Fresh Black Friday marketing ideas for growth marketers

For example, the shopping app Rakuten, changed its app store description, promotional texts, and screenshots on the Apple App Store to highlight its Black Friday deals. The result? Rakuten’s App Store ranking for the term “Black Friday” went from number 23 on October 7, 2022, to number seven by Black Friday 2022.

If you’d like to take a deep dive into ASO to prep for the upcoming holiday season, check out The mobile app marketer’s definitive guide to app store optimization.

3. Recognize the importance of social media

Yes, social media is on every marketing “must” list, but don’t neglect this essential pillar of your Black Friday marketing strategy. According to the 2023 Sprout Social Index, 52% of consumers used social media more in the past two years than in the previous two to discover new products and services. Consider influencer marketing, particularly micro-influencers, to announce pre-Black Friday deals on your app or hold a contest on social media to drive excitement. Additionally, utilize hashtags to reach new users.

4. Incentivize competitively

As we recently covered in our article November’s e-commerce app usage surge, the five-day period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday saw incredible growth for e-commerce apps. The National Retail Federation reported that in the U.S., over three-quarters of consumers said they shopped during this period, but Black Friday has spread to other areas of the world. As illustrated in the image below, e-commerce apps across the globe enjoyed significant peaks above the daily average during the Black Friday period compared to the daily average of November 2022.

While this should be encouraging to e-commerce apps, it also brings into play the reality of stiff competition. To stand out from your competitors, focus your holiday marketing strategy on crafting seasonal incentives with creatives that are eye-catching and offers that are truly beneficial to users and potential users. Consider offering exclusive offers to existing users to boost user re-engagement and retention. In-app countdowns to deals and early access codes can also serve to drive interest.

Note that apps of all verticals can take advantage of this season and incorporate the following into their Black Friday marketing campaigns:

Gaming apps: Mysterious bundles for purchase and gifting other players in-app items

Subscription-based apps: “Early-bird” discounts/Get first month free

E-commerce apps: Buy-one-get-one

Travel apps: Holiday coupon

Fitness and health apps: Extra points for engaging with the app during the holiday

5. Level up your Black Friday email marketing

Email marketing for mobile apps has always been a thing, but don’t underestimate the power of having a Black Friday email marketing campaign. Related to the above topic of incentivization, email marketing is an excellent channel to advertise your holiday marketing campaigns.

5 Black Friday email marketing ideas:

1. Push readers to become VIP members of your app, gaining early access to Black Friday specials.
2. If users have abandoned items in their carts, email them upselling and cross-selling deals to boost your average order values.
3. Email gift guides early as 30% of holiday shoppers start researching gift buying in October or earlier.
4. Advertise deeply discounted products on your app via email and if possible, utilize opted-in first-party data to deliver personalized recommendations of these on-sale items.
5. Amp up the urgency by adding a countdown calendar to one of your Black Friday marketing emails or have “today only” deals.

6. Tap into the season of gifting

Whether it’s in the spirit of thankfulness or thinking ahead to those holiday gifts, many consumers are in “gift-giving” mode during Black Friday. Make it easy for them to engage with your app and share it with their friends and families.

For example, gaming apps can boost engagement by gifting a free life, weapon, or outfit to another player. E-commerce apps can let users share a Black Friday discount with someone they’re thankful for, and entertainment apps can suggest gifting subscriptions as a seasonal present.

7. Capture seasonal marketing impact via media mix modeling

Why not use historical data to see how your marketing budget was spent for previous Black Friday marketing campaigns to inform your future seasonal marketing endeavors? With media mix modeling (MMM), marketers can analyze aggregated data from a variety of channels and sources to predict the impact of future marketing activities on a business’ return on investment (ROI).

One of the biggest benefits of MMM is its ability to showcase how seasonality affects the success of your app’s campaigns. For many e-commerce apps, this factor is vital to understanding how to plan your future ad spend. For a deeper understanding of this topic, check out our guide on media mix modeling (MMM).

8. Remember Black Friday SMS marketing and push notifications

Did you know that 80.5% of consumers check their texts within five minutes of receiving them? While a Black Friday text message or push notification aren’t the newest Black Friday marketing ideas, they are often overlooked. Use promo codes, a dedicated landing page, and deep linking for a seamless seasonal user experience.

Black Friday SMS marketing/push notification ideas:

• Pop in a countdown message for increased urgency on seasonal sales.
• Send a push notification for exclusive deals or to share coupons.
• Inform users when there’s been a price drop.
• When a user has abandoned items in their cart, employ retargeting messages.

Note that it’s essential to adhere to privacy and compliance regulations to do any of the above, which is why we suggest getting the opt-in from users be part of your app’s UX strategy.

9. Consider adding a “Buy-now-pay-later” option

During the five-day period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, buy now pay later (BNPL) orders spiked 78% compared to the previous week, and revenue also increased by a whopping 81%. Amidst the recent economic downturn, many shoppers may feel stretched financially but still desire to take advantage of seasonal discounts. By adding a BNPL option, apps can encourage holiday spending while allowing users to pay at a flexible pace that matches their current budgets.

10. Optimize campaigns in real-time

According to Adjust’s Mobile app trends data, the month of November boasts the highest number of installs for e-commerce apps, undoubtedly helped by Black Friday marketing campaigns. To maximize campaign success during this time of year, marketers must be able to optimize them in real-time.

With a measurement and analytics suite like Adjust, marketers can:

• Analyze all marketing data in one place for greater efficiency.
• Compare results across apps, KPIs, and time periods in a single table.
• Immediately see trends from all data sources to know how to optimize campaigns.
• Confidently work with aggregated data to run winning iOS campaigns.
• Set customizable smart alerts for campaign performance, ad spend, or anomalies.

So, if you’re ready to level up your app’s Black Friday marketing with the leading-edge measurement and analytics suite, request your Adjust demo now!