Black Friday is arguably one of the most important times of the year for businesses. In 2022, Shopify store owners made $7.5 billion in global sales over the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend, making it vital that ecommerce businesses plan ahead to not miss out on a portion of sales in 2023.

However, with so many Black Friday campaigns likely emerging, you must ensure your business stands out from your competitors.

So, if you haven’t already, start planning your Black Friday marketing strategy now. To help you, we have included some Black Friday statistics from over the past few years, along with ten fool-proof marketing tips.

What is Black Friday?

In the UK, we only became familiar with Black Friday in 2010, when Amazon introduced us to Black Friday sales. The following years showed more retailers getting involved, helping Black Friday to keep growing.

But where does the term ‘Black Friday’ originate? 

Many believe the term refers to businesses operating at a financial loss, i.e. ‘in the red’; the huge sales after Thanksgiving would put them back ‘in the black’. This theory was popular in the 1980s and was spread by retailers to help boost their sales. 

But the term ‘Black Friday’ was not always linked with shopping. 

For example, during the 1960s, it was used by the Philadelphia police to describe the day that tourists flocked to the city, creating pandamonium on the streets.

Also, it is said that factory managers referred to the day after Thanksgiving as Black Friday since many of their workers would call in sick.

There are possibly other theories on how this familiar term came about, likely dating much further back than we realise. 

However, today, shoppers can easily relate to the ‘from red to black’ theory since bagging a Black Friday bargain contributes to putting everyone ‘back in the black’. 

Black Friday Statistics

Below are some of the statistics of Black Friday, spanning 2020 to 2022.

1) More People are Shopping on Mobile

2020

In 2020, there were 400 million online sessions; 74.17% were mobile sessions. 

2021

There were similar figures in 2021, with mobile sessions reaching 73.84%. 

2022

In 2022, online sessions were lower overall; however, mobile sessions increased to 78%.

2) Shoppers are Buying Early

2021 and 2022

Over the last couple of years, the peak shopping time on Black Friday has been between 10 and 11 a.m.

3) People are Spending More Online

2021

Online spending reached £5.74 billion in 2021. 

2022

In 2022, online sessions dipped, but people spent more individually; in fact, they spent £17.33 higher per online session compared to 2021. 

Overall, the online spending on Black Friday 2022 was $40 billion. 

What Can Businesses Learn From These Black Friday Statistics?

The above statistics will surely affect the Black Friday statistics in 2023, so what can we take from them?

1) Mobile Optimisation is Critical

You could lose a lot of business if people visit your website on their mobile and can’t easily navigate or buy! 

So, optimise your website for mobile, such as using a responsive design, enabling it to adapt to various screens. You can also compress images to limit the file size, check the font is readable and that buttons are large enough, and ensure your site pages load quickly.

Doing the above will positively impact your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) because Google ranks mobile-friendly websites higher in search engine results.

2) Recognise Peak Time

Conduct some research to find out the peak time to reach your target audience to ensure they see your Black Friday holiday deals in 2023.

For example, before publishing social posts, research the specific platform to discover when your audience is online, making it the optimum time to post. 

3) Integrate CRO With SEO

SEO and Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) are essential to ensure you rank in search engines, enabling you to attract visitors to your website and convert them into customers.

Black Friday 2023

Black Friday Predictions for 2023

• Customers will seek value and long-term quality due to economic reasons, i.e. the cost of living.
• People will choose experiences (experiential gifting) and products that contribute to making memories over “throwaway” items.
• Businesses will make an even bigger push to encourage customers to shop online.
• The Black Friday sales will be over a longer period than in previous years.
• More eco-friendly products are likely to make an appearance.

Black Friday Marketing Tips

Below are ten Black Friday marketing tips based on some of the predictions for Black Friday 2023. These marketing ideas also reflect the Black Friday statistics between 2020 and 2022.

If you’re considering doing an anti-Black Friday campaign, you can still perform the below activities to draw attention to your brand and boost website traffic over Black Friday. Discover more on anti-Black Friday later in this blog!

1) Create Early Campaigns.

Black Friday is no longer only a day; instead, it stretches over the whole month of November.

Businesses tend to release their Black Friday campaigns earlier and earlier each year. This being the case, you need to do the same.

However, don’t go too extreme – you don’t want your audience to have a Black Friday overload way before they are ready to buy.

Plan your campaign to go live no earlier than November 1st.

2) Implement a Black Friday Landing Page.

Create a landing page for products going into your Black Friday sale.

A specifically tailored landing page will allow you to limit the distractions for your audience and solely focus on the products, i.e. their features and benefits.

You could create the landing page as part of your early marketing efforts, teasing your website visitors with upcoming Black Friday deals. 

Consider creating a landing page to build an email list. We will delve into the importance of an email list later in this blog!

3) Use Social Media Marketing.

Incorporate Black Friday content into your social media marketing.

Prepare your audience for your Black Friday deals by actively posting on social media. Again, do this early in your campaign to capture your audience’s attention or to re-engage with them if necessary. 

An effective social media post, consistent with your brand and with an excellent call to action (CTA), i.e. compelling copy with power words encouraging readers to check out your Black Friday offers, will push more people to your website.

4) Install a Chatbot.

When people visit your website, they want to find all the information they need as easily as possible. Implementing FAQs on your pages will help; however, what about more specific enquiries?

This is when a chatbot on your website will be useful. This will streamline customer support within your business, providing automation over the busy period of Black Friday.  

Overall, a chatbot will enhance user experience and increase the likelihood of people converting from website visitors into customers.    

5) Conduct Email Campaigns.

Hopefully, due to creating a purpose-built landing page, you’ll have a long list of subscribers ready to receive your Black Friday emails.

Email marketing is a great way to ramp up the anticipation and tease your subscribers with your Black Friday deals.

There are various ways you can conduct your Black Friday email campaigns.

For example, you could give your long-time subscribers early access to deals. Alternatively, you could offer a further discount for a limited time. 

If you want to continue building your email contacts list, consider offering discounts to new subscribers who spend over a certain amount.

6) Mobile-Specific Campaigns.

As mentioned, a mobile-friendly website is extremely vital since around 55% of website traffic comes from mobile devices.

When it comes to campaigns, use dark mode-friendly designs. Doing so will help reduce eye strain, which is particularly beneficial for people who work at a screen all day. Pick a black or dark grey background and ensure the text is light-coloured so it’s clear to read.

Furthermore, a dark design for a Black Friday campaign will suit the mood of the annual shopping event!

7) Promote Daily Deals.

Whether you do it via email campaigns or social media, be sure to promote daily deals over the Black Friday period. 

Using scarcity marketing, i.e. slowly showing your audience juicy Black Friday deals, will help to instil fear of missing out (FOMO). Furthermore, time-sensitive deals encourage readers to decide quickly and make impulse purchases. Customers may return to your website daily to check out other deals.

8) Upsell and Cross-Sell.

Increase your customer’s individual spending by creating content to encourage upselling and cross-selling.

Upselling is when you entice your customers to buy a higher-end (and more expensive!) version of the product they plan to purchase. 

Cross-selling is when you recommend products to complement the item they are already buying.

For example, you could offer a Black Friday bundle, i.e. accessories at a discounted price, and create content to promote this when the customer adds a particular product to their basket or at the checkout stage.

9) Offer Free Shipping.

Consider offering free shipping to customers who spend over a certain amount or, if you’re feeling extra generous, with no minimum order. By doing so, you will decrease cart abandonment rates.

To further instil FOMO, implement a countdown timer on your Black Friday landing page and product pages to show how long free shipping will last.

10) Opt for a Green Friday Campaign Instead.

As mentioned, we predict that many shoppers will gravitate towards sustainable products over throwaway items. So, with this in mind, why not participate in Green Friday instead of Black Friday? Depending on your business, this option may be more suitable.

Green Friday is anti-Black Friday and promotes meaningful and mindful purchases as opposed to impulse buying. It gives people the choice to reduce their carbon footprint, making more eco-conscious buying decisions.

Instead of offering huge discounts on a wide range of products, use Green Friday as an opportunity to promote environmentally friendly items. Encourage your audience to embrace sustainable options and spend time away from the shops with their family in nature. Remember, more and more people are seeking experiences over physical goods.

Are you inspired by our Black Friday marketing ideas? 

Whether you go the Black Friday or Green Friday route, you’ll need an optimised website and marketing strategy to draw attention to your business.

Get in touch with Fly High Media if you require help with any areas of your online marketing. We offer various digital marketing services, such as paid search and SEO, and our expert team is committed to achieving outstanding results for our clients.