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For retailers and brick & mortar stores, Black Friday represents a rare opportunity to bring in an even higher than usual surge of traffic during the holiday season; however, with more and more Americans turning to online and mobile shopping, businesses need to find inventive ways to promote themselves and sway consumers away from their computer and smartphone screens and into their business’ door.
According to the American Marketing Association, nearly 64% of all Black Friday purchases were made online last year. 108.5m Americans shopped online, spending $159.55 on the average purchase, and total sales racked in $53.34B; $1.2B of that revenue coming strictly from purchases made on their mobile phones. Ease of access presents another crucial hurdle to conquer; how do you incentivize a consumer to travel out to your physical location when they have the option of sitting in the comfort of their home and getting the same result? location based marketing and geofencing may be the answer you’re seeking.
Geofencing allows you, the business, to set a pre established geographic radius around your store, that when passed- will trigger a push notification to your customer’s phone. Targeting people on the go is a great way to maintain brand recognition and increase engagement. For Black Friday specifically, you can begin by starting a campaign in the weeks prior, focusing on garnering app downloads by giving small in-store discounts in return. By amassing downloads in the early game, you can start sending notifications and pushing your upcoming holiday promotions as soon as possible, gaining additional traction for your Black Friday specials. Some examples for Black Friday campaigns include:
VIP Early Pass for first 25 people who arrive at the store. Promote online as “must have app to be eligible”
Promote big ticket item deals and their new reduced prices in order to amass hype
Give out small prizes at random for people who engage with push notifications and can provide proof in-store
Offer app-only sneak peeks into secret upcoming Black Friday deals
By applying location based advertising to your marketing arsenal, you can use the mobile marketplace to your advantage rather than simply sitting on the sidelines. By pushing your app and becoming part of the mobile-sphere while still maintaining your physical presence, you allow yourself the ability to profit from both unique markets. Your customer acquisition rates will soar leading up to Black Friday and once it finally rolls around you can begin deploying your engagement campaigns and beat the online slump!