Black Friday has become more than just a shopping event; cultural milestones encapsulate the global shift in consumer behavior. For brands, this period represents both immense opportunity and fierce competition. As spending during Black Friday is projected to exceed $75 billion globally, this is a chance to capture, engage, and retain customers. Regions like Europe and Australia are seeing significant growth as brands localize their campaigns.
Shoppers Very Likely and Somewhat Likely to Purchase During Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2024 Globally
Consumers are highly motivated by discounts, with 73% citing them as their primary driver, and 41% leveraging the sales to jumpstart holiday shopping. Categories like clothing, technology, and gifts dominate purchases. Understanding what shoppers prefer—from category-specific shopping behavior to the channels driving awareness— Black Friday becomes a time to innovate for marketers.
But, how do you stand out with a deluge of discounts and campaigns flooding every channel? How do you convert shoppers’ momentary attention into loyalty? This blog will explore powerful marketing strategies tailored for brands across industries, helping them maximize ROI during this crucial shopping season.
Brands in Action on Black Friday
From digital campaigns to immersive experiences, successful brands use innovative tactics to stand out and drive conversions. In the following section, we will find how brands can elevate their strategies to attract new customers and solidify loyalty among existing ones.
1. Samsung
Samsung capitalizes on Black Friday by promoting exclusive bundles like their Galaxy Z phone series, LEDs, home appliances, accessories, and more. Additionally, Samsung has a chatbot on its website to help visitors with Early Black Friday Deals. The brand integrates trade-in deals, allowing customers to exchange older devices for discounts on the latest gadgets.
Algonomy Tip
Audience Manager can segment shoppers based on device usage or purchase history. For example, users owning older Samsung models can be targeted with tailored trade-in offers, while frequent shoppers can receive early access to premium deals. Furthermore, Samsung can use Social Proof Messaging to showcase real-time buyer activity.
2. Victoria’s Secret
Victoria’s Secret leverages Black Friday to captivate customers with limited-time deals on bestsellers and curated bundles, such as lingerie sets paired with fragrance collections, designed to enhance customer value. Victoria’s Secret also drives traffic through its loyalty program, offering members early access to exclusive discounts.
Algonomy Tip
With Active Content, Victoria’s Secret can dynamically update promotional banners and emails to reflect real-time stock levels and personalized offers via email, push notifications, and more. Meanwhile, Engage offers on-site content, such as Victoria’s Secret banner.
3. Pottery Barn
Pottery Barn integrates online and in-store Black Friday experiences. Their campaigns often feature live design consultations via Instagram Live, where customers can ask questions about their festive décor collections. In addition, Pottery Barn provides exclusive discounts to loyalty program members and showcases curated bundles, such as “Holiday Dinner Table Essentials,” to simplify purchase decisions for busy shoppers. They use social media to help shoppers with “How to Layer a Festive Bed,” “Festive Table” and more.
Algonomy Tip
Ensemble AI can suggest complete collections of furniture and home decor items that inspire shoppers. Using Find, shoppers can virtually enter a physical store and explore items that are available in that particular store. Find would also show accurate stock availability information across search results and product listing pages, thus providing an omnichannel customer experience while driving conversions on high-value items.
4. Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany & Co. elevates Black Friday and the holiday season, emphasizing gifting options with detailed product guides, personalized recommendations, and exclusive holiday gift collection featuring augmented reality tools for virtual try-ons. The campaign depicts the timeless appeal of its jewelry through rich storytelling, which showcases products through immersive online experiences. Tiffany also integrates virtual consultations with diamond experts to explore gifting options, adding an intimate touch to the holiday shopping experience.
Algonomy Tip
Recommend can ensure that customers exploring high-value jewelry are shown complementary items, such as matching bracelets or earrings; Engage’s Guided Selling feature can be implemented as a “Gift Finder.” At the same time, the Audience Manager can help segment shoppers based on purchase history, enabling customized campaigns to enhance customer satisfaction and encourage repeat visits.
5. Dyson
Dyson focuses on creating an immersive shopping experience during Black Friday with interactive landing pages and in-depth product showcases. These include detailed features, customer reviews, and video demonstrations highlighting the efficiency and innovation of their flagship products, such as vacuum cleaners and air purifiers. Dyson also offers exclusive member-only deals, creating an added layer of exclusivity.
Algonomy Tip
Dyson can leverage a Customer Data Platform, to create unified customer profiles for precise targeting and offer trade-in deals or product upgrades. Active Content can dynamically update banners and emails with real-time inventory changes, flash sales, and personalized product recommendations. Additionally, Recommend can help Dyson cross-sell accessories like filter replacements or cleaning kits, increasing cart value and customer satisfaction.
6. PlayStation
PlayStation capitalizes on Black Friday by offering discounts on hardware, games, and accessories across multiple channels, including their store, participating retailers, and website. Highlights of their campaign include the launch of the PS5 console Fortnite Cobalt Star Bundle, exclusive promotions on PlayStation Plus memberships, and steep discounts on fan-favorite games. PlayStation also emphasizes the value of membership upgrades, providing up to 30% savings on premium plans.
Algonomy Tip
Using a CDP, PlayStation can consolidate player data, enabling segmentation based on gaming preferences, purchase behavior, and membership status. This helps target customers who are likely to upgrade their PlayStation Plus subscriptions or explore new game bundles. Find can enhance the gamer experience by enabling intuitive search filters on the PlayStation Store, helping gamers quickly locate deals on their favorite genres, titles, or accessories. Additionally, Social Proof Messaging can help build urgency and trust by displaying real-time trends, such as “50 players purchased this bundle today” or “Top-selling game of the week.”
Black Friday success isn’t just about acquiring new customers; it’s also about building lasting connections with those who’ve already engaged with your brand. By personalizing campaigns to shopper preferences and leveraging the right solutions, brands can turn holiday shoppers into loyal advocates. However, the real challenge lies in sustaining this momentum beyond Black Friday. Retention strategies are the backbone of sustained success during and after Black Friday. Effective retention involves nurturing these relationships through personalized communication, exclusive benefits, and thoughtful follow-ups. Now, we’ll dive into actionable retention strategies that can transform one-time buyers into lifelong brand ambassadors.
Create Personalized Thank-you Campaigns
A heartfelt thank-you message post-purchase fosters goodwill and keeps your brand in shoppers’ minds. These emails can include personalized recommendations. For example, a customer purchasing a Dyson vacuum might receive a thank-you email suggesting compatible filters with a time-sensitive discount to encourage a repeat purchase. Use dynamic email content to highlight loyalty points earned or upcoming member-only benefits, enhancing brand goodwill and driving repeat purchases.
Share Early Access with Loyal Customers
Giving loyal customers early access to Black Friday or Cyber Monday sales makes them feel valued and increases their likelihood of shopping. For instance, Zara, Rossman and other brands offer loyalty members exclusive previews of flash sales, driving engagement before the general public even sees the deals. Marketers can create VIP experiences by leveraging Audience Manager to identify top-tier customers and send targeted email or in-app notifications.
Promote Subscription Upsells
Encourage repeat business by promoting subscription services for consumables. For instance, Samsung could offer discounted protection plans or subscription-based accessories for its gadgets. Highlight the convenience and savings of subscriptions through targeted emails or app notifications.
Offers on Product Bundles
Dynamic product bundling increases the average order value and appeals to customer convenience. For example, Dunkin Donuts can create a “Holiday Morning Bundle” featuring festive mugs, seasonal coffee blends, and biscotti at a discounted rate. With Ensemble AI, brands can dynamically curate and personalize product collections based on customer preferences or purchase patterns. This ensures relevance and drives conversions by making the shopping experience seamless and highly targeted.
Dynamic Remarketing Campaigns
Retarget abandoned carts with personalized ads on social media and email. Using Social Proof Messaging, these campaigns can also showcase how many people purchased the same item, creating urgency and encouraging conversions. Recommend can also help marketers dynamically adjust cart recovery messages to showcase alternative products, ensuring a higher conversion rate.
What Lies Ahead
Black Friday is a battlefield, but the winners innovate and connect meaningfully with their customers. From leveraging omnichannel engagement to deploying AI-powered personalization, the strategies outlined here are designed to help brands survive and thrive during the holiday rush.
Algonomy’s suite empowers marketers to craft memorable experiences across every touchpoint. Brands can deliver real-time, personalized experiences that resonate with shoppers and drive long-term loyalty. Don’t just participate in Black Friday—dominate it.
Are you ready to transform your marketing game this Black Friday? Let Algonomy help you lead the race. To know more, contact us at hello@algonomy.com
Disclaimer: This blog does not indicate an ongoing business partnership with the brands, and all references are solely for illustrative purposes.
