Winning Black Week Strategies: Boost Sales Without Sacrificing Margin.

So, what strategy should you adopt to make the most of it? And how do you balance discounts and ad spend to optimise sales?
Weathering the storm of Black Friday and the whole of Black Week is no small task for ecommerce businesses. In such a crucial period, where decisions can have a significant impact on the annual budget, it’s essential to have an expert, reliable partner by your side. That’s where Made in Evolve comes in. For over a decade, we’ve immersed ourselves in the depths of Black Week, and we know every single nuance and dynamic of it. We’ve refined our techniques, from investment budgets to discount strategies, to create tailored solutions that guarantee the best results for our partners. Whether you want to take an aggressive or a more moderate approach, our experience allows us to recommend the optimal path forward, ensuring that every euro invested and every percentage of discount applied is strategically calibrated to maximise performance. We have a team of experts who know exactly how to navigate this intense, profitable period.

• The power of discounts: Many fear that offering discounts can erode margin. However, our team at Made in Evolve, drawing on years of experience running Black Friday campaigns, has noticed something interesting: the discount percentage, while it may look like a drop in margin, is offset by the reduction in spend needed to acquire a sale. During this period of “collective shopping frenzy”, customer acquisition costs fall significantly. So even when offering a discount, the net gain is often higher than acquiring a customer at full price, where ad spend accounts for a significant share of the budget.
• Meta vs. Google: In the advertising landscape, we’ve found that Meta is the dominant channel over Google. This trend reaffirms the importance of creative assets. A well-designed campaign with compelling visual content can make the difference between a successful campaign and an underperforming one.
• The power of creative assets: On Meta, the key to success lies not just in audience segmentation or budget invested, but above all in the strength of the creative content. An image or video that strikes a chord and resonates with the audience can have an exponential impact on conversions.
• Email Marketing and Automation: At Made in Evolve, we typically advise our partners to plan at least three newsletter campaigns coordinated with automation during Black Week. Email marketing, when combined with automation, can create a personalised experience for the customer, increasing the likelihood of conversion. Targeted, relevant communication can make the difference in building customer loyalty and encouraging further purchases.
• Studies and Data: According to a recent study published by Forrester Research, Black Friday and Black Week can account for up to 30% of annual sales for ecommerce businesses. Another study, this time by Adobe Analytics, found that in 2022, online sales during Black Friday exceeded $9 billion, up 22% on the previous year.

In conclusion, Black Week represents a golden opportunity for ecommerce businesses. With a well-planned strategy that balances aggressive offers and optimised ad spend, it’s possible to maximise both sales and profitability. And, as always, the key to success lies in adapting, experimenting and learning from the results achieved.

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