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Hello there, HTE rock stars! 😎

Welcome to our special edition 🎉

As summer winds down and the excitement of Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) approaches, it’s time to think about how to make a big splash with your end-of-season campaigns. Whether you're planning a Labor Day sale or an end-of-summer clearance, now is the perfect moment to implement creative ad strategies that capture attention and drive engagement. Discover innovative ideas for standout ads, such as eye-catching Instagram Stories and engaging website visuals. ✨

Newcomers welcome to HTE's hub! Join 35k+ CEOs, CMOs, and marketers for game-changing insights. Get ahead, sign up for brilliance, and let's rise together! 🚀

- Strategies To Transform Your BFCM Game 🚀

-Ready to Celebrate the End of Summer with a Big Splash?☀️

-How TikTok Shop Won Brands and Customers During BFCM?🤔

Strategies To Transform Your BFCM Game🚀

The holiday shopping season is just around the corner, and with it comes the biggest sales opportunity of the year: Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM). To stand out in a crowded marketplace and maximize your sales, you need more than just a basic plan. You need a strategic approach that leverages proven tactics and insights from top-performing brands.

Understanding the Landscape

Shoppers are increasingly seeking personalized experiences and seamless interactions across multiple channels. This means your approach needs to be both agile and targeted. By analyzing past performance data and keeping an eye on current trends, you can better anticipate what your customers will be looking for and tailor your offerings accordingly.

Need a Little Guidance?✨

Sometimes, achieving your goals requires more than just a basic plan. It’s about accessing the right tools and insights that can steer you toward success. That’s where the latest toolkit comes in—offering more than just general advice, it provides proven strategies from 80,000 successful brands that thrived during last year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM). 

This comprehensive toolkit is designed to give you data-driven guidance in key areas:

1) Grow Your Lists: Building and expanding your subscriber base is essential for a successful BFCM campaign. The toolkit offers strategies for using optimized forms to attract more subscribers. These forms are tailored to capture essential information and engage potential customers effectively, setting the foundation for future marketing efforts.

2) Boost Campaign Results: To make the most of your marketing campaigns, you need to understand how to maximize their performance across various channels. The toolkit provides actionable tips on how to enhance your campaign results, whether through email, social media, or paid advertising. By leveraging data and insights, you can optimize your ad spend, craft compelling messages, and strategically time your promotions to reach your target audience.

3) Prepare for New Visitors: BFCM often results in a surge of traffic to your site. It’s crucial to be prepared for this influx to ensure a smooth experience for new visitors. The toolkit guides you through optimizing your workflows and website performance to handle increased traffic. This includes preparing your site for high volumes of visitors, streamlining your checkout process, and ensuring your inventory management can handle the boost in orders.

Each section of the toolkit includes three straightforward steps, complete with actionable templates, checklists, and strategies tailored to different business sizes. This structured approach helps you implement these strategies effectively, no matter the scale of your operations.

Consumers Want More Payment Choices

 Since the pandemic, shoppers have grown to prefer businesses that offer various payment options. Whether shopping in-store or online, they want choices beyond just debit and credit cards. E-wallets, prepaid cards, gift cards, and even cryptocurrencies are gaining popularity. Financing options like 0% installments and Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) are especially appealing for big-ticket holiday purchases. BNPL has been on the rise since 2021 and is expected to be used by 40% of internet users by 2026.

More Delivery and Pickup Options Give an Edge

 Convenience is key, especially for younger shoppers. They expect businesses to offer a range of delivery and pickup options. Buy Online, Pickup In-Store (BOPIS) or Click-and-Collect is becoming a preferred method, gradually replacing curbside pickup. BOPIS has seen consistent growth and is expected to make up 8.5% of all retail eCommerce sales in 2023.

Younger Shoppers Will Lead Black Friday Sales

 Tech-savvy Millennials and Gen Z, aged 25 to 44, are likely to dominate Black Friday shopping. They’re quick to snap up deals online but still enjoy shopping in-store. In the US, there are over 65 million Gen Z consumers, with a combined disposable income of around $360 billion. To attract them, brands should offer discounts, freebies, and be active on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok.

Hybrid Shopping is on the Rise 

 While eCommerce boomed during the pandemic, many consumers now prefer a hybrid shopping experience. They like the convenience of online shopping but still enjoy visiting physical stores, especially for items like clothing. Though online retail makes up only 15.4% of total retail revenue  in the US, it’s still growing. Offering both online and in-store shopping options is crucial for maximizing Black Friday sales.

Stores should offer both options to make the most out of Black Friday sales. The fashion industry is a prime example of benefiting from in-store shopping, as millennials still prefer to shop for clothes in physical stores to see the actual items and try them on. In addition, data from Google shows an increase in “open now near me” searches by a whopping 400% year-over-year, suggesting that consumers start their search online before ultimately purchasing from a physical store.

Ready to Celebrate the End of Summer with a Big Splash?☀️

As summer draws to a close, it's the perfect time to make a memorable impact with your marketing. Whether you're gearing up for a Labor Day sale or planning an end-of-summer blowout, creating standout ads can help you capture attention and drive sales. To inspire your next campaign, here are some fresh and creative ad ideas that are sure to make a splash. From eye-catching Instagram Stories to engaging visuals, these strategies will help you connect with your audience and close out the season with a bang.

1) Fun IG Stories Postcard Ads

Try using a postcard-style ad on Instagram Stories. Pair a stunning background image with a casual, handwritten message. It’s easy to create and really grabs attention!

2) Blurred Ads

Brands like Aritzia use blurred visuals in their Instagram carousel ads. They show just a hint of the product, making people curious and encouraging them to click through to your website for more details.

3) Website Screen Grab

Promote your summer sale on Instagram Stories by using a screenshot of your website’s collection page, highlighting the discounted prices. Add a lifestyle or product photo in the background. This is a quick and simple way to create an engaging ad using what you already have.

How TikTok Shop Won Brands and Customers During BFCM?🤔

For many fashion and beauty brands in the U.S., trying out livestreaming has had mixed results. However, with TikTok Shop offering discounts of up to 60% for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, many brands decided to give it a shot.

Trio Beauty's TikTok Shop Adventure✨

Trio Beauty, a popular beauty brand with 24,700 followers on TikTok and $12 million in annual sales, joined TikTok Shop’s BFCM campaign. They offered their own 30% discount on products, and with TikTok’s added discount, their Brow Wax, normally priced at $19, was reduced to just $7.45.

To promote their sale, Trio Beauty went live on TikTok twice on Black Friday, spending a total of five hours interacting with viewers. They also collaborated with several creators, sending them sale products to promote. These creators earned commissions on sales made through their platforms and were highly successful at driving purchases. Additionally, Trio Beauty used short videos on TikTok Shop to showcase all their discounted products, making it easy for viewers to see the deals at a glance.

What the Experts Say

Briana Olson, founder of Trio Beauty, praised TikTok Shop for its relaxed and engaging shopping experience. She noted that TikTok’s subsidized discounts and longer sales period were more appealing compared to Amazon’s approach. TikTok’s platform allowed customers to connect with the brand without feeling overwhelmed by aggressive sales tactics.

For Trio Beauty’s first livestream session, about half of the viewers came from TikTok For You page, which is where TikTok suggests popular content to users. The standout product from the livestream was their CloudStick Trio contour stick. TikTok is expected to release its overall BFCM sales numbers after November 30, but Trio Beauty saw a dramatic increase in orders on TikTok Shop, with a 525% rise compared to the previous month.

Sales Boost✨

Trio Beauty’s sales on TikTok Shop were well-distributed: 44% of sales came from their videos, 28% from livestreams, and 28% from product detail pages. This breakdown shows the effectiveness of various promotional strategies on the platform.

TikTok vs. Other Platforms

TikTok is emerging as a strong player in social commerce, often preferred over other platforms like Instagram and Amazon Live. TikTok’s incentives, such as higher commissions for creators and extra discounts for shoppers, have made it a more attractive option. However, these incentives are starting to slow down. TikTok is still seen as a better choice for many brands compared to Amazon, which has stricter rules and less promotional flexibility.

Creator Appeal

For creators, TikTok Shop has become a more appealing platform compared to Amazon. Creators earn better commissions on TikTok, and the platform’s algorithm helps their content reach a wider audience. This organic reach allows creators to effectively promote products and benefit from TikTok’s engaging format. Creators who participate in TikTok Shop’s campaigns are finding significant earnings, demonstrating the platform's potential for successful influencer marketing. 📈🎥🛍️

Your Voice 🎤

Phew! That was a lot, right? But hey, knowledge is power🌟. We hope this edition gave you some insights and maybe even cleared up a few doubts.

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