Black Friday Top Tips 2023 including TikTok Shop, SMS, and Loyalty Programs (episode 171)

by April Buencamino-dy

Welcome to this year’s Black Friday Top Tips episode! Not only are my 9 guests offering excellent advice, each one is coming from a different perspective, and if I was going to write out my own advice for Black Friday 2023… there isn’t a key point on that list they’ve missed.

BLACK FRIDAY 2023

Listen now for free:

Subscribe to Keep Optimising on your favourite Podcast App

Dive in:

[07:22] Tech solutions streamline stock management and boost efficiency.
[12:51] Consumers’ buying behaviour driven by social cues.
[16:18] Black Friday success relies on loyal customers.
[20:20] TikTok shop gaining popularity, cost-effective for brands.
[22:51] 2023 has been a weird year for businesses.
[26:27] Email and SMS automation boost sales.
[29:31] Don’t neglect your strategy for Black Friday.

Mary Lister, Triple Whale

  • Plan using historical data. Analyze your past year’s performance data to make informed predictions and set goals for this year’s Black Friday. 
  • Ensure accurate data. Verify that the data from your advertising platforms, email campaigns, SMS, and influencers aligns with your financial records.

Jodie Guichard, Inventory Planner by Sage

  • Optimize stock management. Ensure you have the right amount of stock in the right locations and channels at the appropriate times, considering both understocking and overstocking risks.
  • Embrace technology solutions. leverage tech solutions to provide accurate predictions, aid in discount strategy decisions, offer full visibility to various teams, and save time and stress.

David Meakin, SHOPLINE

  • Maintain authenticity in your brand messaging to avoid coming across as overselling, as consumers are aware of the hype and seek genuine experiences.

Imogen Collins, Genie Goals

  • Be intentional with offerings. Tailor your Black Friday promotions to align with your core customer values.
  • Communicate early. If you won’t be offering discounts, communicate your reasons as early as possible.

Ed Barter, Herdify

  • Community matters. Research shows that Black Friday sales are higher in areas with strong brand communities, where people talk about brands to friends, family, and colleagues. These communities can also boost year-round revenue and average order values.
  • Focus on existing customers. Returning purchases often contribute significantly to Black Friday success.
  • Attract new customers. Extend your reach to consumers who are already aware of your brand but haven’t made a purchase yet. Look for areas where there’s a strong community discussing your brand.

Fiona Stevens, Loyalty Lion

  • Implement a loyalty program. As much as 78% of consumers are likely to return and make repeat purchases when they can join such a program, and 83% prioritize brands with existing loyalty points and rewards.
  • Drive engagement. Ensure enrolled members are engaged and excited about the program before sales start.
  • Act before Black Friday. Don’t wait until after Black Friday to focus on customer retention. Concentrate on maximizing repeat purchases from your existing returning customers to achieve sustained success.

Derric Haynie, Pipe17

  • Leverage TikTok Shop. Connect your store to your TikTok Shop and consider going live on TikTok to sell products.

Jessica Totillo Coster, eCommerce Badassery

  • Present your best product first.
  • Optimize website experience. Focus on making it easy for customers to shop and decide quickly, especially if you have a wide product range.
  • Increase average order value. Be intentional about building up your AOV. Even small increases can significantly impact your revenue during the holiday season.

Greg Zakowicz, Omnisend

  • Focus on key email automations as they account for a huge percentage of orders. 
  • Leverage SMS marketing to increase sales, as it has shown significant growth in recent years.
  • Consider SMS and email as complementary tools, working together to enhance your marketing efforts.

Do you need more help in preparing for the holiday season?

Sponsored by…

Herdify

We hear the word “community” for marketers all the time. But the most important communities are not where you think. They’re not social media groups, referral codes or loyalty programmes. They’re the real-world locations where YOUR brand’s communities hangout, and that’s where Herdify comes in.

Herdify is the world’s first community detection platform to tell you where real-world communities have formed around your brand. These communities are the biggest influence on buying behaviour – only 8% of us buy without recommendation.

Before Herdify, it was impossible to find where these real-life recommendations were happening. Now, you can use behavioural science techniques to understand more about your brand’s communities, their social behaviour and the impact that can have on your marketing.

Plug in your sales data, get immediate community insights, and start planning your marketing campaigns in a whole new way, like Cotswold Outdoor, Ella’s Kitchen, Snow + Rock, Perrys AND Abel and Cole.

Visit Herdify to learn more

Have you used eCommerce Tech?

It’s a website all about helping you find the next addition to your eCommerce tech stack.

Do you have a problem only an awesome piece of eCommerce tech can solve?

Is your eCommerce Tech Stack not quite fit for purpose anymore?

Then you should explore the latest technology on offer at eCommerce Tech – click here to find out more

Full transcript to read & download:

Click to access

Related