This is what email marketing was like on black friday 2020
Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2024 9:20 am
Last Friday, November 27, the well-known – and for many, long-awaited – Black Friday was celebrated. Last week we made an analysis of what the days leading up to the date were like, but today in this post we will see which strategies were the most used in the field of email marketing, if any specific trend stood out and if any changes have been perceived compared to Black Friday in 2019.
Strategies used
Anticipation of promotions
As we mentioned in the previous post, this year some brands and companies have anticipated Black Friday more than ever, most likely to compensate for the drop in trade cfo email list triggered by the pandemic caused by Covid-19.
Private sales
In light of this anticipation, some brands have opted to use a private sales strategy. How? We have identified two ways of proceeding:
By sending an email to users in their database giving them an exclusive code to use before anyone else in the e-commerce. Here are two examples we already mentioned from Clinique and MAC Cosmetics .
Accessing the discounts a few hours before via app. In this case, the users of the database were informed that Black Friday started a few hours before in the App. A good strategy to encourage the use of this and get the user used to using it. Here you can see the case of Stradivarius .
Black Friday promotions extended
This year, more brands and companies have joined in by extending Black Friday discounts, leaving them active throughout the weekend and/or Monday. They also coincide with Cyber Monday and even, in some cases, extending the promotions until the week after Black Week.
Featured Trends
Topics and copy related to Christmas shopping
Analyzing the subject lines and copy used by brands, we have detected that a large part of them are aimed at encouraging users to take advantage of Black Friday and its discounts to make Christmas purchases. Subject lines like the ones you will see below are often repeated:
Are you one of those who take advantage of Black Friday to do your Christmas shopping? – Estée Lauder
Christmas gifts are in our Black Week – Clinique
50%, 40% and 30% Get ahead of Christmas! – Freshly Cosmetics
Using GIF in designs
This is a trend that we have been seeing for a few years now. The use of GIFs is becoming more and more established and we see how they are used in email marketing to make more attractive and original designs. We have seen it again in Black Friday campaigns. Here are two of them, the first from Clinique and the second from Yves Rocher :
Black color combined with fluorescent or very striking colors
Continuing in the field of design, to make a nod to the term “Black” we see how black is the most used color for the background of campaigns. The main titles of the copy stand out for being large in size and very striking colors. We have already seen this trend on other occasions, however, this year we have also detected something new: the use of fonts with a fluorescent effect. Here you can see examples of headers that used this type of design:
Changes compared to 2019
More email volume
This year we have seen an increase in the volume of emails sent throughout Black Friday or Black Week. Companies have relied more than ever on the email channel to boost e-commerce and bring forward one of the most important dates on the calendar for commerce, in a year that has not been like any other. With the current pandemic and the fight against the resurgence of Covid-19, brands have directed their efforts towards their digital strategy and have wanted to encourage online shopping. A fact that has not only been perceived, as we said, in the volume of campaigns sent, but also in the next point that we will see.
Highest discount percentage
As we mentioned in the previous post, pre-Black Friday emails already announced discounts higher than last year. Companies have decided to be more aggressive in their incentives, whether they are offers, discounts or gifts. It is a clear way to reward online shopping and to get users to take action. Here are some examples:
Stradivarius
2019: discounts from 20% to 40%.
2020: discounts from 20% to 50%.
Pull&Bear
2019: 20% off + free shipping (Black Friday and weekend).
2020: 20% off + free shipping (Black Friday) and up to 50% off selected products (weekend).
H&M
2019: -20% off + free shipping (Black Friday) and up to -60% off on selected products (weekend).
2020: -20% off + free shipping (Black Friday) and up to -70% off on selected products (weekend).
Clinique
2019: -30% off the entire website, -50% off outlet and gifts for purchases over €79 (Black Friday and post Black Friday).
2020: Private sale of -35% on the entire website with the code provided via email, up to -40% on selected products, -50% in outlet and gifts for purchases over €75 (Black Friday and post Black Friday).
Longest Black Friday
This year, not only have Black Friday promotions and offers started earlier, but in some cases they have also lasted longer than on previous occasions. The result is a longer Black Friday or Black Week. In fact, this feeling has been further increased by the volume of shipments received, taking into account also the pre-Black Friday campaigns announcing the operation of the Black Friday, showing in some cases the future discounts and encouraging the subscriber to prepare their basket.
And you, how have you perceived this Black Friday? Have you detected any interesting trends or any substantial changes compared to 2019?
Strategies used
Anticipation of promotions
As we mentioned in the previous post, this year some brands and companies have anticipated Black Friday more than ever, most likely to compensate for the drop in trade cfo email list triggered by the pandemic caused by Covid-19.
Private sales
In light of this anticipation, some brands have opted to use a private sales strategy. How? We have identified two ways of proceeding:
By sending an email to users in their database giving them an exclusive code to use before anyone else in the e-commerce. Here are two examples we already mentioned from Clinique and MAC Cosmetics .
Accessing the discounts a few hours before via app. In this case, the users of the database were informed that Black Friday started a few hours before in the App. A good strategy to encourage the use of this and get the user used to using it. Here you can see the case of Stradivarius .
Black Friday promotions extended
This year, more brands and companies have joined in by extending Black Friday discounts, leaving them active throughout the weekend and/or Monday. They also coincide with Cyber Monday and even, in some cases, extending the promotions until the week after Black Week.
Featured Trends
Topics and copy related to Christmas shopping
Analyzing the subject lines and copy used by brands, we have detected that a large part of them are aimed at encouraging users to take advantage of Black Friday and its discounts to make Christmas purchases. Subject lines like the ones you will see below are often repeated:
Are you one of those who take advantage of Black Friday to do your Christmas shopping? – Estée Lauder
Christmas gifts are in our Black Week – Clinique
50%, 40% and 30% Get ahead of Christmas! – Freshly Cosmetics
Using GIF in designs
This is a trend that we have been seeing for a few years now. The use of GIFs is becoming more and more established and we see how they are used in email marketing to make more attractive and original designs. We have seen it again in Black Friday campaigns. Here are two of them, the first from Clinique and the second from Yves Rocher :
Black color combined with fluorescent or very striking colors
Continuing in the field of design, to make a nod to the term “Black” we see how black is the most used color for the background of campaigns. The main titles of the copy stand out for being large in size and very striking colors. We have already seen this trend on other occasions, however, this year we have also detected something new: the use of fonts with a fluorescent effect. Here you can see examples of headers that used this type of design:
Changes compared to 2019
More email volume
This year we have seen an increase in the volume of emails sent throughout Black Friday or Black Week. Companies have relied more than ever on the email channel to boost e-commerce and bring forward one of the most important dates on the calendar for commerce, in a year that has not been like any other. With the current pandemic and the fight against the resurgence of Covid-19, brands have directed their efforts towards their digital strategy and have wanted to encourage online shopping. A fact that has not only been perceived, as we said, in the volume of campaigns sent, but also in the next point that we will see.
Highest discount percentage
As we mentioned in the previous post, pre-Black Friday emails already announced discounts higher than last year. Companies have decided to be more aggressive in their incentives, whether they are offers, discounts or gifts. It is a clear way to reward online shopping and to get users to take action. Here are some examples:
Stradivarius
2019: discounts from 20% to 40%.
2020: discounts from 20% to 50%.
Pull&Bear
2019: 20% off + free shipping (Black Friday and weekend).
2020: 20% off + free shipping (Black Friday) and up to 50% off selected products (weekend).
H&M
2019: -20% off + free shipping (Black Friday) and up to -60% off on selected products (weekend).
2020: -20% off + free shipping (Black Friday) and up to -70% off on selected products (weekend).
Clinique
2019: -30% off the entire website, -50% off outlet and gifts for purchases over €79 (Black Friday and post Black Friday).
2020: Private sale of -35% on the entire website with the code provided via email, up to -40% on selected products, -50% in outlet and gifts for purchases over €75 (Black Friday and post Black Friday).
Longest Black Friday
This year, not only have Black Friday promotions and offers started earlier, but in some cases they have also lasted longer than on previous occasions. The result is a longer Black Friday or Black Week. In fact, this feeling has been further increased by the volume of shipments received, taking into account also the pre-Black Friday campaigns announcing the operation of the Black Friday, showing in some cases the future discounts and encouraging the subscriber to prepare their basket.
And you, how have you perceived this Black Friday? Have you detected any interesting trends or any substantial changes compared to 2019?