'Black Friday' Is Looking "Rosy" for Online Businesses

One of the many Americanism’s that Britain has adopted over the past few years has been the retail trend known as 'Black Friday'. Traditionally the day after thanksgiving, when many American’s took the day off work in order to have a 4 day weekend, it has now became synonymous with the most popular shopping day of the commercial year. Stores discount heavily to increase spending and achieve excessive revenues in doing so.

So how does this affect us in the UK, and what trends can online retailers take away from it?

In 2014 a survey showed that on Black Friday, 47% of consumers looked at advertising deals online in a search for the best bargains, with 35% buying then and there. This is big news for anyone who has a website or carries out digital marketing. As it shows this is a key time for them to be concentrating their efforts on getting their message and brand across.

“Black Friday through to Christmas generates on average generates 50-100% more revenue than any other non-holiday shopping days throughout the year”. Forbes Magazine

Read more: Maybe 'Black Friday' Should be Called 'Let's Shop Friday'?

RE: URGENT - CRM NEEDED!!

Know the feeling? No? Then, allow me to explain what CRM is...

Client Relationship Management

CRM is a fantastic tool that wraps Sales, Marketing and Customer Support all up, in one big bow. It’s the lovely little place that holds and stores your, entire client and prospective client’s details, and in turn, saves you from those blasted scrap pieces of paper you keep losing!

CRM can be utilised by your company to manage all interactions between you and your current clients and prospective clients. Meaning, you’ll have a single view of the ENTIRE process from Marketing to Sales and Sales to Customer Growth. 

At the heart of any business a CRM will be able to present, plan and alert, day to day activities, targets and goals.

Read more: RE: URGENT - CRM NEEDED!!

Why All Businesses, Wherever You are, Need to be Utilising Digital Marketing

Customer behaviour has changed considerably over the last 10 years. When we begin our purchasing journey we inevitably start our research online, and businesses who fail to recognise this trend are losing out.

Think about it? Your phone is broken. You’re considering getting a new one. What do you do? You go online of course, Google the latest models, check the spec and then compare prices and deals. And it doesn’t just go for phones, it can be applied to almost any area of retail or the service sector; from plumbers in your area to a new coat; if we need something we Google it first. The buyer journey essentially, begins and ends on the internet, and the smarter companies are the ones who are facilitating the consumer’s journey before they ever reach their site.

Remember how it used to be?

Many companies, especially in rural areas, believe that this rule only applies to the bigger cities. But, it’s really not the case. I was born and raised in a small village in Lincolnshire, called Heckington. It’s famous for a windmill and an annual agricultural show. When I was growing up I thought it was the backend of beyond where nothing ever happened. Our school had one computer (an Archimedes) and we would fight over it to play James Pond. After a few years here and there, moving to Sheffield, then Bath, I am now living back in that very village, I thought I would never go back to. Why? Well because it has changed and so have I.

Heckington is a small village in a county most people haven’t heard of, but even it has moved with the times. We now have fibre optic broadband. The windmill has its own website and brewery who regularly market online. The local school even has 50 computers. What’s more is that, in marketing terms, if you do a Google search for a Hairdresser in the nearby town of Sleaford, you will find 110 people on average searching for this information each month. 

Read more: Why All Businesses, Need to be Utilising Digital Marketing