ESW’s insight on how to capitalise on Black Friday and Cyber Monday
The run-up to Black Friday is seen as the start of peak season and canny DTC ecommerce brands will no doubt have campaigns in place to optimise conversions as much as possible across the six-week period from November to Christmas.
For DTC ecommerce brands, it is essential to provide an excellent shopper journey at all touchpoints and this is particularly important during high traffic times such as peak season. Shoppers are keen to take advantage of the sales and discounts provided but will quickly leave a bad experience and may never return.
While all the usual advice applies to ensuring the shopper has the best experience from end to end, we rounded up some key insights from ESW experts to help brands ensure their Black Friday peak season is the best one yet.
Start early
Matt Giggengrove, Demand Generation Manager, says that current trends “would suggest holiday shopping will be completed by consumers earlier than in the past.” This is no surprise likely due in part to global supply chain issues and will mean brands can expect heavier than ever traffic as shoppers want to buy their gifts early.
“Google reported last year almost half of holiday shopping was completed by Cyber Monday last year. Shopping season started earlier and lasted longer last year, forcing changes to the way online retailers approach the period – we are likely to see this again this year,” he says.
Optimising for the win
According to Noelle Smith, Customer Experience Manager, there are several ways that brands can win shoppers over. Firstly, make sure that delivery dates are clear, so shoppers know when to expect their items. She recommends that brands “reassure shoppers their order will be delivered by Christmas.” This is imperative especially given the supply chain issues.
Offering gift wrapping has become more important than ever for shoppers, as they now might have or want to send presents directly to the recipient, rather than meeting in person – whether due to any lasting or potential Covid restrictions or because they’re sending presents to those living abroad. Having the option to gift wrap and remove the invoice from packaging will encourage shoppers to send presents directly.
Sustainability is another key topic for shoppers, as “people are now becoming wary over online shopping. Reducing packaging or offering an option to offset emissions by, for example, a donation to plant a tree etc on the checkout can help shoppers satisfy their desire to make more sustainable and less impactful decisions.”
Duty to duties
According to Jean Louis Laubret, Customs and Export Compliance Specialist, it is imperative for successful tax compliance that “all the documents required are present, match the shipment and are not ambiguous. Any discrepancies could have a negative impact” during customs checks leading to delays to the shopper and a bad experience overall, especially if additional fees are required.
Having fully transparent shipping, duty and tax calculations also helps the shopper complete purchases with confidence that they won’t find unexpected fees at shipping or have to pay duty when the package arrives.
Excellent Customer experience
As delays can happen despite the brand’s best efforts, David Milne, Head of Customer Service and Ecommerce Operations, says, “Brands should be proactive in communicating with shoppers before, during, and post order – if delays are anticipated then be clear in how you set and manage expectations with your customers.”
