The significance of Black Friday has dwindled yearly since the advent of online shopping. Gone are the Black Fridays when people camped out overnight outside stores, made mad rushes for the hottest products, and had all-out brawls in the aisles. Cyber Monday isn’t as popular either, despite customers increasingly shopping online. With the fear of losing customers, companies have started sharing holiday promotions as early as October.
This strategy has caused more harm than good, as customers experience discount fatigue and wait for exceptional deals to surface.
Develop Your Holiday Marketing Strategy
While the hype may be diluted, Black Friday and Cyber Monday still act as sales peaks—moments when consumers are primed to shop, especially for big-ticket items. Even if they’re no longer the only chance for deep discounts, they remain valuable anchors in a larger holiday strategy. However, holiday success isn’t about one weekend.
Develop your holiday marketing strategy for all of Q4:
- Tease Deals Early: Starting winter holiday shopping ads before Halloween is considered annoying, but creating teasers during October will excite customers for when they’re finally ready to make purchases.
- Early Shopping Enticements: Most customers will wait to shop, knowing better deals will pop up closer to Black Friday/Cyber Monday or right before the actual holidays, so develop promotions with intention. Discount a best-selling product or launch a new product without a discount.
- Segment Promotions: Offer deals for early-bird shoppers, Black Friday buyers, and last-minute gift seekers.
- Black Friday/Cyber Monday Deals: These days are not the only ones that matter anymore, but customers still expect the best deals or big promotions to happen on those days. Don’t miss out!
- Create Post-Cyber Monday Momentum: December shouldn’t be forgotten. Last-minute shoppers will still need gifts, especially for the host of parties they were last-minute invited to.
No matter how people interact with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the holiday shopping season is still the most significant time of year for businesses to make money. This season deserves a clear and strategic marketing campaign that respects your customers’ expectations while reaching your business’s bottom line. Brands that adapt to extended timelines and shifting customer expectations will not only win on those days but throughout the entire season.