Last year, online shoppers spent a record US$9.12 billion during Black Friday. Here are Adjust’s tips for your Black Friday campaigns.
Start your promotion earlier
While many people complain about holiday decorations popping up in stores every year, statistics reveal that many of the same people are likely to shop earlier for Black Friday deals. In the US, only 9.6% of shoppers wait until Black Friday to shop; 22% shop in October and 24% in November before Black Friday week. So start your app marketing early this month to reduce competition.
Optimize ASO for seasonality
In 2022, 48% of online sales (a record number) were made on smartphones, and this number is expected to grow in the coming years as more consumers make Cyber Five purchases on their smartphones.
Therefore, e-commerce app marketers need to update their app store optimization (ASO) to include the seasonal terms associated with Black Friday messaging.
Shopping app Rakuten, for example, changed its app store description, promotional text, and screenshots in the Apple App Store to highlight Black Friday deals. The result? Rakuten’s App Store ranking for the term “Black Friday” rose from 23rd place on October 7, 2022, to seventh place on Black Friday 2022.
For a deep dive into ASO to prepare for the upcoming holiday season, check out Adjust’s complete guide to app store optimization for the mobile app marketer.
Recognize the importance of social media
Yes, social media is on every marketer’s “must” list, but don’t neglect this essential pillar of your Black Friday marketing strategy. According to the 2023 Sprout Social Index, 52% of consumers have used social media to discover new products and services more in the past two years than in the previous two years. Consider influencer marketing, especially micro-influencers, to announce pre-Black Friday campaigns or build excitement in your app. Also, use hashtags to reach new users.
Competitively incentivize
As Adjust recently covered in its November e-commerce app usage growth article, the five-day period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday saw incredible growth in e-commerce apps. The US National Retail Federation reported that more than three-quarters of consumers said they shopped during this period, but Black Friday has spread to other parts of the world. As shown in the image below, e-commerce apps around the world experienced significant peaks above the daily average during Black Friday compared to the daily average for November 2022.
While this should encourage e-commerce applications, it also introduces the reality of fierce competition. To stand out from your competitors, focus your holiday marketing strategy on creating seasonal incentives with eye-catching creatives and offers that are truly beneficial to users and potential users. Consider offering special offers to existing users to increase user re-engagement and retention. In-app countdowns for deals and early access codes can also boost interest.
Note that practices across all industries can take advantage of this season and include the following in their Black Friday marketing campaigns:
Gaming apps: Mysterious bundles for purchase and gifting other players in-app items
Subscription-based apps: “Early-bird” discounts/Get first month free
E-commerce apps: Buy-one-get-one
Travel apps: Holiday coupon
Fitness and health apps: Extra points for engaging with the app during the holiday
Review your Black Friday email marketing
Email marketing for mobile apps has always been important, but don’t underestimate the power of having a Black Friday email marketing campaign. Regarding the incentive topic above, email marketing is the perfect channel to advertise your holiday marketing campaigns.
Black Friday email marketing ideas:
- Push readers to become VIP members of your app, gaining early access to Black Friday specials.
- If users have abandoned items in their carts, email them upselling and cross-selling deals to boost your average order values.
- Email gift guides early as 30% of holiday shoppers start researching gift buying in October or earlier.
- Advertise deeply discounted products on your app via email and if possible, utilize opted-in first-party data to deliver personalized recommendations of these on-sale items.
- Amp up the urgency by adding a countdown calendar to one of your Black Friday marketing emails or have “today only” deals.
Tap into the season of gifting
Whether in the spirit of thankfulness or thinking ahead about holiday gifts, many consumers are in “gift-giving” mode during Black Friday. Make it easy for them to engage with your app and share it with friends and family.
Gaming apps, for example, can increase engagement by gifting another player with free lives, weapons or clothes. E-commerce apps could allow users to share a Black Friday discount with someone they are grateful to, and entertainment apps could offer to give a subscription as a seasonal gift.
Capture seasonal marketing impact via media mix modeling
Why not use historical data to see how your marketing budget was spent for previous Black Friday marketing campaigns to inform your future seasonal marketing endeavors? With media mix modeling (MMM), marketers can analyze aggregated data from a variety of channels and sources to predict the impact of future marketing activities on a business’ return on investment (ROI).
One of the biggest benefits of MMM is its ability to showcase how seasonality affects the success of your app’s campaigns. For many e-commerce apps, this factor is vital to understanding how to plan your future ad spend. For a deeper understanding of this topic, check out our guide on media mix modeling (MMM).
Remember Black Friday SMS marketing and push notifications
Did you know that 80.5% of consumers check their texts within five minutes of receiving them? While a Black Friday text message or push notification aren’t the newest Black Friday marketing ideas, they are often overlooked. Use promo codes, a dedicated landing page, and deep linking for a seamless seasonal user experience.
Black Friday SMS marketing/push notification ideas:
- Pop in a countdown message for increased urgency on seasonal sales.
- Send a push notification for exclusive deals or to share coupons.
- Inform users when there’s been a price drop.
- When a user has abandoned items in their cart, employ retargeting messages.
Note that it’s essential to adhere to privacy and compliance regulations to do any of the above, which is why we suggest getting the opt-in from users be part of your app’s UX strategy.
Consider adding a “Buy-now-pay-later” option
During the five-day period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, buy now pay later (BNPL) orders spiked 78% compared to the previous week, and revenue also increased by a whopping 81%. Amidst the recent economic downturn, many shoppers may feel stretched financially but still desire to take advantage of seasonal discounts. By adding a BNPL option, apps can encourage holiday spending while allowing users to pay at a flexible pace that matches their current budgets.
Optimize campaigns in real-time
According to Adjust’s Mobile app trends data, the month of November boasts the highest number of installs for e-commerce apps, undoubtedly helped by Black Friday marketing campaigns. To maximize campaign success during this time of year, marketers must be able to optimize them in real-time.
With a measurement and analytics suite like Adjust, marketers can:
- Analyze all marketing data in one place for greater efficiency.
- Compare results across apps, KPIs, and time periods in a single table.
- Immediately see trends from all data sources to know how to optimize campaigns.
- Confidently work with aggregated data to run winning iOS campaigns.
- Set customizable smart alerts for campaign performance, ad spend, or anomalies.
If you’re ready to maximize your app’s Black Friday marketing with a state-of-the-art measurement and analytics suite, request your Adjust demo now.
