The 3 stages of the Black Friday shopping journey

– 15 November 2022

The holiday season is upon us and so is the Black Friday rush! According to a recent article, South African retailers are projected to rake in a whopping R17.3 billion on Black Friday alone, representing a 6.7% growth from 2021. 

While this is great news, much of what drives traffic to your site will be last minute shoppers who will definitely be session shoppers as well. Therefore it’s extremely important to implement strategies all along the consumer journey that help drive their shopping intention. Here’s a look at the main stages of Black Friday – including which tactics you should focus on for each stage – and what you can do before the clock strikes 12!

The Anticipation

In the weeks leading up to Black Friday, consumers become increasingly curious about the event—when it occurs, what discounts are available and who will be participating. During the research stage, consumers are not yet committed to a certain brand or product and are willing to consider alternatives. This moment is an opportunity for marketers to influence consumers’ preferences. 

Brand awareness should take centre stage in your Black Friday marketing strategy at this point in time. Offer teasers about upcoming deals by utilising channels such as display advertising and app campaigns for engagement. The key is to start early and be consistent. If you wait until the week of Black Friday to start promoting your deals, you’ll likely get lost in the shuffle. But if you start promoting a month out, you’ll be top of mind when shoppers are looking for deals.

At this stage, it is also critical to deliver a smooth web and app experience to consumers who are actively researching and looking to buy products weeks in advance.

The Shopping Frenzy

The weeks leading up to Black Friday are crucial for retailers. This is the time when people start to get serious about their holiday shopping, and they begin to look for specific products and brands. If you want to succeed during this period, it’s important to make sure you’re visible to shoppers and that they know what you have to offer.

One way to do this is through targeted advertising. You can use data such as shopper behaviour and purchase history to identify the people who are most likely to be interested in your products, and then target them with ads that highlight your special offers. This will help you get more attention from the shoppers who are most likely to convert into customers.

The Final Appeal

Even though Black Friday has come and gone, consumers are still on the hunt for deals. Many retailers are offering deep discounts on their remaining inventory, and consumers are taking advantage of these deals.

There are a few reasons why consumers are still looking for deals two weeks after Black Friday. First, many people didn’t get everything they wanted on Black Friday. Second, there are always some items that go on sale after Black Friday. And finally, some people are looking to snag a bargain on holiday gifts. However, search queries are now more generic than they were a few weeks ago.

The takeaway during this final stage includes capitalising on the momentum of Black Friday by maintaining your visibility to consumers, especially last-minute shoppers, and offering extended deals.

The right message to the right person at the right time

When developing your Black Friday marketing strategy, it’s important to tailor your message to the stage in the consumer journey that your target audience is in. If you’re trying to reach consumers in the awareness stage, you’ll want to focus on creating a compelling message that promotes awareness of your brand or product. 

If you’re targeting consumers in the consideration stage, you’ll need to provide convincing reasons why they should purchase from you instead of your competitors.

During the decision stage, consumers have decided which solution they are going to choose and are just looking for confirmation that they are making the right choice. Your message should focus on giving them that confirmation by providing guarantees, testimonials, etc.

There are different marketing solutions available for each stage of the sales funnel. For example, at the top of the funnel, awareness-based marketing may be most effective in getting potential customers interested in your product or service. Once they’re further down the funnel and closer to making a purchase, more targeted and persuasive marketing tactics may be necessary to close the deal.

It’s important to understand which stage of the funnel your target customers are in so you can select the most appropriate marketing solution. If you’re not sure, you can always experiment with different approaches and see what works best.

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