You’re Going to Lose 1/3 of Your Sales If Your Website Isn’t Mobile-friendly During the Thanksgiving Weekend [Infographic]

Posted on November 10, 2016   3:15 am by Zuzana P

Black friday a sacred and special day to a self-confessed shopaholic. A day of sales that were a thing that only existed in dreams for the past 364 days have finally  come to life. The perfect pair of coveted black leather boots not to dainty but not too chunky with a perfect I inch heel with a drastic discount….. Is buying three pairs of them too much? But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Black Friday and Cyber monday is serious business for all things retail. It is one of the most profitable days for any business or brand within the United States. Everybody from your average consumer to erratic shopaholic turns to black friday for the best deals and prices available throughout the year.

Think about this: If your business does not have a mobile-friendly website during the Black Friday through to cyber monday, You could lose over of your sales!

This loss is substantial when considering the billions of dollars in sales that are made during Black Friday alone. For example, an estimated $3.5 billion in profits were made on Black Friday, and profits grow by at least a million each year.

In 2015, 75 million consumers shopped for deals and bargains on Black Friday. The most popular online retailers on Black Friday are Amazon with 7.95 million visitors, Walmart with 4.15 million, Best Buy with 3.75 million, Target with 2.85 million, and Apple with 2.58 million. Walmart reported that 70% of its online traffic on Black Friday came exclusively from smartphones and tablets.  This data highlights the significance of having a website that is fully mobile friendly when it comes to the rush of holiday sales.

Online sales on smartphones during Black Friday nearly doubled in the period from 2013 to 2015, with an initial 12% of sales increasing substantially to 21%

The average Black Friday order value is $117.87, and during 2015, $905 million in sales revenue was made from Black Friday orders exclusively when examining mobile orders.

  • 33% of all online sales made during this period of 2015 were made via smartphones.
  • 78% of all mobile orders were made directly from Apple devices and 22% of mobile orders were made from Android devices.
  • 67% of all online sales came from desktop computers.

This demonstrates that although mobile transactions are popular, traditional desktop purchases continue to drive ecommerce.

The concept of Black Friday and its deals have become so popular that it has become a worldwide shopping experience in many regards. While there are many international consumers that shop on Black Friday, some countries have decided to make their version of the shopping holiday instead. The United Kingdom followed up with many of the bargains and deals online and in stores and China created Single’s Day to dedicate a day to holiday savings directly. Businesses and companies, whether large or small, can agree that offering a Black Friday or related holiday sale can often be the best way to increase profits. It can encourage returning customers to make substantially larger purchases due to the sale promotions available. It can also encourage potential consumers to become first-time customers upon discovering a deal that cannot be found elsewhere. In this regard, it is beneficial for businesses to take advantage of Black Friday or similar holiday sale opportunities, especially if they are catering to an online demographic of shoppers.

What kind of deals are customers attracted to?

It can vary from person to person, but to gain insight into the trends, it is a good idea to examine results from the top 5 stores that were deemed to have the best online deals in 2015.

Amazon ranked at #1 for the 6th year in a row due to the nature of the sales and deals that it offered. For example, Amazon offered 75% off of all winter coats and jackets. Its low prices for electronics also led to success; 32’’ LED TVs were sold for $75, and 50’’ 1080P LED HDTVs were sold for $150.

The well-known store Target was a close runner up, ranking at #2 among consumers. Most consumers enjoyed their experience shopping the sale at Target because the company offered free shipping during the promotion. In addition, Target also offered 10% off of technology and entertainment items. These discounts were able to add up quickly for most consumers, especially noting that Target already provides many promotions and low prices on a regular basis. This meant that it was very likely to stack promotions for greater savings during the sale.

Ranking at #3, Newegg offered 39% of its deals all in electronics, which made it a prime resource for consumers that were seeking to purchase new hardware or add-on to their home theaters. Best Buy and Walmart followed closely behind in the rankings with Best Buy being rated as #4 for offering $100 off of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus purchases, while Walmart offered $50 for Xbox One purchases.

Translating this data into results for other businesses means understanding what consumers typically buy and what they want to see when searching for deals during the holiday season. This is not to say that companies are expected to compete with the likes of Amazon and Target regarding the types of discounts that are provided, it does not hurt to mimic the model during Black Friday. Retail businesses can benefit significantly on Black Friday if they are willing to discount their apparel more heavily. 

Likewise, companies specializing in selling technology and entertainment can benefit from discounting specific amounts off of the current retail price, adding percentage discount to already available deals, or only discounting the electronics that are available if the store sells a variety of items.

Most businesses can benefit from offering a ‘no strings attached’ free shipping promotion during Black Friday. This significantly increases the number of consumers that will be willing to make a purchase without encountering the dismay of shipping fees.

 

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