Forecasting Past the Black Friday Cyber Monday Sales Slump

Riding high on the wave of a profitable Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) 2022, businesses look forward to a propitious BFCM 2023. Despite apprehensions on a dip in sales due to inflation, Adobe Analytics reveals that 2022’s BFCM sales exceeded expectations with $9.12B recorded on Black Friday and $11.3B on Cyber Monday. Marketers, predictably, had steep discounts to thank for part of this success. However, moving forward into BFCM 2023, businesses might need to go beyond heavy discounting to boost sales. As reported by Klaviyo (source), a well-planned Black Friday emails campaigns strategy is key to creating and fulfilling demand, specifically through the Black Friday Cyber Monday weekend.

Bottom Line: Learning to plan and execute a successful BFCM email marketing strategy will help ecommerce business owners and managers increase sales and strengthen customer relationships, even in a competitive market.

Looking ahead, personalization is set to take center stage in future BFCM email campaigns. Businesses that tailor their messaging, promotional offers, and user experience to individual customer interests and behaviors will reap the rewards. Automation and artificial intelligence could also come into play offering predictive personalization to enhance customer experience, boost engagement, and increase conversions.

Planning for BFCM 2023: Starting Early is Key

As businesses gear up for BFCM 2023, starting early with the planning of email marketing strategies is crucial. To reduce dependence on paid ads and discounts, businesses are encouraged to plan their campaign cadences, segmentation strategies, and the quantity of creative deliverables needed, ahead of time. Megan Edwards, the email marketing manager at Tecovas, suggests starting BFCM preparations as early as July or August. Doing so allows ample time for creative teams to edit and enhance campaign quality (source).

Establishing Good Email Segmentation Ahead of the Final Quarter

Your email lists are valuable, and how you segment them can have a big impact on your BFCM sales. An effective strategy is to segment your overall email list into smaller groups of people most likely to purchase during BFCM. This can be achieved through a pre-sale registration campaign designed to entice your subscriber base to sign up for upgraded offers or early access to the sale. According to Wei Tan, co-founder of The Orchard Agency, effective communication with a highly active audience can boost email deliverability and improve sender reputation.

Developing a Step-by-Step Email Process for BFCM

Effective BFCM email marketing goes beyond offering steep discounts. Increasingly, customers are looking for alternative offers. For example, Adobe Analytics reported a surge in buy-now-pay-later transactions during BFCM 2022. For businesses selling high-priced items, offering a BNPL scheme alongside a modest discount could help to rack up sales. Some other alternative offer options to consider include:

• Holiday product launch: Release a new color or size for an existing product to keep your offerings fresh.
• Limited-edition bundle or collection: This can create a sense of urgency and increase average order values.
• Free gift with purchase: This option can help to move excess stock while pleasing customers.
• Contest: This can serve as an attention-grabbing approach to BFCM promotions.
• Partnership offer: Team up with a brand that shares a similar audience to attract new customers.
• Donation incentive: Offer a slightly smaller discount but match it with a charity donation.

The Importance of Segmentation in Determining Email Frequency

How often should a business reach out to its segments during BFCM? This is largely determined by segmentation itself. For example, your most engaged audience (VIPs) may appreciate early access to offers, hence, communicating with them consistently and personally can bolster sales. Senior customer education specialist at Klaviyo, Gillian Carlucci, suggests sending early-access product drops to customers who purchased something similar three months ago.

Email Marketing Dos and Don’ts for BFCM

When planning a BFCM email marketing campaign, here are key strategies to keep in mind:

Dos:

• Clean your list before the holiday.
• Segment your sends.
• Personalize your content.
• Be transparent about shipping.
• Consider discount alternatives.

Don’ts:

• Overdo your email subject lines.
• Send too many emails in one day.
• Blast your entire subscriber list.
• Set false expectations.

By adhering to these tips, your brand can create an engaging and effective BFCM email campaign that not only boosts sales but also builds a lasting relationship with customers.

Learning from Successful BFCM Email Campaigns

Learning from the success of other brands can significantly improve your BFCM email campaign. Noteworthy BFCM email campaigns from brands like Little Beast, Couture Club, The Art of Play, Splash Wines, Fussy, Bottle Rocket, Beyond Yoga, OffCourt, BAGGU, Baboon to the Moon, Peak Design, and Represent all offer valuable insights. Each brand uniquely leverages email marketing to increase sales and engage customers, demonstrating the importance of personalization, enticing offers, and creative messaging in successful BFCM email campaigns.

In conclusion, a well-strategized BFCM email marketing campaign can greatly boost a business’s BFCM sales. The success of such a campaign lies in early planning, effective segmentation, enticing offers, and personalized messaging.