Engagement tactics for European e-commerce Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2017
In times of ongoing economic uncertainty due to a volatile political climate across the globe, bargains will be sure to appeal to the Christmas shoppers this year more than ever.
It is important for e-retailers to make the most of the upcoming festive season with some winning tactics to entice the most savvy shoppers.
In Europe, mobile is king
Black Friday isn’t a public holiday in Europe, so with the the majority of Europeans at work, desktop and mobile use is high.
The most popular uses for SMS marketing include sending out offers and delivery schedules.
According to a report commissioned by TextLocal, despite the fact that the UK has around 80m active mobile phones in circulation, only 50 per cent of SMEs are currently utilising SMS technology for marketing opportunities.
The report also highlighted that by 2018, 92 per cent of businesses expect to have a mobile strategy in place.
Take advantage of this 24/7 communication tool. Make sure you:
- Personalise SMS content
- Include time limits
- Convert sales with direct links
Optimise your email marketing tactics
A retailer can be offering the best deals in the world, but this is useless if no customers see them. This is why brands need to be reaching out to their customer base to publicise their deals ahead of Black Friday.
Tactics you should utilise include:
- Use ‘Fear Of Missing Out’ as a bargaining chip – include a sense of urgency with time limits, countdowns and powerful CTAs
- Make sure your subject lines grab attention – use pithy language and clear incentives
- Send emails earlier than your competitors – it gets earlier every year, so make sure you get ahead of the competition
- Make sure you include incentives – give email subscribers early access, free gifts and promotional codes
- Send out cart abandonment emails with a discount or incentive if you wish- take advantage of this busy time for shoppers and remind them of what they were attracted to
- Make sure your emails are personalised – this always gets a better result
Don’t forget your online shop front
It is a good idea to keep a separate Black Friday landing page on the site all year round, reminding customers when exactly Black Friday is, as well as keeping the brand front of mind ahead of time.
A Black Friday landing page can also be used for online retailers to tease the products they will be offering reductions on.
Retailers could also increase engagement by including a sign-up option where potential customers can subscribe for updates regarding the upcoming sale.
In addition, make sure that you:
- Use countdown timers and on-site overlays which can also be helpful to spur browsers into pushing the button on the final purchase, thereby cutting down on shopping cart abandonment
- Clarify shipping and return policies – customers look out for free shipping and will increase their purchases to get it. Carefully review your courier cutoff dates for delivery by Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Be sure to include that information on each page
- Improve transaction security – find the right processes for screening out fraud without delaying legitimate rush orders
- Step up your customer service – clarify your customer service hours and channels and include that information on each page of your site
Your website needs to cope with sudden increase in demand
The last thing any retailer wants is for their site to crash on Black Friday, causing a loss in sales.
In a fast-paced world where everyone expects immediate results, customers tend not to be forgiving and may abandon a retailer’s website or mobile app if it is slow or crashes.
Investigate the possibility of an online queueing system, where visitors who exceed the website’s capacity limits can be transported to a separate ‘waiting room’ and are allowed onto the site once there is capacity for them to browse.
The power of social media
Social media is everywhere, with over 3 billion people estimated to be using some form of social media.
E-commerce retailers can use their social media to share their best Black Friday deals with their followers well ahead of time, in order to engage their existing user base and potentially attract new customers. Competitions for sharing special offers are popular.
E-retailers can also increase their audience by offering by using specific hashtags. Combine #blackfriday with your brand.
That way, your brand will show up in any Twitter and Instagram searches relating to Black Friday, while still remaining specific enough to target your specific customer base.
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