Campaigns in NovemberUse shopping events for a successful start to the Christmas season
November is an early Christmas for all shopping enthusiasts and bargain hunters. It all starts with Singles Day on November 11, which originated in China. In our culture, this day is traditionally associated with the start of carnival. In China, Singles Day always takes place on this date. The ones in the date stand for the single people. Originally, the day in China was more about partying than shopping, with the aim of putting an end to being single. Today, no other day of the year generates as much sales worldwide as Singles Day. In fact, it’s more than Amazon’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined. Meanwhile, more and more German companies are also taking up this occasion for shopping promotions. Therefore, it is worth considering to use this day as an occasion to possibly empty full warehouses a bit or to make customers a little joy.
And since we are already on the subject of holidays imported from the USA: Black Friday is now a fixed date in the calendar for most companies, and online stores in particular use this day to ring in the Christmas business. This year, Black Friday takes place on November 25. And right after that, on November 28, is Cyber Monday, which is also popular.
No matter which shopping event you focus on, we will support you in the implementation and provide you with a few inspiring tips for corresponding campaigns.
Legal problems with Black Friday
The problem with Black Friday was that it was registered as a word mark and therefore it was not allowed to advertise with the term in Germany without an appropriate license. Otherwise, the warning lawyers were already waiting. This year, however, the situation has improved: With the decision of May 27, 2021 by the Federal Court of Justice, the previous decision of the Federal Patent Court from February was confirmed, with which the word mark Black Friday for essential services in the field of advertising is to be deleted. This means that the term Black Friday can once again be used for advertising in the areas of marketing, organizing and carrying out advertising events, planning advertising measures, disseminating advertisements and advertising on the Internet for third parties, as well as a large number of other services related to advertising, without the threat of legal action. A further proceeding, involving the cancellation of the word mark for goods and services, is currently pending.
Implementation
If you want to use Black Friday or another shopping day to empty your full warehouses, please note that it’s not done with a newsletter. To generate the necessary attention, you need several attempts and, best of all, a cross-channel campaign.
Also keep in mind that you are certainly not the only company with shopping offers and the like, so on the day before and on Hot Shopping Day, most recipients’ inboxes will probably be overflowing with offers. Therefore, rely on a multi-stage campaign, which can also be a bit more unusual. To make your shopping campaign a complete success, here are a few tips for you.
A creative example for Cybe(a)r Monday is provided by TunnelBear
Start early
It’s best to start getting your recipients in the mood two weeks before the shopping event, e.g. with a countdown in the mailing. Draw attention in advance to a number of offers from as many different areas as possible. This way, you run less risk of being lost in the customer’s inbox on the actual event day alongside the other offers.
In the best case, you know your customer’s preferences so well that you can already play out targeted offers. This way, the recipient will already be eagerly awaiting the shopping event.
In addition to targeted offers by e-mail, you can also, depending on the industry, distribute more widely in order to attract new potential customers. In other words, expand the newsletter to include a classic banner and advertisement with a direct link to your offers and an invitation to register.
To avoid too big a rush, there is also the possibility to extend the offer to several days. This way you avoid the risk of overloaded servers and staff.
Apple grants its customers a little more time for shopping
It's not just about the money
Individual industries use Black Friday not only for a good turnover, but also to empty the warehouses. Therefore, think not only in discounts, but also to create space. Thus, a customer who buys a Jens can be offered a free T-shirt with or from a certain number of items or sales, there is a gift such as a backpack or a scarf. Note, however, that the gift should also fit the target group and there may be different gifts depending on the target group and sales.
If you are generally sparing with discounts in your company, a small bonus is a good alternative to still use a shopping event to create sales. Small gifts are also always a means of customer loyalty, no matter when.
An artificial scarcity of the bounsbeigabe makes the offer even more attractive.
At Lancome there are even both – discount and bonus for an order value of 100 $ or more
Exclusive pre-sale
To spare loyal customers overloaded online stores and frustration over products that may no longer be available, offer them an exclusive pre-shopping event. This doesn’t have to be on the entire segment either. It is also possible to segment the customers accordingly and then tailor the campaign to the appropriate target group. Segmentation can be done by customer category, for example, so that particularly high-turnover customers get more discounts than those who rarely buy anything. Segmentation can also be based on customer interest. For example, it makes sense to offer customers who have only ever bought cycling products from a sporting goods retailer special offers instead of sending out a colorful newsletter with everything from running shoes to tennis rackets.
H&M offers its VIP customers an advance sale
Christmas in focus
It can be helpful to refer to Christmas in the Black Friday campaign. Encourage your customers to secure their Christmas gifts early. On the one hand, it means less stress in the Christmas season, on the other hand, the chances are greater to get certain products before Christmas. Particularly since certain products, as already mentioned, are to be had already hardly.
Bofrost uses Black Friday to advertise for the Christmas meal
Almost sold out
Additional pressure can be achieved by communicating a scarce offer. This can be done by an automated newsletter, which informs the customer that only a small number of recently viewed products are still in stock.
Another possibility is to limit offers to certain products or product groups. For example, until 12 o’clock there is 40 percent off all brand-name jeans. With a count down in the newsletter you show once again that time is running.
Count Down to Black Friday
Only consumption and commerce?
If the whole consumer business around Black Friday is too much for you, you can also rely on alternatives. How about donating 20 percent of the sales on Black Friday or any other consumer day to a social project, e.g. to schools in the country where you produce? Depending on the target group, this may even be better received than the eternal discount battles.
Another possibility would be to focus on inexpensive repairs or refreshing of high-quality and durable products instead of discounts for new products. If you offer outdoor products, you can, for example, offer a free impregnation of their outdoor jacket to everyone who comes into your store that day. Of course, the jacket can also be sent in. In that case, however, it makes sense to combine the offer with a minimum order value.
Awareness of the environment, sustainability and social issues is particularly strong among the younger target group. This will also strengthen your brand in the long term, as the customer will buy from you with a clear conscience.
A company that stands against consumption and prefers sustainability is patagonia
About AGNITAS
With E-Marketing Manager (EMM), AGNITAS offers intuitive marketing automation software for creative multi-channel campaigns via email, web push, SMS, fax and print. The award-winning software meets individual data protection requirements as an in-house or SaaS solution and flexibly adapts to customer needs. From open source to high-end, there is a suitable variant for every budget.
When Martin Aschoff founded the company in 1999, AGNITAS was a pioneer of email marketing in Germany. Today, AGNITAS is one of the most renowned and innovative providers of high-quality marketing automation software, which is used around the world for customer-oriented communication.
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