In the Black Friday and Cyber Week Shopping and Spending Survey 2019, consumers were asked how they plan to shop the best deals this holiday season. Their answers may have email marketers rethinking their campaign plans.
According to BlackFriday.com, which conducts the annual survey, Cyber Week spans the Monday before Thanksgiving (when the first big sales usually start) through Cyber Monday. Encompassing Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday, this year’s Cyber Week is November 25 through December 2.
With Thanksgiving 2019 falling so late in the month, retailers have less time to meet their peak holiday sales expectations (between Thanksgiving weekend and Christmas), and consumers have fewer days to complete their holiday shopping, while still ensuring presents arrive in time for the holidays. This shorter shopping season could give companies willing to offer early Cyber Week deals and guaranteed shipping speeds a decided edge.
For the survey, BlackFriday.com polled more than 5,000 U.S. adults via Google Surveys. They found that roughly 1 in 5 consumers plan to shop during Cyber Week. More specifically:
The results show an increase in planned shopping for Black Friday and Cyber Monday over last year’s survey results, when 31% of respondents said they planned to do “most of” their shopping on Black Friday and 22% said Cyber Monday.
This year’s survey also asked how consumers plan to take advantage of Cyber Week deals. Most indicated they would do so online.
With more customers planning to shop Cyber Week sales online this year, marketers should:
Developing an email marketing strategy for Cyber Week is not complete without developing a data quality strategy to maximize campaign efforts. The time to start prepping email marketing databases for the holiday season is now. Use BriteVerify email list verification services to ensure every email address in the database is valid and deliverable. Ensure campaigns reach your target audience by gaining valuable insight into your sender reputation through Return Path from Validity.
Also, keep in mind that as the holidays approach, consumers are going to be using web lead forms to sign up for sales offers, pre-Black Friday deals, and even loyalty programs to get access to exclusives. Plus, as the season progresses, you’ll be capturing contact data at retail kiosks and other points of sale. Using BriteVerify APIs that verify the accuracy of email addresses, physical addresses, and phone numbers in real time at the point of capture will help protect the cleanliness of your marketing database. In turn, you’ll be better prepared for Cyber Week and the campaigns that will continue your momentum into 2020.