Die-hard shoppers are filled with anticipation on Black Friday. If you play it smart, you can find deals worthy of year-round bragging rights. Many people wait in line for hours in hopes of obtaining that must-have deal.
This year, we saw a growing number of retailers using social media to encourage customers to capitalize on their Black Friday sales. Black Friday sales increased 0.3 percent from last year, but social media chatter increased an incredible 250 percent. According to Bloomberg Businessweek, a total of 212 million shoppers visited stores and websites racking up $45 billion in sales between Thanksgiving Day and Saturday, November 27*, up from $41.2 billion in 2009.
The number of social media users is growing every day, which is shifting how shoppers get their information. Mobile phones are used more frequently to scout deals and 5.6 percent of Black Friday shoppers logged on to a retailer's site using a mobile device this year. This reflects a 26.7 percent jump from 2009.
Traditionally, retailers don't announce their special deals until the last minute. This year, popular retailers like Target, Lowe's and Walmart all promoted Black Friday deals on Facebook and Twitter to generate buzz before the big day. Target even went so far as to purchase the #BlackFriday hashtag. According to National Retail Federation Shop.org's eHoliday survey, 39 percent of retailers communicated their Black Friday deals through their Facebook pages and 21 percent announced deals on Twitter.
Other retailers used location-based services (LBS), like Foursquare and Facebook Places, to give customers special savings. RadioShack and Sports Authority both ran Foursquare deals. Sports Authority gave away 20 $500 gift cards. Customers were instructed to check-in on Foursquare and post to Twitter, while they anxiously awaited in-store giveaways. RadioShack awarded customers a 10 percent discount for checking in on Foursquare, 15 percent for mayorships and 20 percent if they unlocked the "Holiday Hero" badge.
Lowe's focused their Black Friday efforts on Facebook, where they hosted preview parties offering 90 percent off! Unfortunately, the company's website crashed during their Black Friday party, but they worked hard to make things right with their customers. To make up for the glitch, Lowe's posted coupon codes throughout the weekend for their loyal Facebook fans.
According to Media Logic, retailers' Black Friday Facebook promotions paid off, "In the 10 days leading up to Black Friday, the biggest retailers on Facebook grew their fanbases by an average of 10 percent. The more aggressive retailers on Facebook grew their fanbases by an average of 20 percent. Some of the tactics they used included a combination of Black Friday and other seasonal offers, discounts, contests, games and simple 'Like us' requests."
Retailers that capitalized on Black Friday social media promotions significantly increased their online presence. Now, they have the opportunity to promote their products and engage with a community of loyal customers all year long.
*Based on a survey of 4,306 consumers done Thursday, November 25 through Saturday, November 27, 2010 by BIGresearch for NRF.
Are your customers using social media? Trilix Research can help you find out.
In case you missed it, check out our Black Friday social media promotions blog post.