Black Friday and beyond: a checklist for retail peak season

Black Friday used to be something that happened in that vague geographical catch-all South Africans call “overseas” – along with its more wholesome predecessor, Thanksgiving.

But it was only a matter of time before South African retailers and shoppers caught on to the idea of a shopping frenzy ahead of peak gifting season.

Except we elected to miss out the wholesome gratitude part and skip straight to dessert, with Black Friday deals sometimes launching weeks before the main event.

As we enter peak retail season, here’s a highlights package from VML’s global report, The Power of Peak: Holiday Shopping 2024, which shares insights into what customers are looking for at this time of year.

1. Drip-feed offers

It’s not just us turning Black Friday into a weeks-long event. The rest of the world is doing it too – especially this year, as the primary date comes right at the end of November.

The challenge is to keep customers connected and engaged throughout an extended peak period that starts now and continues through the festive peak.

Check it off: Do you have a drip-feed of deals lined up? The key lies in grabbing attention early, and then drip-feeding offers that can sustain attention through the holidays.

2. Harnessing AI

Grabbing and maintaining consumer attention through peak season is tough. The good news is that, especially with AI, brands can be equipped with the tech and data tools to answer the challenge.

We’re still in the discovery phase as far as AI’s potential impact on retail goes. But the brands and retailers that experiment earliest stand to gain the most.

Check it off: Are you using AI to help manage the load? The accelerated pace of peak season makes it an ideal testing ground for the tech.

Here are some things to try:

• Data enrichment and predictive analytics: powered by AI can provide a more complete picture of your audience, and how and when they are most likely to spend.

• Generative AI: can then do much of the heavy lifting involved in creating and delivering targeted content and campaigns.

• Chatbots: In 2024, traffic to retail sites from AI chatbots has doubled.

• AI-powered personalisation: improves CX and engagement with businesses and marketplaces, transforming peak events into individual experiences. Product recommendations can be hyper-personalised for customers by leveraging their search history, past purchases, and other behavioural data.

• Paid search: AI and data will also be critical in capitalising on paid search, which drove 30% of all digital sales during Cyber Week 2023. With customers who click on paid search impressions likely to intend to buy, using AI to optimise keyword strategies and put the right ads in front of the right people is critical.

3. Physical and Digital Must Work Together

We can’t assume the people queuing outside the door before opening have not also been doing their homework online.

In fact, 64% of respondents in The Future Shopper survey said they prefer to shop with vendors who have both a physical and online presence, while 72% said they browse online before purchasing in-store.

Customers have also become wise to channel-specific offers, channel-hopping to make the most of them.

Check it off: Is your shopping experience aligned across physical and digital channels (including mobile)? Brands must assume their customers are engaging with them both online and in person and ensure a seamless experience across all sales channels.

4. Don’t waste customers’ time

“Compressed commerce” is a trend that came to the fore in VML’s global Future Shopper survey. Consumers don’t want to be wined and dined – 63% of respondents said they want to get from inspiration to purchase as quickly as possible, while 64% said they like the idea of one-stop shopping from a single store.

Check it off: Have you stripped away all non-essential steps in the purchase journey? Brands and retailers should make it as easy, quick and convenient as possible for shoppers to grab deals, so they don’t feel the need to look elsewhere.

5. Social commerce is nailing it

Marketplaces might be the benchmark for compressed commerce. But there’s an argument to say that social media compresses the shopping journey even further. As social channels become increasingly shoppable, consumers can buy the moment inspiration strikes, on platforms they are using for leisure and entertainment.

This is a key factor in the rise to prominence of influencers and livestream shopping in digital commerce.

Check it off: Do you have an influencer strategy in place? According to Adobe, influencers and affiliates are now the fastest-growing driver of retail sales and are converting shoppers 10x more than social media overall.

6. Content is key

Black Friday is not just a massive sales event, it’s a gigantic marketing operation. Success depends fundamentally on putting the right deals in front of the right people in the right way at the right time and across all relevant channels. Consumers value informative content in the digital shopping experience.

Check it off: How accurate are your product descriptions and have you included customer reviews for products? The Future Shopper survey listed accurate product descriptions as the #2 influence on buying decisions, with user reviews making the top 10. 64% of consumers also want more entertainment in the online shopping experience – brands need to be less functional in their approaches to content, and more creative and engaging.

View VML’s global report, The Power of Peak: Holiday Shopping 2024.