After years and years of seeing more retailers open their doors earlier and earlier on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday, 2020 appears to be the year when all that stops, forcing marketers to get creative with how they capitalize on such an important shopping day.
“Black Friday is Over” touted one headline on a major news media website. The coronavirus pandemic, more pushback from consumers who want the day after Thanksgiving to be about leftovers and not door crashers, and more people shopping online are all pushing retailers to re-think how to reach consumers and get their attention.
Walmart, for example, is having Black Friday on three Fridays in November, both online and in stores. Other retailers are also re-vamping how they are handling the annual event, especially as more people are shopping online and forgoing walking through stores looking for sales and holiday gifts.
The shifting dynamic should be leading more retailers to consider using text messaging as a way to keep customers informed of Black Friday plans and to make sure they are kept up-to-date on deals and sales that you are offering. The best way to build momentum about Black Friday is to start early and keep your name in front of them and make sure customers have time to digest your information instead of trying to do it all at the last minute. Companies should be already focused on making sure they have the proper consent and starting to send their Black Friday messaging to get their customer excited for what is coming.
Last year, more than 93 million people bought something online on Black Friday and the number of people who bought something in a store was 6% lower than the year before. That figure is going to be significantly lower this year. You will not be able to use the same in-store messaging to let people know about Black Friday deals. And fighting through the clamor of every other retailer promoting their Black Friday offers is tougher than ever. Marketers need to stand out. Text messaging allows retailers to send millions of messages to consumers who have opted in to receive them and make them feel like they are getting an exclusive offer. It is the best way to reach people on the very devices they are likely to be using to make their purchases. It’s as if they were in the store and you were sending messages to a screen on their shopping cart.