The Cyber Five — Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Thanksgiving Weekend, and Cyber Monday — shattered Ecommerce records in 2016, with online purchases totalling US$12.8 billion in the US alone. Outside the US, Black Friday orders increased 3.81x in the UK, 4.43x in Canada, 6.01x in Denmark, and a staggering 7.80x in Spain for Shopify-powered stores.
Source: Shopify
More and more consumers are shopping from the comfort of their homes or on the go with mobile. How can you stand out from your competition to make an impression on these online shoppers? In addition to giving discounts, merchants have a variety of loyalty program tools to not only re-engage existing customers, but attract and retain new fans.
Make sure your store is mobile friendly
Set up the mobile theme of your loyalty program from the S Loyalty console
The Ecommerce landscape is evolving in leaps and bounds. In 2016, 53% of all orders on Thanksgiving Day were made on mobile, confirming that mobile-friendly platforms are essential to sales.
Setting up mobile theming for your loyalty program creates a consistent and convenient shopping user experience. Merchants using S Loyalty can add custom header logos and banner images for a popup that encourages shoppers already browsing your site to take advantage of loyalty program benefits and limited time offers.
Turn this one-time purchase into a reason to come again
Black Friday Cyber Monday bonus points campaigns and promotion materials created by merchants in 2016
For Black Friday and Cyber Monday, a simple discount isn’t enough. How can you get shoppers’ attentions in more creative ways than simply undercutting the competition? One great way to reward your customers is scheduling automated bonus points campaigns for shopping now so that they will quickly accumulate enough points to spend again in the near future. For example, you can offer five special days where customers earn 3x points for all purchases, or extra points for every $5 spent on an order. These bonus points become good incentive for customers to return for their Christmas shopping.
For inspiration, check out what other S Loyalty customers have done for their Black Friday and Cyber Monday campaigns.
Make redemptions and purchases seamless
Make it effortless for customers to redeem rewards or check their point balances by including quick links in your Black Friday Cyber Monday promotional e-mail newsletters so that customers can see the loyalty overlay pop up when they click the link and come to your store. You can also bring customers to specific product page with the quick link such that customers can redeem a reward, add the product to cart and check out in one go.
Add /#!redeem/ behind a product specific page link to direct customers to a product page and pop up the loyalty overlay
Make new and loyal customers feel special
Rewarding customers goes beyond discount amounts and bonus points. A loyalty program is an opportunity to show you care about each customer. Use this opportunity to impress first-time customers and delight your loyal fans with some additional S Loyalty features.
For new customers
Craft a custom thank you message (on Shopify only) to show them that you noticed. Or maybe make a special offer available only to first-time customers, such as a bundled gift item with their first purchase.
For existing customers
Also reward your existing customers with extra discounts for specific products that can only be redeemed with existing loyalty points. You can set up a Special Events Bonus that a customer can claim one time after they arrive at your website.
This is not a one-off: it’s the beginning of your retention cycle
Black Friday and Cyber Monday is an annual opportunity — an opportunity to attract new lifelong customers. Turning savy, seasonal shoppers into repeat customers can have an enormous impact on the success of your business. They are strategic customers who look for inspiration, do research, and make informed choices. Make use of this annual event to leave a lasting impression and keep them up to date so that they will return again soon to redeem future offers!