5 mobile strategies for Black Friday!

Do we still need to explain what Black Friday is?

In the US, it is the day that generates the more sales, both online and in-store. An American trend that is progressively growing in the rest of the world including France. More than 50 million debit card transactions were detected for Black Friday 2018, a record for the day.

Last year, the American National Retail Federation recorded encouraging figures for marketers: 3.7 billion spent online (an increase of 29% on the previous year), an average spend of 413 dollars per person and an agnostic approach in terms of channel – 54% bought online and in-store as opposed to 25% online only and 21% in-store only.

The trend demonstrates how essential a mobile channel is. However, you still need to know how to optimise your digital mobile strategy. If you need help, you are in luck. Read on.

Encourage people to download your mobile app

A mobile app is only useful if it is being used. You can’t count on your customers to find it for themselves. You need to introduce them to it and encourage them to download it from the official marketplaces. Online publicity is a good way to make it happen as you can easily track all the statistics linked to your campaigns.

To encourage people to download your app, you should offer discount vouchers for downloading (or for creating an online account). You could also then create a sponsorship system. So the more an existing client sponsors new clients, the more discount vouchers they earn.

Lastly, during Black Friday, you could also create a competition for new users. It is easy to set up a simple prize draw to reward one or several new users.

Make your app a place where customers find exclusives

What about making your discount offers available only to users of your mobile app? It is easy to set up and can create a premium dynamic around your app. It could also include special products or complementary services (free delivery, VIP service etc.).

Your app could also be a way to share new, innovative content like augmented reality, virtual reality and exclusive videos or personalised advice.

Use your app to leverage drive-to-store

With a view to omnichannel marketing, your mobile app can work to support your sales strategy both in-store and online. The aim here is to bring together the channels for a unique client experience. Perhaps they could reserve products online to put them aside in a store a few days before Black Friday, so they can decide before the day’s big rush.

You could also use geolocation to make it easier to find sale points and create special offers in-store for customers who show the mobile app at the till. Lastly, don’t forget that your mobile app can also be used as an electronic wallet. Every time they pay, your clients earn points (buying both in-store and online) which can be exchanged for discount vouchers.

Concentrate on user experience

An abandoned basket is every marketer’s nightmare. However certain optimisation choices in the design materials and interface can contribute to lowering the rate of abandoned baskets. A simple example: why ask mobile users to pay by entering card details when these are already registered on their phone with a system like PayPal or Apple Pay?

Mobiles should simplify client experience. Take the time to test your app intensively so that it becomes a driver for growth and not a tool with no added value.

Optimise your emails for mobile phones

Heavy images that take a long time to load, a vague design, a text that doesn’t fit on the screen size, emails that end up straight in the spam box or CTA’s that don’t load…these are just a few examples of problems that can occur when a client is using their mobile to read your emails.

Today, mobile phones are the entryway to the digital world. We comment, buy, read…for the full experience, your customers should be able to switch from an email to your mobile app in a few seconds. There should be no need to login again, pass via the website or arrive at error code 404.

Black Friday is an important day and integrating mobiles into your strategy is essential for reaching a maximum number of people. For many people, our mobile is an extension of ourselves. We use it in the office, at home, on public transport etc. With a high-performance mobile app, you can teleport your shop directly into the pocket of your future clients to make the most of Black Friday according to their habits.

Want to know more about Black Friday?

• Contact our team of experts. They will answer all your questions.
• You can also consult the key figures for Black Friday in our dedicated infographic.