Black Friday has been a significant event in the retail calendar for many years. However, last year we saw a big fall in UK retail sales despite online spending rocketing. This was due to non-essentials being closed during the second coronavirus lockdown. This has now affected the way people go about shopping, and why we are expected to see a rise in online spending in this year’s upcoming Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
2020 saw two years’ worth of online growth in one, with eCommerce holiday sales increasing by 32% year over year in 2020. Therefore, it is safe to say this year we will see sustained eCommerce growth again as many consumers are now used to online shopping. That’s why it is crucial to keep your online presence strong as we prepare ourselves for an extended holiday shopping season.
As online spending booms, more people are turning to social media for guidance on what to purchase. 72% of users report making purchase decisions based on something they saw on Instagram, making it a proven channel for promoting sales and discounts ahead of Black Friday. With online sales playing a bigger role than usual, collaborating with influential people is absolutely essential for brands when trying to reach and engage with their consumers. Influencers have the ability to tap into an engaged audience and create a genuine connection with them. They can help drive additional hype and brand awareness around these sales. It is important to consider some quick and last-minute tactics to make sure you stand out from a very crowded marketplace. These easy and effective ideas can help you work with influential advocates in the most effective ways to boost sales around the hottest shopping days of the year.
Christmas gift ideas
With Christmas fast approaching, the pressure of finding and giving the best gifts at the best prices makes this period one of the most important and competitive times of the year. Black Friday has always been a significant time for people to miss that December panic and get their Christmas gifts early, and this year isn’t going to be any different. Consumers will be on the lookout for what they can buy for their loved ones at the best prices. With so many people to buy for these days, people want to find gifts in the easiest and simplest way possible, and with the help of influencers, they can do just that.
As we have seen in the past year, the online audience today has a huge appetite for video content. That's why a great way for influencers to promote your Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales can be through influencer-led video content. One of the most effective ways can be through the use of unboxing content, where advocates can share the whole experience, from the look and feel to actually reviewing the products. These unboxing videos work great with giftsets and can help people when deciding on what to buy their friends or family this Christmas.
Inspiration for the perfect festive frocks
One of the best ways of convincing customers to buy your product is to let them see other people wearing it. By getting influencers to hype up your brand on their social channels by sharing their go-to seasonal looks, it can help those consumers who struggle to decide what to wear. And as Christmas is just around the corner, it means the season for parties are on the horizon and people are in need of inspiration from their favourite influencers. That’s why collaborating with advocates can help you push your latest deals and promotions by getting them to pull together the perfect Christmas party outfits from your collection.
Not only can they showcase festive outfits but influencers are great at creating short tutorials on the perfect autumnal and festive make-up looks. Tap into influencers in the beauty world who have an active audience and get them to give viewers some helpful tips on how to re-create beautiful looks using your products. By getting them to create step-by-step Instagram Reels and TikTok’s, the content can reach a wider audience and has generally much higher engagements.
Creating tasty holiday treats
As with the fashion and beauty industry, Christmas parties are well and truly on their way. And what’s more essential at a party than having lots of festive food and drink? We can't think of anything either! So as the countdown is on, people will want to start planning and stocking up on lots of ingredients to create the perfect festive spread.
Using influencers can be as simple as getting them to create follow along cooking videos or eye-catching cocktails that they can recreate themselves at home. Either way, they can be a really simple and effective way to let your customers know about your Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals so they can enjoy lots of tasty treats this holiday season.
Like most things, the important tactic is to get ahead early. Start by getting influencers to let customers know as soon as possible to allow them to create excitement around the unmissable sales to come. By partnering with true brand advocates for your Black Friday sales, you can generate authentic excitement, wider brand awareness, convert at record rates and achieve higher returns. Sounds pretty great right?
Well, if you are ready to start working with true brand advocates in your Black Friday and Cyber Monday campaigns, then chat to our team today and make this the best holiday season for your brand yet!
