Promo Inspiration for Black Friday & Cyber Monday

Black Friday & Cyber Monday are almost here! We all know that customers want deep discounts and a little fanfare behind their shopping experience. Instead of reinventing the wheel and trying to come up with something from scratch, gather inspiration from the brands who crushed their Black Friday & Cyber Monday campaigns. 

The Unique Product Drop

Offering a deep discount on products just scratches the surface of what’s possible for Black Friday & Cyber Monday. Customers want the deals, but they’re also vying for sneak peeks & new opportunities to shop. Italian leather sneaker maker, Greats, ran a 20% discount on all shoes with free shipping, followed by dropping a special version of their wildly popular product, Royale.
Greats also combined their introduction of the special edition Royale with a winning scarcity tactic. They alerted customers that they were almost sold out with graphics and posts to increase the sense of urgency to buy before it’s too late.
You can take a similar approach & introduce a new, limited time version of a product. Or introduce a limited stock item and use an app like Ultimate Scarcity Pro to countdown your inventory & drive more demand.

The Crazy Promo Deal

Discounts are a dime a dozy, but crazy promos are an effective way to earn attention and convert more customers. Cards Against Humanity decided to skip past the standard discount and offer 99% off of cars, diamonds, and adult toys. They released flash sales every ten minutes, including a $20 bill for only $0.20. 
Cards Against Humanity co-creator told Verge they approached the stunts like improv with no idea how the public would react and what they would participate in. It kept customers watching for insane deals all day long and gave people a good laugh along the way. 
This Black Friday & Cyber Monday campaign is proof that you don’t need to spend a lot of time or money coming up with an idea. Go with something outlandish and wild for a short flash sale, and test your results.

 

The Oops Email

When your site crashes or something goes wrong, shoppers are likely to pass on your Black Friday & Cyber Monday promotion. Instead of going into panic mode, Moment sent out an “oops email” instead and extended their sale. It was simple, to the point, and featured some of their winning products that were up for grabs. This promotion also gets bonus points for admitting their mistake & being transparent with their audience.
The email created goodwill with their audience & snagged a share of shoppers who missed their promotion the first time around. With more time to shop, Moment was no longer competing with the scores of retailers vying for a share of the holiday sale marketplace.
No one is perfect, so you might as well use it to your advantage when it comes to Black Friday & Cyber Monday. Turn mistakes into big wins for customers and keep them shopping when your competitors have already shuttered their sales.

 

The Give Back to the World Campaign

Not all retailers are pushing products for a big money grab. Patagonia regularly gives 100% of its global retail & online Black Friday sales directly to grassroots nonprofits focused on protecting the environment. Customers dub it the “fundraiser for the earth,” and the promotion builds an incredible amount of goodwill.
In addition to giving away its sales, Patagonia has also launched “Don’t Buy This Jacket” promotions. Patagonia owned up to their part in consumerism and how they impact the world. They asked their customers to think twice before they buy. Why? “Everything we make takes something from the planet we can’t give back. Each piece of Patagonia clothing, whether or not it’s organic or uses recycled materials, emits several times its weight in greenhouse gases, generates at least another half garment’s worth of scrap, and draws down copious amounts of freshwater now growing scarce everywhere on the planet.”
Partner with a nonprofit or charity to turn your Black Friday or Cyber Monday promotion into a winning strategy. You’ll raise money for a good cause and raise more brand awareness at the same time. 

 

The Facebook Live Event

Take your Black Friday & Cyber Monday promotion to a new level with Facebook Live. MeUndies ran a wildly successfully two-hour event complete with a DJ and dance contests and streamed it live to 13,300 viewers. Audiences were captivated by the engaging content, and MeUndies created an atmosphere like everyone watching, was part of the party.
The Facebook Live also went beyond giving the brand a promotional boost. The results were impressive, with 25% of users opening their wallets and buying. That figure represented 13 times MeUndies’ usual conversion rate on Facebook. 
You may not be able to launch a full-scale Facebook Live event like MeUndies. However, you can use the medium to interview customers or influencers, showcase your products, or offer a sneak peek to your VIP Facebook audience to drum up more interest and conversions of your own.

The Anti BFCM Campaign

There’s no rule that mandates retailers even participate in Black Friday or Cyber Monday sales. Outdoor retailer REI opted out of the promotions entirely and has even announced that it would close all of its stores on Thanksgiving & Black Friday. REI also doesn’t process sales during the sales extravaganza, and gives all of its employees the day off. 
Despite selling outdoor goods, REI takes a stand against mass consumerism on Black Friday & Cyber Monday. They still benefit from the publicity buzz around the promotion and even use an #OptOutside hashtag to spread the word. REI may not pocket the millions in sales but are spreading a message to take a step back from consumerism while staying aligned with their outdoor brand.
If you have qualms about mass sales and consumerism, you can still participate in Black Friday & Cyber Monday promotions. Be upfront with your audience, redirect them to unplug and go offline, or encourage them to spend their money elsewhere. You may not rack up the sales, but you’ll earn some goodwill & promotional buzz while you’re at it.

 

The Influencer Campaign

Why do all the work promoting your Black Friday & Cyber Monday deals when someone else can do it for you? Social proof is at an all-time high, with influencers paving the way for social selling. Kopari beauty retailer tapped into the trend and shared influencer gift lists that mentioned their products. 
Kopari shared influencer gift lists that mentioned their products. The recommendation for these must-have products reach thousands of followers & also benefit from cross-promotional opportunities. When one brand reshares the influencers’ post of curated gift items, every brand on the list benefits.
If your ecommerce store doesn’t have the clout to align with A-name players, align with micro-influencers instead. Even with just a few thousand, highly engaged and targeted followers, influencers of all sizes can make an impact on your sales money.

 
Whatever Black Friday & Cyber Monday promotion you choose, make sure your production, fulfillment, and customer experience can compete with the big brands. Get in touch with CustomCat to discuss white label and fulfillment solutions to make sure you never run out of inventory, and shipments are delivered to your customers lightning fast.