With the majority of last year’s restrictions now behind us, retailers are looking forward to a successful sales season with fewer limitations. However, each Black Friday event brings with it its own set of challenges and opportunities and this year will be no exception.
There have been reports of logistics issues, consumer financial constraints, and possible stock shortages, all of which will impact the habits of your customers during this festive period. These challenges represent the next evolution of Black Friday, ensuring retailers continue to adapt the customer journey to deliver the value and experience that meets the ever-evolving needs of consumers.
Despite these predictions, Black Friday remains one of the most lucrative times of year for many brands. In fact, sales in the UK grew 33% year-on-year last year and on Black Friday itself, sales increased an astounding 283% compared to the average in October 2020.*
It’s expected that shoppers will continue looking ahead in the hopes of avoiding the rush and the potential for missing out on popular items. Research showed that in the first few weeks of November 2020, UK sales growth was up 33% compared to previous years.*
In short, capitalising on the opportunities of this season will require preparation and well-timed communications. Using the real-time nature of SMS, businesses can invite customers to opt-in to sales previews and alerts, share accurate stock updates, as well as better manage inbound traffic.
Here are just a handful of key SMS use cases as you head into the busiest sales season of the year:
The modern Black Friday customer experience focuses on reassuring customers that your promotions are competitive and offer real value, not inducing fear of missing out on limited-time low prices. Making your customers aware in advance of your sales plans, launch dates, and exclusive previews ensure they can bookmark key pages or add a visit to your shop into their Christmas shopping plans well ahead of time.
As a channel, SMS holds boundless potential, connecting your business with customers old and new to ensure this Black Friday is successful whilst adapting to the alternative way of working. If you’d like more helpful tips and tricks ahead of your Black Friday SMS campaigns, you can download our latest guide here.
