Will Black Friday be the big ecommerce winner? Or does Cyber Monday take the title?
Read to the end for the trends we see at Email Mavens, and some strategy leverage to help you go top rope on your online goals.
We’ve worked with brands of all shapes and sizes executing sales campaigns during what’s become known as the Cyber 5. Today we’re sharing the overall performance trends we’ve seen, so you can skip the learning curve and apply the strategies that move the needle.
If you read part one in this series, you already know the most important prep is planning your sending cadence and locking in your segmentation. You’ve heard the tactics we use for maximum exposure:
- An early access send the week before Black Friday
- Initial release on Black Friday
- Last call on Cyber Monday
First, let’s talk strategy.
1. Different Offers, or Different Headlines?
When it comes to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, do you run different offers? Or stick with one offer and change the headline?
Our take: it depends.
Part of it depends on your offer. A flat sitewide savings or shipping promotion is hard to switch up. Mixed cases or a collection with special pricing gives you more flexibility.
It also depends on your bandwidth:
- Tiny team or solo operator running this AND the tasting room all weekend? Make your life simple and just change the headline.
- Want to stretch? Change the headline AND the featured offer.
- Going all out? We love adding a new promotion on Cyber Monday, like a gift with purchase or double loyalty points, to keep things fresh, pull a different lever for subscribers who didn’t act the first time, and even get initial purchasers to double dip.
Who’s the winner? Different offers. (But only if you have the resources to support it!)
2. To Extend or Not to Extend?
Another strategy we’ve employed over the years, a little reluctantly, is “Cyber Monday extended.” As in: on Tuesday, after all the hype (ENDS NOW! LAST CHANCE! ONLY 4 HOURS AND 42 SECONDS LEFT!), you send an email that essentially says “never mind, we decided to still let you have this offer.”
This can squeeze a little extra juice from subscribers who overlooked Cyber Monday. But it also trains your customers not to believe you when you say a sale is ending. AND it competes with Giving Tuesday, stealing your opportunity to send a brand-focused, value-add message about the impact their purchases make.
Who’s the winner? DON’T EXTEND.
Now, let’s talk data: the engagement and sales trends we’ve seen across Black Friday and Cyber Monday with our winery clients.
3. The Reigning Champion in Its Weight Class: Early Access
Expect your early access campaign to do the bulk of your ecommerce heavy lifting. This dynamo goes to a smaller audience, and yet, historically, a targeted early access campaign can generate as much revenue as the entire Black Friday / Cyber Monday sprint combined.
Don’t skip this strategy.
What to include in your early access campaign:
- A peek at a specific wine in your Black Friday promotion, so they can see the sale in action
- WHY they’re getting early access, and for how long
Now, the match you’ve all been waiting for:
4. Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday: Which Wins?
On engagement, Black Friday knocks out Cyber Monday. Across our winery clients, we see open rates 15 to 20% higher on Black Friday, and click rates nearly triple.
A few things could contribute. Black Friday is a more brick-and-mortar retail event while Cyber Monday is predominantly online. And there’s a control problem in our own data: because we remove purchasers from subsequent sends across the weekend, we’re targeting a less engaged audience by Monday morning, which drags Monday’s open and click rates further.
But what about the money, honey? Not exactly a knockout. Order rates run about 4% higher on Black Friday, and order value about 5% higher. The interesting trend is in the segments: wine club member order rates jump almost 30% on Cyber Monday, while general public order rates and value drop by nearly the same amount.
The result? A slight edge to Black Friday, but not the total smackdown those engagement metrics might suggest. Your club shops Monday. Plan accordingly.
Take Action
- ADD an early access campaign, to an opted-in group or your wine club, the week before Black Friday.
- Show up on Black Friday AND Cyber Monday, segmenting out purchasers along the way to keep inbox flooding to a minimum.
- If you have bandwidth, run a different offer on Cyber Monday to sweeten the pot. You don’t have to: simply changing the featured wine keeps the email looking fresh.
- Skip the “SALE EXTENDED” email.
Did this smackdown give you fresh inspiration, or reinforce what you already knew? Tell us at erica@emailmavens.com, and if you loved this content, subscribe to the Email Mavens YouTube channel and share it with your winery business bestie.
Then read the series conclusion, where we cover the two connection days that bookend the sales blitz: Small Business Saturday and Giving Tuesday.
At Email Mavens we believe every winery can sell more wine online by sending better marketing emails, and we want to see you WIN the Cyber 5. Keep pressing send on your next best email.
