Black Friday Trends and Strategies to Win the Season

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Black Friday 2024 Marketing Strategies: How Marketers Can Dominate the Holiday Shopping Season

Understand key Black Friday trends and how to adapt your marketing strategies this year to make the most of the busy Q4 season

The holiday shopping season is like a marathon for marketers—long, demanding, and requiring careful planning. With Black Friday kicking things off, there’s no time to lose. To get ahead, you need to know what worked last year, what’s changing this year, and how you can adapt your marketing strategies to make the most of it.

Black Friday Trends 2024: What to Expect

Let’s start by looking back. In 2023, Black Friday was massive, with a surge in online shopping across the US and Europe. Here’s a quick snapshot of last year’s Black Friday trends:

US: Online sales on Black Friday were up 288% compared to average October 2023 sales. Cyber Monday saw a 258% increase.
UK: Black Friday online sales jumped 289%, while Cyber Monday sales increased by 212%.
France: Online transactions soared by 245%, with shopper spending up 264%.
Germany: Online transactions climbed by 226%, with spending up 246%.

The top-performing product categories varied by country. For example, in the US, shoppers flocked to luggage & bags, apparel & accessories, and toys & games. Meanwhile, in the UK, health & beauty products stole the show alongside luggage and apparel. And in France and Germany, toys & games were top sellers, reflecting a diverse consumer landscape.

What’s interesting is the average time between a shopper’s first product page visit and purchase—17 to 18 days across the US and Europe. For the top quartile of shoppers, it can be as long as 44 to 45 days. This means that consumers start researching and planning their holiday shopping well in advance, emphasizing the need for marketers to get in front of them early.

In terms of shopping behavior, mobile commerce is becoming the favorite channel, with more than half of purchases during Cyber 6 (Black Friday through the following Wednesday) taking place on mobile across the US (59%) and Europe (65% in the UK, 53% in France, and 61% in Germany). This shows that a multi-channel approach is key to reaching today’s holiday shoppers.

Black Friday Marketing Strategies to Boost Sales

So, what worked last year, and how can we use those learnings for 2024? Here are a few key strategies to incorporate:

Start Early: Plan to launch your campaigns at the beginning of October to reach those shoppers who take the longest to decide. Early engagement can be the difference between winning the sale or losing out to a competitor.
Optimize Throughout Q4: Make ongoing optimizations to maximize results. Ensure discrete changes for clarity in learnings.
Budget Wisely: Daily budgets are crucial to avoid running out of steam before the big days.
Increase Ad Spend: The holiday season is a time to increase budgets to capitalize on increased buyer intent and average order value (AOV).

Key Advertising Techniques

Marketers need a plan that attracts new customers early and makes full use of existing customers throughout the season while adjusting ads and messages based on key moments.

1. Several Weeks Before Black Friday: Acquisition is Key

Target in-market shoppers and new customers with a combination of audience segments:

In-Market Audiences: Engage shoppers actively browsing specific brands/products.
Lookalike Audiences: Reach new customers resembling top spenders.
Prospecting Audiences: Target people showing active shopping intent.

2. A Few Weeks Before Black Friday/Cyber Monday: Engage Existing Customers

Use your first-party data to re-engage seasonal shoppers:

Historical Shoppers: Bring back those who bought from you last holiday season.
High Lifetime Value Customers: Reward your best customers with opportunities for upselling.

3. Post Black Friday/Cyber Monday: Keep the Momentum Going

Continue targeting the same audiences and promote store locations and buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS) options.

The Ultimate Black Friday Checklist for Marketers

Performance:
- What are your main goals and KPIs for the season?
- How will you measure success?
Campaigns:
- Have you planned campaigns for each phase of the season?
Budget:
- Have you set budgets for each stage of the holiday season?

Keep Your Foot on the Gas Post-Season

Use the first-party data collected during the season to keep customers engaged year-round. In short, to dominate Black Friday 2024, you need a mix of early planning, strategic ad spend, and smart audience targeting. But it doesn’t end with the holidays—set yourself up for continued success into the new year!