By Ellie-Rose Davies, Content Executive at IMRG
With Black Friday just around the corner, and Christmas campaigns growing aplenty, we will be reflecting on the best use of festive marketing in eCommerce this year.
With the help of IMRG’s “elves” (otherwise known as industry experts), we will reflect on the top approaches to Black Friday and Christmas marketing campaigns, helping retailers to identify growing trends.
Also – as an extra little bit of fun, team IMRG have shared their favourite campaigns from this season.
Retailers are prioritising emotion
A couple of years ago we published a blog which described festive campaigns as a ‘retailers’ family tradition,’ and this remains true. During the peak trading period that runs from November to January, retailers continue to embrace festivity, and many customers get excited in anticipation of seeing what each retailer brings to the table each year.
Festive marketing isn’t just about saying everything you can about your brand or offers at once, more so it tends to encourage human emotion and subsequently increase customer sentiment towards the brand – whether that be excitement, joy, peace, surprise, or happiness.
Prisync offers a good example of this; ‘In 2024, many stand out Black Friday and Christmas campaigns have followed a creative, customer-centric approach, like Coca-Cola’s Christmas campaign recreated with AI. The campaign stood out not only for its creative blend of tradition and innovation but also for its simplicity and emotional appeal.’
‘It focused on emotional storytelling and a universal message of togetherness, all deeply resonating with audiences. Retailers can take inspiration from Coca-Cola by pairing segment-specific pricing strategies with storytelling in their Black Friday and Christmas marketing efforts, emphasising how their products bring joy and value that customers feel connected to the brand during the holiday season,’ says Prisync.
Hemang Nathwani, Sales Director at Price Trakker note how ‘Effective festive campaigns combine creativity with targeted customer engagement. This year, many successful Black Friday strategies prioritise personalisation and data-driven recommendations to resonate with shoppers.’
He exclaims, ‘Retailers are encouraged to maintain multi-channel consistency, ensuring a clear and compelling message reaches customers wherever they shop. Incorporating social proof, such as reviews and testimonials, fosters trust and boosts conversions. Cohesive visuals and messaging that highlight the brand’s unique value can deliver memorable customer experiences.’
Also encouraging retailers to target customers more carefully and provide good emotional experiences is Francois Rychlewski, VP of sales EMEA at Sheer ID.
Francois says, ‘The holidays are a season when people traditionally embrace both the sense of community and the spirit of giving. That’s why gated offers with exclusive deals – gifted to groups like teachers, students, or healthcare workers – are particularly effective this time of year.
‘For example, streaming platform TIDAL successfully leveraged Black Friday momentum to introduce a New Year community offer of a 3-month subscription discount that boosted engagement and drove new sign-ups among students, first responders and other groups.’
He describes how ‘Gated deals make members of these groups feel special and let them know they are valued and appreciated. They’re also a great way for brands to stand out among their competition in the noise of holiday deals – building customer loyalty that reaps benefits all year long.’
Great marketing grows customer engagement
It is all well bringing out emotion in customers, but it is even better when that emotion translates into direct engagement with the brand.
Alexander Otto, Head of Corporate Relations at Tradebyte says, ‘In today’s crowded and competitive eCommerce landscape, success leading up to Christmas will hinge on brands being able to stand out. Strategic product listing optimisation, performance marketing and retail media strategies are all important.’
‘With consumers increasingly starting their shopping on platforms like Amazon and Zalando, tailored listing strategies—optimised titles, bullet points, and imagery—are valuable for visibility and conversion. Performance marketing amplifies this, driving traffic through data-informed ads and boosting engagement’
Alexander reveals that ‘With only 1-3% growth forecasted in European fashion retail, brands in this sector would benefit from preparing early, committing to retail media budgets, and aligning campaigns with platform-specific criteria. A winning campaign combines optimised listings, targeted ads, and a seamless customer journey, ensuring standout results as we enter 2025.’
Engagement on site, during the browsing and purchasing stage is vital, but so is engagement during the post-purchase stage.
Gary Carlile, Executive VP of Customer Growth at nShift reveals that ‘Today’s shoppers expect regular updates on the status of their delivery. This is especially critical during the peak period where sales are condensed into a short period.’
‘Retailers can send shoppers branded updates at every stage of the delivery process, from the moment their order sets sail to the moment it arrives at their doorstep.’
However, Gary says ‘shoppers assume they will be able to view updates relating to their purchase through the channels that are relevant to them, not the communication methods that are convenient for the retailer. Get this right and retailers can be sure to have earned a loyal customer long after the Black Friday fanfare has passed.’
IMRG’s favourite festive campaigns
When asking the team to share their favourite festive marketing campaigns for both Black Friday and Christmas, I was met with an answer that said a lot about the high quality of campaigns this year: ‘that’s like asking me to pick a favourite child.’
But I did manage to get a few answers to this question…
Lily Tokmantseva, Head of Marketing & Content for ECE, TFM and IMRG, says that she is ‘a big fan of Waitrose’s Murder Mystery campaign!’
They even have a list of all the potential suspects on their website and encourage interactivity by asking customers to answer ‘whodunnit?’ on a poll.
Source: The Waitrose Christmas Advert 2024 | A Waitrose Mystery | Waitrose & Partners
Jonathan Eungblut, Marketing Manager at IMRG applauded Etsy for their ‘Where’s Waldo?’ advertisement. He says, ‘I used to have loads of Where’s Wally! And it’s a bit of a lesser-known brand!’
The advert is clever marketing for their brand as it focusses on the element of personalised gifting, which Etsy are known for, and it brings a sense of nostalgia for those adults who grew up with ‘Where’s Wally?.’
Fionn Carroll, Senior Marketing Executive at IMRG shared his favourite Black Friday campaign of 2024; ‘Sephora’s Black Friday campaign is a strong approach for the market. By offering free shipping all weekend and 50% off across the store, they’re removing common barriers for shoppers, like delivery costs, while encouraging impulse purchases. It’s a practical strategy to attract new customers and boost sales.’
A Black Friday campaign that stood out to me (Ellie-Rose Davies, Content Executive at IMRG) this year is by Argos. Here’s several reasons why:
- You will see the words ‘Black Friday’ no matter where you are on the site – pinned at the top of the site, in drop-down menus, in banners, etc.
- They have a ‘why we’re the best for Black Friday’ section which highlights their competitive offerings.
- They have highlighted their free delivery offering, which IMRG research has shown is an increasingly attractive proposition to customers.
- They have included a section which features all the promo codes and offers that customers can use, making the deals easily accessible to customers.
- They are encouraging higher average basket values and loyalty by offering £10 off a £60+ spend for new email sign-ups.
- Their announcement of their Black Friday campaign on social media was fun and creative.
- They have also used a price promise which is popular approach used by brands, especially those who sell electrical products.
What was your favourite campaign? Let us know in the comments on our LinkedIn post:
IMRG’s daily Black Friday week tracking has started. We’ll be reflecting on current trends in our upcoming webinars and events.
Published 27/11/2024
