What a weekend! Once again, Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend has been a massive success for ecommerce. The weekend gets bigger every year, and with more growth we see in the ecommerce space, we’re always looking to see what we can learn to keep the momentum going for the holiday season and beyond.
The Cold, Hard Stats
One of our favorite things to do post-BFCM is to look at the crazy statistics and figures and facts that come out afterwards...and there are plenty this year!
Consumers Spent Over $2 Billion on Black Friday on Their Smartphones
That’s right, $2 billion just on smartphones. But why has mobile shopping become so integral to Black Friday? It’s simple - speed and convenience. In order to snap up the very best, limited deals and offers, shoppers are looking to their cellphones. Whether you’re on a train, at a coffee shop, waiting outside in line for that coveted $200 TV at 3 AM, or even in the restroom at the office, mobile apps and shopping mean you can snap up those deals fast.
Top iOS Shopping Apps Were Downloaded Over 2 Million Times
This equals a 9% growth over Black Friday 2017 - and we’re still waiting to hear the data from the Google Play store! Amazon saw over 115,000 new app users on Black Friday, Walmart gained 95,000 users, and Target scored 62,000 new users.
2 Billion+ Emails Were Sent on Black Friday via Mailchimp
Email marketing is a great, direct way to reach your customers. You already know your subscribers like your brand and your products, and on Black Friday weekend they often look to their inbox to see what the best deals from their favorite brands.
Shopify Merchants Collectively Made Over $1.5 Billion
Lots of Shopify love this year on BFCM weekend! Last year in 2017 Shopify merchants collectively saw over $1 billion in sales and this year have smashed it out the park. With even more new tools, apps, and integrations, Shopify has made it even easier for merchants to see success on Black Friday weekend.
10,000+ Sales Were Made Every Minute Through Shopify
If the last stat wasn’t impressive enough, then check this one out! That’s a lot of packages to pick and pack…
10% of Online Sales Went Through Shopify Stores on Black Friday
Want to know something that makes that fact even more impressive? Just five years ago, less than 1% of online sales went through Shopify stores on Black Friday!
Shopify is a continuously growing and expanding eCommerce platform - we can’t wait to see where it is five years from now.
What Have We Learned So Far?
Black Friday 2018 hasn’t so much taught us anything new as it has confirmed a number of trends and tactics that we all knew about - and that’s great!
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Mobile optimization is key. With more people relying on their smartphones for online shopping, you need to make sure your website is primed for mobile sales.
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Apps are growing. All major retailers’ apps seen significant growth in downloads from 2017, meaning that consumers want convenience when they’re snapping up those deals.
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Focus on email marketing. Emails are your direct link to your most engaged customers. Don’t get lost in the BFCM herd and make sure you have a robust email marketing strategy.
- Picking the right ecommerce platform is crucial. We of course love Shopify, and this year’s fantastic growth in combined merchant sales across BFCM weekend confirms all the reasons why we love it so much. Picking a platform that has the right apps, integrations, and learning resources is so important to ensuring BFCM success.