Black Week: E-Commerce in a Black Friday Frenzy

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Black Friday has grown into a global shopping phenomenon that has become firmly established in Germany too. Originally from the USA, it traditionally takes place on the day after Thanksgiving and marks the start of the Christmas shopping season. By now it has become an entire week full of discount campaigns and special deals in which retailers can push their revenue to new record highs. The e-commerce boost is clearly noticeable during Black Week as well. Fewer and fewer people are diving into crowded shopping centres; instead, they prefer to take advantage of the Black Friday deals online.

That is why PoD retailers have a major advantage during Black Week:

• Clothing: Most shoppers use Black Week to buy clothing (Statista, 2022).
• Personalised gifts: Unique and personal gifts are especially popular for Christmas and are often bought as early as Black Friday.
• Seasonal designs: With print on demand, festive products can be offered without the risk of being left with unsold stock.

What Makes a Good Black Friday Deal

Discounts are everywhere during Black Week. To convince customers of your deals, your offers should meet the following criteria:

1. Significant discounts – On Black Friday you need discounts where the customer can feel a noticeable price reduction. Use approaches such as Buy More Save More – the higher the purchase value, the bigger the discount.
2. Limited availability – A time-limited offer creates pressure and drives customers to act quickly, e.g. flash sales that are valid for only a few hours.
3. Transparent communication – Clear communication about the Black Friday offer and its terms builds trust with customers.
4. Added benefits – Gifts are also very popular; for example, add a digital product that offers your customers extra value once they reach a certain purchase value.
5. Uniqueness – Offer your customers something they will not find anywhere else in this form.

The Black Week Checklist for Online Retailers

To get through Black Week successfully, here is the ultimate checklist for PoD retailers.

1. Product planning:
   • Plan your Black Friday offers and discounts for your products
   • Create seasonally appropriate designs
   • Combine your products into bundles
2. Website:
   • Make sure your website is fast and user-friendly
   • Integrate your offers and bundles using suitable apps
3. Marketing:
   • Social media marketing: Use your socials to build anticipation and tease the discounts.
   • Email marketing: Remind your existing customers that they will have the chance to access exclusive offers, and send out an announcement early enough
   • POS campaign: Integrate pop-ups and banners in your shop that draw attention to the offers
4. Customer service:
   • More customers means more customer service: plan enough time in advance on these days that you can dedicate to enquiries
5. Analysis:
   • Use analytics tools to track and understand the success of your Black Week campaign

The only thing you do not have to worry about is inventory and logistics. At MarketPrint, we make sure there are enough products available and that they reach your customers as quickly as possible.

With good preparation, you can achieve 20-30% of your entire annual revenue during Black Week. Make sure now that your online shop is ready for it!