Thomas Smale says, “If you’re subscribed to any number of newsletters, there’s a good chance you saw Black Friday promotions coming from your favorite brands — and those promotions are increasing each year, coming from unlikely or at least less likely places. So, if we now look back a month to take stock of this year, 2016’s, results: How does Black Friday affect businesses, and how has it changed, with the rise of online stores and mobile shopping? Is it helping or hurting businesses? What were some of the most successful Black Friday deals? Black Friday results and how... [...]

Ginny Marvin says, “Shopping ad growth continues to cannibalize text ad spend on desktop. Retail spend shifted significantly from paid search text ads to paid search shopping ads on desktop this Black Friday weekend compared to a year ago. That’s according to a report from paid search insights firm AdGooroo, a Kantar Media company, based on analysis of 2,500 top retail product keywords. From Black Friday through Cyber Monday, advertisers spent $8.9 million on Google desktop text ads across the keyword set analyzed in the US this year compared to $15.4 million in 2015. Product listing ad... [...]

Greg Sterling says, “In the beginning, there was no light, and marketers were forced to rely on “gut feeling” when it came to assessing the success of marketing initiatives. We simply lacked the tools and information needed to scientifically conceive of and measure the effectiveness of our efforts. Even as more effective data analytics tools started to become available, many marketers preferred to trust intuition over the data. Intuition became prized in the C-suite, and taking action based on gut feeling was valued over the hard work of crunching data and formulating rational strategies. As... [...]

Greg Sterling says, “According to Adobe, Thanksgiving and Black Friday online retail sales exceed $5 billion. More noteworthy in some ways is that mobile devices contributed a record $1.2 billion to that total on Black Friday alone. There was mixed data on in-store traffic and sales, with some sources reporting an initial decline vs. last year and others reporting small in-store gains. However, on a percentage basis, online shopping growth far outpaced store traffic. While retail analysts and the media focus on the distinctions between online and offline shopping and the particulars and... [...]

Don Davis says, “A late-day surge brought retailers’ online sales for the day to $3.34 billion, says Adobe, which had predicted a $3.05 billion e-retail day. Mobile sales blew past $1 billion for the first time in a single day, reaching $1.2 billion, more than a third of web sales. Online retailers have plenty to be thankful for today after deal-seeking shoppers pushed Black Friday web sales to unexpected heights. Web sales totaled $3.34 billion for the day, up 21.6% from the day after Thanksgiving last year, according to the Adobe Digital Insights unit of marketing and analytics software... [...]

Nikki Gilliland says, “Despite recent suggestions that UK retailers consider Black Friday to be unprofitable, many seem to be ramping up efforts this year – even extending the event to an entire two weeks. Here’s a look at how six UK brands are honing in on bargain-hungry consumers. AO.com AO saw record sales figures from Black Friday 2015, and by the looks of it, it is banking on a repeat performance this year. Instead of simply focusing on Black Friday (and Cyber Monday), it is selling all week-long”. How UK retailers are promoting Black Friday online Econsultancy  [...]

Corey says, “As a marketer and business owner, it can often be difficult to come up with great emails with eye-catching images and actionable copy. That’s why I like to draw inspiration and ideas from other successful marketers and businesses. I’m going to share eight awesome Black Friday email campaigns that you can steal and start implementing into your business. In each example, I’m going to break down what it is, why it’s so effective, and how you can implement their ideas into your holiday campaigns. 1. The Simple Sale Announcement Email Subject: Black Friday – 40% off... [...]

Ginny Marvin says, “Bing has reprised its Black Friday flyer ads this year, though this time with a different take. Last year’s flyer ads displayed on searches for some retailers and linked to flyers hosted by Flipp. In the 2016 version, the flyer ads appear in a carousel on desktop searches for general Black Friday-related terms. The individual ads featured in the carousel each link to the Black Friday landing page on the respective retailers’ websites. Here is an example of a flyer ad that includes spots for Sam’s Club, Target, Kohl’s, Best Buy and Brooks Running in the initial... [...]

Josh Felber says, “There’s no shopping day quite like Black Friday. Whether you participate online or battle your way through hoards of determined shoppers, Black Friday can be a stressful time for retailers looking to make money. But just like how shoppers plan out their mall trips to maximize their time while getting everything they need, stores need to ensure they are equally prepared for a massive influx of shoppers. A little digital preparation can help you stay ahead of your shoppers while you compete with some of your larger competitors. As you build out your Black Friday planning... [...]

Dipanjan Chatterjee says, “Black Friday approaches. I should be breathless with anticipation. You see, I’m a brand strategist. To me, the prospect of millions of people reveling in thousands of brands and turning the bottom line from red to black is brand nirvana. It’s like Christmas came early. Which it does, in a way, on Black Friday. Yet, the tendrils of self-doubt infiltrate my exuberance. Must a weekend so treasured for time spent with friends and family be ruined by being pepper-sprayed at Walmart, by being gored in the Pamplona bull run down the aisles at Best Buy to save 50 bucks... [...]