Looking back at the BFCM (Black Friday Cyber Monday) 2020 Weekend, and the Holiday season in general, with COVID-19 happening we saw online stores take off! Going into BFCM 2020 weekend, we knew things were gonna be different. The question was how.
It’s important to look back and understand how stores took advantage of the situation, and how consumers reacted during BFCM 2020. This will tell us what to look forward to this year during the BFCM weekend, and all through the Holiday season. Continue reading for our takeaways!
BFCM Will Begin Sooner and Last Longer
Similar to last year, we can expect consumers to start their BFCM shopping much sooner than the pre-covid times, in an effort to stay ahead of delayed shipping times, or slowed supply chains. We can also guess from what we have learned in 2020, that the season will stretch out till the end of the year.
This presents a great opportunity for brands to offer early-bird discounts and exclusives in order to attract shoppers who are planning ahead financially this year.
Support for Small Businesses
Small businesses took the biggest hit due to lockdowns that were in place due to Covid, and we saw consumers rally around to shop local, or support their favourite online small businesses! Research suggests that during BFCM 2020, over 44 million consumers globally purchased from independent and smaller brands powered by Shopify!
Think Mobile
With technology right in our hands, more than half of shoppers report to have discovered items or brands that they were not actively searching for, on Facebook and Instagram. Understanding and thoughtfully targeting your audience on social channels can and will present significant opportunities to drive Black Friday and Cyber Monday conversions.
Think of creative ways you can leverage social media to attract consumers and promote your BFCM sales this year!
Consumers Love Loyalty Programs
It’s easier to sell to your loyal customer base than to try to find new customers. You can reward your customers with loyalty programs to encourage repeat purchases and drive more sales! The key goal here is to nail your customer retention.
Think of ways to leverage your loyalty program this sale season, consider offering early access to sales or loyalty program specific sales and incentives!
Curb Side and Contactless Pick Up
This was another trend that evolved through the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses began offering curbside and contactless pickup options to ensure customer safety. With physical distancing, and masks still being mandatory this is a trend we see continuing into yet another BFCM.
Again, this relates to optimizing the customer experience. Since more consumers are choosing these fulfillment methods, your eCommerce store has more room to grow if you include these options!
Live Chat Service
Consumers have repeatedly reported that they prefer having a live chat option and that this experience feels more personalized. In a digital world full of brands all vying for revenue and growth, personalized customer experiences have become even more important.
Investing in live chat support is a strategy you must definitely have in place this 2021 because it can increase your conversions by as much as 12%, according to Shopify data.
Takeaways
After what we observed during the BFCM-Holiday Season 2020, we can be certain that most of these trends can be expected to carry on this upcoming BFCM weekend all the way through the Holiday season as well. By offering a good digital shopping experience and well-planned loyalty program, you can leverage this BFCM weekend to nail your conversions and drive Shopify store sales!
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