It’s a busy time of year for e-commerce clients, and we are kicking off Peak Sale Season with Black Friday just around the Corner! Sale Season means customers are eager to buy, waiting for Black Friday Sales to make a big purchase or get started on their Xmas gift shopping.
// AD SPACE IS MORE COMPETITIVE THAN EVER, HERE ARE SOME TIPS TO MAXIMISE YOUR RESULTS:
- Plan to spend at least an extra 40% to be able to compete in the Ad space. Marketers should be allowed a more fluid budget for the period, to increase spend and maximise on strong results.
- Allow campaigns time to optimise and learn - you’ve no doubt noticed the Black Friday message starts earlier every year, for Social campaigns this allows platform algorithms to find the right type of customer at the best cost. Avoid short Flash Sales at the top-of-the-funnel. While you may get results, they likely would have been a lot cheaper with at least a 2-week campaign. So keep this in mind and get your campaigns at the ready!
- Use historic audience testing to influence who you want to target during Peak Sale Season. Ideally, you’ll have plenty of existing customer data to help algorithms find similar people and some top-performing ad sets to use. You may want to broaden your usual Retargeting audience, someone who showed an interest in your products 6 months ago may be open to your strong offers now. If your budget allows for it and your product is relevant, you should be testing broader gifting audiences, bear in mind these people may not resemble your normal customer behaviour.
- Cut through with Creatives - Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Boxing Day Ads tend to follow a similar theme, calling out the biggest discounts with block colours, balloons, neons etc. They can end up looking a bit repetitive in the feed, and don’t forget unless this is a Retargeting message, some potential customers may not even be aware of the products you sell. A Sale message on its own is not enough to capture attention, you still need to introduce your products, USPs and reasons to buy with you. Tell a story with video as well as your usual shopping carousels/catalogues, and utilise full-screen formats such as Stories & Reels.
// CUT THROUGH THE NOISE
Christmas Sales can kick in for online retailers post-Black Friday or in response to fewer predicted purchases, but this is still a competitive time to advertise with brands competing for Christmas Gifts. As above, you’ll need to cut through the noise with strong creatives, a healthy budget, and smart targeting.
- Here’s where Advantage+ from Meta will likely show its worth. Assuming you have strong customer data from previous ads, you can give the AI algorithm free rein to find your gifting audience (or give it a steer with relevant Interests if you wish). It’s worth remembering that Meta owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, so they have data on who you're messaging the most, and what they’re interested in, which allows Meta to serve users with perfect gift ideas for their close friends and family.
January Sales tend to kick in on Boxing Day, with Retailers discounting last season’s stock or slow-moving items. It’s important to differentiate each Sale with different offer types, messaging, and creatives to avoid fatigue. After the gifting period, it’s time for customers to treat themselves and it’s important to get in early with your offers as overall spending power will likely be lower post-Christmas.
Aim to spend more at the end of December and early January, reducing spend as results slow down towards the end of the month.
As we navigate through this busy season of sales, it's evident that the e-commerce landscape is more competitive than ever. The influx of customers awaiting these sales makes ad space extremely valuable, prompting marketers to adapt and strategize for optimal results. To stay ahead in this dynamic environment, make sure to consider the tips outlined above and get in touch with our team of experts who can support your campaigns year-round!
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