How Data Changed Black Friday

We saw big changes in the 2022 Black Friday:

• Holiday sales began in October.
• Black Friday is now a week, not just a day.
• Stores vow to remain closed on Thanksgiving.
• Texts are the new Black Friday email.

Consumers often have mixed reactions to such trends. It might seem like there’s a hidden puppet-master directing changes. Yet the truth is it’s the consumer population that informs trends. 

1. Online over brick and mortar.

The corona-virus accelerated the move to online shopping and we’re not going back. In response, retailers continue to take their brick-and-mortar business online. We saw this trend in action with stores vowing to remain closed on Thanksgiving. It’s not altruism, it’s the bottom line. Here’s the data:

• In 2021, Shopify alone online saw a 76% increase in sales. Collectively, Shopify store owners made $5.1 billion. (source)
• 104.9 million shoppers visited brick and mortar stores, while 127.8 million shopped online. (source)

2. Extended sales.

• In 2021, from Nov. 1 to Nov. 29, consumers spent $109.8 billion online, up 11.9% compared to 2020. (source)
• Overall, month-on-month retail sales fell 2.5% in December after rising 1.8% in October and 0.2% in November. (source)

3. Targeted Emails

Black Friday emails are abundant . . . and effective. Recipients are 138% more likely to shop for the highlighted item than those who didn’t receive the email. (source) This year, holiday strategies include two highly-effective, targeted emails, browse abandonment email and cart abandonment email. Here’s the data:

• Browse abandonment email conversion rate increased by 93% in 2020. Bringing people back to the items they’d been browsing was an extremely effective tactic. (source)
• Cart abandonment email conversion rate increased by 25%. With more shoppers visiting sites and adding items to carts than usual, these emails proved effective at bringing shoppers back. (source).

4. SMS Campaigns

Currently, SMS campaigns are a slam dunk. The high success rate most likely reflects consumer surprise and curiosity (therefore not long lasting). But for now, SMS is a hot ticket. Here’s the data:

• The average open rate for Black Friday marketing text messages is an astonishing 99%. (source)
• In 2021, Black Friday SMS campaigns created seven times the order rates compared to other means. (source) 

Black Friday 2022 is a learning experience.

We look forward to helping you put the 2023 Black Friday trends to work for you!