We’re into November, and we’re sure you’ll know what that means – the return of the now-traditional Black Friday. Falling on the Friday after Thanksgiving Day in the United States – which means that this year, it’ll be 27th November – Black Friday has become one of the most hyped shopping days on the calendar.
But as you’ll also know, 2020 isn’t just another year. It’s seen upheaval at a level few of us have ever known, with likely knock-on effects for how we shop in the run-up to Christmas, too.
You might have reason to rethink your Black Friday strategy in 2020
We all know that 2020 has been a rocky year for brick-and-mortar stores forced to temporarily close for periods of lockdown, and to impose enhanced hygiene and social distancing measures on their premises when permitted to open. So, it would seem that the now-familiar Black Friday scrums are already firmly off the menu this year.
Combine this with the fact that the latest England-wide lockdown is set to run – at the time of typing – at least until early December, and it’s clear that large chunks of the UK’s retail premises will be off-bounds to pretty much any shoppers at all this Black Friday.
But even if these lockdown restrictions were not being imposed, there would be good reason to expect a more subdued Black Friday this year.
That’s because many in retail are also eager to alleviate the stress the pandemic has already exerted on supply chains and delivery services. This is leading to a greater emphasis on season-long deals, rather than necessarily making a big fuss out of a single day or weekend.
If shoppers can be encouraged to commit to their Christmas purchases earlier than Black Friday, there can be greater certainty about ecommerce stores having adequate stock, and customers receiving their ordered items in good time.
A season-wide approach is likely to serve your store best this Christmas
Of course, we don’t expect Black Friday to ‘go away’ completely as a big shopping event, just because of COVID-19 – a cursory search of Google News should be enough to confirm that.
Nonetheless, it seems that of all years, 2020 will be a year to focus on such broader strategies as launching your ecommerce outlet’s Christmas sales early, refreshing your discount offers on a week-by-week basis, promoting products of particular relevance to those staying at home, and clearly communicating likely delivery times at this time of possibly widespread delays.
In short, this won’t be ‘just another’ Christmas shopping season – and while you probably realised that already, you’ll need your store’s approach to Black Friday to reflect it. Reach out to the Piranha Designs team today, and we’ll be pleased to further advise and assist you with your Yuletide and New Year digital marketing, website design and related services.
