‘Tis (almost) the season! Black Friday is less than two weeks and, while the holiday shopping season is well underway thanks to an early push from Amazon’s Prime Day, this year’s Cyber 5 results will set the tone for the remainder of the holiday season.
An early start to the holiday season is crucial during this highly competitive year. As customers are prepared to wait and shop around to score the best deals, some brands aren’t limiting their sales days to just the Cyber 5 weekend. Extended Black Friday promotions create longer campaigns that won’t bog down shipping channels.
One such company – Deciem – is turning their extended promotions into a knowledge-sharing and customer acquisition tag team during their Knowvember campaign. Along with a continuous discount on all products throughout the month, Deciem is sharing educational content to help customers buy smarter. By providing a chance for consumers to conduct careful research on their beauty products, Deciem is hoping to limit post-holiday returns. Earlier sales can make brands stand out more during this highly competitive season. Modern Retail also reports stores like Target and Kohls are extending their online promotions to minimize in-store traffic. Consider offering mobile-only deals or flash sales to encourage customers to shop through online channels.
Reinventing Black Friday Shopping
This year, we can’t accommodate Black Friday crowds. Many shoppers will turn to online shopping – and NetElixir forecasts an aggregate 30% in online sales throughout the rest of the year.
In November, NetElixir anticipates a 45% YoY increase from 2019 and a 20% YoY increase from last year in December. As marketers push early sales and shoppers plan their purchases to avoid shipping delays, November will be a stronger month in terms of eCommerce growth. Retail Dive shares Numerator’s survey that 34% of respondents plan to shop in stores on Black Friday, while 90% plan to shop online.
BOPIS and curbside pickup will be hallmarks this holiday season so ensure your Google My Business account, website, and any ads prominently display your contactless shopping options. People want to feel safe in any shopping excursions they undertake, so brands need to prioritize communicating a message of transparency and security to their customers.
In 2019, NRF reported that Black Friday beat out Cyber Monday as the busiest online shopping day. We can expect high sales on Black Friday again as many of the big retailers will be closed on Thanksgiving day, which may prompt customers to shop from the convenience of their homes – a Deloitte survey found that 64% of consumers will choose to shop from home. Ensure your website is updated with the latest inventory count, shipping information, return policy, and sales so that customers know what to expect from you.
The same Deloitte survey also found that 2020 holiday shoppers plan to treat themselves while they shop and will focus on beverages, food, and clothes. Historically, electronics, home goods, and home appliances sell well during Black Friday.
NetElixir’s Holiday Forecast
For the past 13 years, NetElixir has released an eCommerce calendar to help retailers mark important dates they should consider in their marketing strategy. Some key insights from this year’s calendar includes:
- Weeks of November 22nd and November 29th: will account for the two biggest online shopping weeks of 2020;
- Week of December 6th: most retailers will set a cut-off date for guaranteed holiday shipping (delivery by 12/24);
- Week of December 13th: BOPIS commerce will surge and most retailers will lower their digital marketing spend
Black Friday itself will see a very high YoY increase from last year, upwards of 75%. This trend will continue throughout the Cyber 5 weekend. NetElixir also forecasts that the month of November see a 45% YoY increase in online sales, compared to 2019.
Download your 2020 Holiday ECommerce Sales Calendar now at https://www.netelixir.com//holidays/.
Further Reading
- October 2020 Retail ECommerce YoY Insights
- Building Trust and Sizing People Up
- 2020 Holiday Season ECommerce Forecast
