Black Friday, originating from the U.S., has evolved into a major commercial event across Europe in recent years. In 2023, online Black Friday sales in Europe saw an average increase of 12.3 percent. More specifically, German and British consumers led the way in Black Friday participation and order numbers, with 48 percent of online shoppers placing orders during the event.
According to a survey from Statista, Consumer Electronics and Home Appliances are consistently among the top three best-performing categories during Black Friday in Europe. In this blog, we’ll explore eCommerce trends in these categories and share best practices for multichannel brand marketers to maximize their success for Black Friday 2024.
Black Friday shopping accelerates three weeks prior to the event
Unlike the French Winter Sales, Black Friday is not strictly regulated. It’s also not limited to just one day. Brands and retailers can extend their Black Friday promotions to span a longer period, sometimes calling it Black Week or Black November. To further stretch out the holiday shopping season, some retailers may even start launching Black Friday deals as early as October.
For Consumer Electronics brands in the UK, France, and Germany, Purchase Intent Clicks, a metric MikMak uses to measure in-market shopper traffic, peaked in November last year, showing even a more pronounced increase compared to the U.S. The MikMak Shopping Index specifically saw Purchase Intent rise significantly two to three weeks before Black Friday.
According to the MikMak Shopping Index, November was the top month in France, and ranked among the top three in the UK, for Home Appliances eCommerce. In Germany, November was among the top five months, on par with October. A closer look at November reveals a clear growth trend in all three countries, with Purchase Intent Clicks peaking on Black Friday, 24 November 2023.
This year, we anticipate that the early Black Friday promotions will not only continue but become even more pronounced. In light of this year’s economic challenges, price-conscious shoppers will be especially responsive to promotions. In fact, for 45 percent of consumers, price is the most crucial factor in their purchasing decisions for Consumer Electronics and Home Appliances.
To capitalize on this, brands should align their Black Friday offers with retailer partners as early as possible and ensure their products are easily discoverable and available to consumers, both online and in-store, through their brand websites and media campaigns.
Rewarding early Black Friday shoppers with exclusive discounts could help brands create a sense of urgency and exclusivity that drives purchases. MikMak can help your brand facilitate faster purchases with Where to Buy and shoppable media solutions. Likewise, your brand can use these solutions to incorporate digital coupons to highlight special deals in your Black Friday digital marketing. Here’s a sneak preview of how it works:
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Black Friday shoppers seek quality and innovation in Home Appliances and Consumer Electronics
Last year, MikMak data revealed a diverse mix of product categories in the top 10 list of Consumer Electronics and Home Appliances searched during Black Friday, based on Purchase Intent Clicks. Leading the charge were TV sets, which drove the most traffic to retailers, followed by dishwashers, dryers, small kitchen appliances, hair stylers, and speakers.
Additionally, AR/VR glasses, deep fryers, and mini/Bluetooth speakers experienced the highest increase in sales value worldwide during Black Friday promotions, according to a GfK study.
Beyond the more traditional and essential Home Appliance purchases, there is a growing trend toward innovative small appliances, advanced Consumer Electronics, and AI-powered products. Black Friday promotions often inspire consumers to upgrade their equipment, resulting in the purchase of higher-end items. Therefore, highlighting quality and innovation in your promotions will be key to attracting these eager shoppers this year.
Convenience is key to conversions
Consumers highly value convenience, with 66 percent of online shoppers citing it as a key factor in choosing a retailer. By offering multiple checkout options, Consumer Electronics and Home Appliance brands can empower consumers to shop where they prefer. Even if your brand sells directly to consumers, it’s advantageous to provide them with the flexibility to buy from their preferred retailer or platform. With Where to Buy solutions and shoppable media, you can offer multiple checkout options to your brand audience, to enhance shopping experiences.
MikMak’s data from last year’s Black Friday highlights the importance of this approach in the UK, France, and Germany. For instance, in the UK, Currys attracted the most shopper traffic, followed by John Lewis, AO, Argos, and Hughes among the top five retailers. However, 56 percentof Purchase Intent Clicks were distributed among various other retailers. This underscores the need for brands to make their Black Friday offers easily discoverable and accessible across multiple retailers, catering to diverse consumer preferences.
Consumers often use a mix of mass merchants (like Amazon) and specialized retailers (like Currys, Darty, and MediaMarkt) depending on the product category. Therefore, brands should diversify their presence across numerous retailers to maximize Black Friday sales opportunities.
Your brand can implement a Where to Buy solution like MikMak Commerce to guide consumers to their preferred retailers from any digital brand content or ads, reducing the risk of losing shoppers due to out-of-stock issues or limited purchase options.
Implement a data-driven omnichannel approach to Black Friday advertising
To make profitable advertising investments for Black Friday and beyond, a deep understanding of your consumers, as well as your competitors, is essential. Collecting first-party data from purchase paths allows you to identify your best-performing marketing combinations.
Continuously gathering and leveraging this data throughout the year will help you optimize your seasonal marketing investments.
Real-time monitoring of your Black Friday campaigns, with the ability to adapt your approach and offers on the fly, is also crucial for maximizing results. Consider the following checkpoints as you prepare your campaigns:
- Are you providing convenient, seamless shopping paths within your ads?
- How do your products perform across different retailers?
- Which other products, including those from competitors, are shoppersadding to their carts alongside yours?
- Which online channels and products are driving the most shopper traffic for your brand?
- Which products were successful in last year’s Black Friday promotions, and which are currently gaining market share?
As consumers increasingly move between channels, integrating data from various touchpoints is vital for understanding and predicting customer behavior. Successful marketers develop cohesive omnichannel strategies with consistent messaging and promotions across multiple channels.
MikMak supports leading Consumer Electronics and Home Appliance brands in optimizing their digital marketing strategies with advanced Where to Buy solutions, shoppable media, and eCommerce analytics. Contact us to learn how we can help enhance your strategy.
