Treat your customers like VIPs to win Black Friday

Black Friday and Cyber Monday mark the start of a global retail sales period that is the cornerstone of the year for many retailers. This year, however, brands will have to work harder than ever to draw the attention of consumers.

Sinch’s own proprietary research shows that it will be harder for brands to win sales. After surveying 1200 consumers in Australia and six other major global markets, Sinch found that Aussies are divided on how liberal they’ll be with their debit cards this year: 33.9 per cent reported they expect to spend more this year than last, 33.1 per cent said they would spend less, and 28.1 per cent said it would be about the same. 

In such a competitive environment, with many cost-conscious consumers, creating an amazing experience is often the key to converting a basket. In fact, Sinch found that globally, 88 per cent of people say the experience a company provides is as important as its products.

Highly personal and timely communication with customers is the cornerstone of creating a great experience for them. This means that every touch point that a retailer or brand has with a consumer should be well-timed and well-considered. 

So, if customer experience can make or break sales success, how can retailers win Black Friday with amazing communications? Here are some of my top tips:

SMS and email serve different purposes but should work together: Sinch data shows that 90 per cent of consumers check their text message inboxes more than 10 times per day, while 85 per cent of consumers check their email inboxes at least twice a day.

So, rather than asking whether SMS or email is more effective, retailers need to recognise that they serve different purposes. Email is best for reaching a broad audience and letting them engage at their own pace, whereas SMS is great for creating a sense of urgency among your most engaged customers.

How much communication is just enough?

A massive 83.5 per cent of Aussies told us they want to receive relevant communications from brands during the BF/CM period. At the same time, we know that too many messages can turn customers off.

On SMS, I’d recommend one to three messages a week, max. On the email side, gradually ramp up your sending volume as Black Friday approaches rather than all at once for better results.

Treat your customers like VIPs

Personalisation is everything and Sinch has tonnes of ideas to help drive sales. Some of my favourites include:

• Providing exclusive early access to Black Friday deals to loyal customers and reminding them of what they previously purchased.
• Offering sneak peeks at new products or sending out gift guides.
• Creating a sense of urgency with personalised ‘count down’ messages or flash sales offers customers the chance to snag a can’t-miss deal.

My final word of advice? Don’t be shy – the data shows that consumers want to hear from brands during the sales period. Click-through rates hit 13 per cent on Black Friday and 11 per cent on Cyber Monday. Executing communications campaigns that treat your customers like VIPs is easier than you might think – retailers should make the most of all tools and technologies at their disposal – and stay open to exploring new ones as they emerge.

With Australians split on how much they will spend this Black Friday period, great communications will make all the difference. 

About the author: Wendy Johnstone is EVP Apac with Sinch.

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