Black Friday, regarded as one of the most significant sales events for retailers and customers around the globe, will fall on November 25 this year. Although this phenomenon is relatively new in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), with the first such event happening as recently as 2014, Black Friday has already become the biggest shopping event in the region. It has witnessed rapid growth year on year, and brands here are confident that it will continue to grow at a massive scale going ahead.
What started as a 24-hour shopping festival has now become an event that has transformed the entire month of November into a giant shopping carnival, with Singles Day and Cyber Monday becoming a significant part of the Black Friday shopping experience. It won’t be an exaggeration to say that Black Friday in MENA has now turned into a month of doorbuster sales and deals that often spills over into October with Halloween celebrations.
Given the growing shoppers’ interest in Black Friday in the MENA region, brands must find ways to efficiently reach their potential customers and stand out from the competition. This is where influencer marketing comes into the picture. Including influencers in your marketing mix will significantly boost your sales this shopping season. So let us look at some ways how creators can become your best friend during this time of the year.
Product reviews
With shoppers waiting to shop to their heart’s content during November, brands should ensure that their products are in front of the consumers in a way that lures them to buy the item. Customers need some extra validation and push to buy the products, and who better than the influencers – whom they follow for recommendations – to give the product review of goods they have set their eyes on? Influencers can play a significant role in converting shoppers who are still considering what to buy during Black Friday. As most of the shoppers are on social media and follow some influencers in the area of their interest, it makes much more sense for brands to leverage them to build a relationship with customers based on trust.
Also Read: The Changing Dynamics of Influencer Marketing
Innovative gifting ideas
Brands in MENA should come out with gifting ideas that create excitement among the shoppers looking for gifts for their friends and families during this time of the year. Engaging with social media influencers to create content that showcases Black Friday gifting ideas, gift hampers, and product recommendations through an engaging and authentic tone will do wonders for the business of brands. Influencers can convince shoppers to spend their money on the products based on their recommendations. Moreover, consumers are also looking for suggestions from their favorite content creators on the latest gadgets and trending products they should buy during the shopping festival. According to a recent report, more than 20% of shoppers purchase following a recommendation from the influencers they follow.
Use discount codes
Brands can build excitement around Singles’ Day, Thanksgiving, and Cyber Monday in the region as Black Friday in MENA is not only about that particular day, but it has become much more elaborate, where shoppers and retailers benefit from each other in a two-month-long shopping extravaganza. To take advantage of the high-shopping intent, brands in the region must collaborate with social media influencers to promote specific shopping day sales, which will help creators increase engagement on their profiles and improve sales for brands. And with unique coupon codes assigned to every creator, brands can effectively track the conversion rate in real time, gauge the campaign’s success, and determine the top-performing creators for upcoming partnerships.
Product unboxing
Product unboxing videos are a great way to create shopping excitement among shoppers during Black Friday. Unboxing videos help potential customers to witness the products in detail and understand their usage and presentation, increasing the conversion rate. Black Friday season is also one of the best times to launch exclusive products that is sure to catch your target audience’s attention. Build curiosity around the new product launch and use influencers to talk about it on social media through unboxing videos, and witness the sales of your new product going through the roof this Black Friday. Prominent retailers have been trying this technique in MENA for some years, and it is time for you to give this winning strategy a shot.
