Anyone who thinks Black Friday is only for hysterical Americans is wrong. It is also a very interesting marketing tool in German e-commerce. Especially if you have recently brought a product to the attention of German consumers, Black Friday is the moment to profit from your awareness campaigns. In this article, we tell you how.
An event like Black Friday can have a huge impact on your visitor numbers and sales. During this period you can realize a good ROI on your performance marketing because of the higher conversion rate. After all, visitors are on the hunt for bargains. CPC budgets can therefore go up for your webshop and Amazon campaigns. In doing so, you are not only limited to Black Friday, which falls on November 29 this year. In practice, we see many brands and marketers stretch their Black Friday promotions through Cyber Monday, the Monday after Black Friday, or even a few days after that. German consumers are also slowly but surely becoming integrated with Black Friday. The period therefore offers plenty of opportunities
Who is the German bargain hunter?
As you can see in the infographic, 76% of Black Friday shoppers in Germany are women. The Black Friday shopper is quite young, between the ages of 25 and 30. And bargain hunters tend to be highly educated. It's also important to know that 72% of German consumers take advantage of Black Friday via their smartphones. So make sure all your campaigns and branding are set up accordingly. Companies that are not yet as big in Germany may choose to focus on only one or several states, so as to avoid targeting all of Germany. The states where most shopping takes place on Black Friday are North Rhine-Westphalia and Bayern.
Don't use the term 'Black Friday' lightly in Germany
Before you get excited about deploying a Black Friday campaign in Germany, there are some things you need to know. Namely, the term Black Friday may not be used just like that in Germany. A Hong Kong company holds the German patent on the name "Black Friday" and, according to this article from the Süddeutsche Zeitung bills between 10,000 and 100,000 euros to German companies that use the brand name anyway. In practice, companies in Germany find other designations for Black Friday. For example, Media Markt turns it into Red Friday and perfume store Douglas holds a Beauty Friday Sale. You also often see German brands omit some of the letters of Black Friday in their branding by covering them in their expressions. Then, for example, the "a" is replaced by a gift. Consumers can then guess what it says, but they don't officially use the term.
Marketing Mix
When we look at the marketing mix around Black Friday, we see that email marketing is very important. Through email you first create awareness for your campaign among consumers. This is followed by retargeting via Facebook to reach new visitors or customers. And don't forget the abandoned carts. Creating a separate Black Friday landing page is also essential. This way the customer is not distracted or overwhelmed by the enormous offer in the online store, but is served directly with what he or she came for. On your landing page, work with urgency such as a countdown timer showing how long the offer is still valid. Wondering what the perfect landing page looks like? Read here 5 tips for a perfect landing page for Black Friday in Germany.
Think of the regular customer
It is very important not to neglect the loyal customer during Black Friday. Sure you want to bring in new customers and pull out all the stops during this period, but it is very important not to forget your regular customer. Especially the German consumer finds this very important and does not want to feel neglected by the voraciousness for new quick sales. For example, send your regular customers an email in advance explaining that the Black Friday period is coming and that they can therefore expect more emails than usual. It is also good to segment your regular customers in advance as VIP customers, for example. These are the most dedicated customers who often also spend more money or buy more often from the online shop. Also create special offers for these customers based on order history. This will make your German customers feel extra appreciated and therefore they will keep coming back to your webshop even after the Black Friday madness.
Think carefully about deals
Given the overkill of deals, it is important to pick the right products and offer the right discounts. What deals do German consumers like to see? Not all products are suitable for a Black Friday campaign. Ideally, products should be really well discounted, otherwise there is no point. The percentage varies by product group. Electronics have very different margins than clothing, for example. A 10% offer on a pair of jeans will not work, that does not feel like a deal to the German. But 10% off a game console is a good offer. Although Black Friday is originally known as the starting signal for Christmas shopping, we often see in the statistics that consumers buy products for themselves. Fashion, electronics and household products sell best during Black Friday.
