Our Black Friday-tips

Black Friday and Black Week are some of the busiest periods in e-commerce, with consumers bombarded by emails from countless companies. This makes it challenging to ensure that your emails are opened and read. Some companies also choose not to participate in Black Week with direct sales campaigns, instead promoting messages about the company, sustainability, or recommerce (the resale of used or refurbished products). No matter which approach you choose, it’s essential to create content that both engages and converts while standing out from the crowd.

We’ve focused on sales-oriented strategies, so here are 10 tips and tricks to ensure your emails reach customers and capture their attention during Black Week.

1. Plan Early but Stay Flexible

Black Week is a hectic time, so it pays to plan thoroughly and prepare content well in advance. However, keep an eye on your sales and be ready to adjust content as needed. Are certain products performing particularly well during Black Week? Highlight them in your email marketing. Or, if something sells out, update the email to avoid disappointing customers.

2. Send a Teaser to Customers

Before Black Week begins, send a teaser to give customers a glimpse of upcoming offers. This could be a partially hidden product or a popular item without the price displayed. A hint of upcoming discounts can spark curiosity and engage customers ahead of Black Week.

3. Spend Time Crafting the Subject Line

Customers receive countless emails during Black Week. Since the subject line is the first thing they see, invest time in making yours stand out. Avoid generic lines like “Black Friday Sale” and instead highlight what’s unique about your offer to entice customers to open the email or use a creative twist to spark interest.

4. Personalize with Existing Data

Use customer insights, such as purchase history, demographics, and RFM (recency, frequency, monetary) data, to personalize content and segment your email lists. If a customer has shown interest in a product or brand, Black Week could be the right time to convert that interest into a purchase. Personalize the emails for higher engagement and conversions by tailoring the message to each customer’s needs.

5. Analyze Past Campaigns

Review the results of past Black Week campaigns to identify what performed best. Look at subject lines, offers, send times, and segments that worked well or underperformed. Use this information to refine this year’s campaigns and increase your chances of success.

6. Create a Sense of Urgency

People tend to act quickly when they feel an offer may soon disappear. Use time-limited deals or show limited product availability to create urgency. If an item is close to selling out, display how many are left to encourage quicker purchasing decisions. Including a countdown timer in the email for when the sale starts or ends can also help.

7. Optimize Abandoned Cart Automation

Many customers add items to their carts but don’t complete the purchase. If you don’t have an abandoned cart automation system, now is the time to set one up and test it before Black Week. If you already send abandoned cart emails, consider adjusting the timing or content to align with Black Week. After the campaign, adding a discount code for those with campaign products left in their carts can stimulate post-sale purchases.

8. Optimize Email Deliverability

After investing time in preparing for Black Week email marketing, it’s essential that emails actually reach recipients. While it may be tempting to send emails to all contacts, this isn’t always the best approach. If you have contacts who haven’t engaged with emails for some time, avoid sending to them during Black Week to maintain good deliverability. Instead, consider re-engaging inactive contacts beforehand through win-back campaigns.

9. Build a Larger Subscriber Base

Before Black Week, set up a pop-up on your website inviting visitors to subscribe for access to Black Week deals, or even earlier access or exclusive offers for newsletter or loyalty members. This helps you build a larger, more engaged subscriber base ahead of the campaign.

10. Evaluate and Learn from the Campaign

When Black Week is over, take the time to evaluate the campaign. What strategies worked best, which customer groups responded most positively, and where was there room for improvement? Gaining insights from this year’s campaign provides valuable experience that can enhance future marketing efforts and better prepare you for the next Black Week.

To ensure your emails stand out during Black Week, combine careful planning with personalized messaging and good timing. With strategies to create urgency, tailor content to customer interests, and ensure deliverability, you can set your campaigns apart during this busy period. The competition is fierce, but with a smart and flexible approach, you can capture customer interest and drive sales for your Black Friday campaign.

The team at PearlConvert wishes you good luck with your Black Friday sale! If you'd like to discuss ideas, campaign planning, or need setup assistance in platforms like Voyado or Emarsys, we're here to help.