conversions.
How to Implement: Research high-traffic, holiday-focused keywords related to your products, and incorporate these into your product page titles, descriptions, and meta tags. Consider adding a “BFCM Specials” section on your website where your best holiday deals are centralized and easy to find.
Why This Works: By appearing in relevant search results, your products reach a wider audience of customers actively searching for deals, increasing both traffic and potential sales.
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Introduce Limited-Edition Products to Boost Exclusivity
Offering limited-edition products or holiday-themed versions of popular items adds exclusivity and urgency to your BFCM offerings. Customers are more likely to buy when they know the product won’t be available for long.
How to Implement: Identify a few best-selling products or create a unique holiday bundle or design. Emphasize their exclusivity in marketing materials and use phrases like “limited-edition” or “only available during Black Friday.”
Why This Works: Exclusive or limited-edition items increase perceived value and urgency, leading customers to make quicker purchasing decisions. It also creates an incentive for customers to shop during BFCM rather than waiting until later in the season.
Focus on Cart Abandonment Recovery to Maximize Conversions
Cart abandonment is common during BFCM when shoppers are browsing multiple sites for the best deals. Automated cart abandonment emails or SMS messages can recover lost sales by reminding customers to complete their purchase.
How to Implement: Use email automation tools to set up cart abandonment messages with friendly reminders, product images, and possibly a small incentive, like free shipping or a discount to encourage checkout completion.
Why This Works: Cart recovery emails can increase conversions by reminding customers of their intent to purchase and making the checkout process more accessible. Even a small incentive can push them to complete the transaction, especially with holiday time pressure.
Engage Customers with a Holiday-Themed Loyalty Program Boost
Rewarding loyal customers with extra points or holiday-specific rewards can encourage higher spending and ensure these customers choose your store over competitors.
How to Implement: Offer double loyalty points for BFCM purchases or create holiday-specific rewards (e.g., redeemable discounts or gift options). If you don’t have a loyalty program yet, BFCM is a great time to launch one to capture new customers.
Why This Works: A boosted loyalty program gives customers an added incentive to purchase now and ensures they’re more likely to return after BFCM. It also builds long-term value, as loyalty members are more likely to become repeat buyers.
These strategies, combined with efficient inventory management and customer-centric service, can turn BFCM into a high-profit period while establishing a stronger customer base. By building excitement, rewarding loyalty, and focusing on targeted outreach, your business can capture revenue, build trust, and set the stage for future growth.
Looking for more ways to increase your e-Commerce sales? Read our 5 step process on how to increase your store’s sales and profitability.
Craft Irresistible Offers to Drive Sales and Upsells For Your Retail Marketing
Use Loss Leaders: Offer a popular product at a deep discount as a "loss leader," meaning you’re willing to sell it with little or no profit because it will attract customers. Customers drawn in for a great deal often add full-priced items to their carts, resulting in higher transaction values. For example, a discounted high-demand tech gadget can draw people in, but many will add complementary accessories that aren’t discounted.
Bundle Discounts: Bundling products encourages customers to spend more than they might on a single item. It also helps move inventory and can create a better value perception for the customer.
Tiered Discounts: Offering tiered discounts encourages customers to spend more to access a better deal. For instance, 10% off orders over $50, 15% off over $75, and 20% off over $100. This structure incentivizes higher spending and can significantly increase average order value.
Limited-Time Flash Sales: Flash sales create urgency, motivating customers to make quick purchasing decisions. These short bursts of discounts, perhaps lasting only a few hours, also help keep customer interest high throughout BFCM.
Define a Strategic Shipping and Delivery Approach
Set Free Shipping Thresholds: Offering free shipping above a certain purchase amount can boost average order values, as shoppers will add extra items to hit the threshold.
Flexible Shipping Options: With options like curbside pickup and buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS), you can attract local customers who prefer to avoid shipping fees. This convenience also minimizes shipping-related costs and delays.
Early Delivery and Extended Returns: Shoppers tend to purchase more willingly when they know returns won’t be a hassle. An extended return policy through the holiday season is especially effective in converting cautious buyers who want gift flexibility.
Invest in Targeted Advertising to Capture Ready Buyers
PPC and Social Media Ads: Paid search ads capture high-intent shoppers who are actively searching for deals, while social media ads reach users as they browse. PPC and social media ads let you target specific keywords and demographics, bringing you customers actively looking for BFCM deals.
Influencer Partnerships: Influencer marketing can reach shoppers who trust recommendations from people they follow. Influencers can showcase products in use, answer questions, and create a sense of urgency.
Use Video Ads: Video is highly engaging and perfect for showcasing products, creating visual excitement, and driving traffic. Video ads also allow you to highlight products in action and build a connection with potential customers.
Retarget Previous Visitors and Loyal Customers
Dynamic Retargeting Ads: Use personalized retargeting ads that remind customers of specific products they viewed. These dynamic ads encourage customers to return and complete their purchases.
Email Retargeting: Remind customers of abandoned carts or showcase holiday deals for items they’ve previously purchased or browsed.
Optimize Email Marketing Campaigns for High Engagement
Warm-Up Emails and Exclusive Early Access: Begin teasing your sale in early November, creating excitement and anticipation with “early access” for subscribers or loyal customers. This drives loyalty and helps ensure strong engagement once your sale begins.
Personalized Recommendations: Personalized product recommendations based on past purchase behavior make customers feel valued and increase the chances of additional sales.
Send Post-Purchase Follow-Ups: After BFCM, follow up with a thank-you email, encouraging them to return for New Year sales or offering a small discount on their next purchase.
Prepare Your Website for Mobile Traffic
Optimize for Mobile Speed and UX: Mobile shoppers are less likely to stay on a site with long load times or clunky navigation. Test your mobile load times and remove unnecessary scripts or large images that may slow down the experience.
Offer Mobile-Exclusive Discounts: With mobile-exclusive offers, you can increase mobile conversions and make mobile users feel valued.
Implement a Holiday Theme with Strategic Visuals
Add Holiday Branding and a Festive Look: Update website banners, product images, and marketing emails with holiday-themed graphics to draw attention to special BFCM deals.
Leverage Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) Options to Increase Purchase Sizes
Enhance Customer Support with Live Chat and Chatbots
Create an Exclusive BFCM VIP List for Loyal Customers
Encourage Reviews and User-Generated Content for Social Proof
Optimize Your Product Pages for High-Conversion Keywords
Introduce Limited-Edition Products to Boost Exclusivity
Focus on Cart Abandonment Recovery to Maximize Conversions
Engage Customers with a Holiday-Themed Loyalty Program Boost
