Email Marketing

Getting Ready for Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2019

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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.

What is Cyber Week?

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.

How Will Consumers Shop Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2019? 

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:

  • 61% of consumers plan to shop on Black Friday
  • 23% on Small Business Saturday
  • 50% on Cyber Monday
  • 43% during Thanksgiving week

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.

  • 49% of consumers said they plan to shop Cyber Week deals on a computer
  • 33% in a store
  • 18% on a mobile device

Planning for Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2019

With more customers planning to shop Cyber Week sales online this year, marketers should:

  • Consider increasing the number of email campaigns sent this year over last year
  • Ensure emails and websites are optimized for mobile shopping experiences
  • Start email campaigns early to boost hype around the Cyber Week deals
  • Offer one major sale per day of Cyber Week, in addition to extended sales, to keep customers coming back to the website
  • Provide exclusive or early bird sales for email subscribers
  • If the company has its own shopping app, consider offering similar deals that can only be accessed through the app

No Cyber Week Should Start Without It

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.