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Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) sale is upon us – the most anticipated shopping event the world over.
However, the last two years saw a dip in BFCM sales due to the pandemic.
But with things being back to normal, this year’s BFCM sale is going to be different — the number of eCommerce stores have multiplied. So have the number of online shoppers.
Retailers are expecting more sales. But before that, extraordinary competition!
To tackle the competition, marketers are putting high emphasis on WhatsApp marketing.
After all, WhatsApp has 700 million more users than Facebook Messenger.
And so, it’s time we get talking about how to add WhatsApp into your BFCM marketing and sales strategy this year.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
To begin with, consider these global statistics on WhatsApp:
One of the best aspects of WhatsApp is that it’s a platform that people began using for personal conversations with friends and family. Now, the same conversational nature is being used for marketing purposes.
This has made consumers more comfortable with the idea of interacting with brands.
Customers can now have one-on-one interactions in real-time. It’s even better when there are real life agents to respond to customers, and not only automated bots.
The conversational nature of WhatsApp helps brands nurture customer relationships by personalizing responses. This improves customer experience to a great extent.
After all, 79% of businesses say conversational marketing leads to more loyal customers and sales.
During BFCM, WhatsApp conversational marketing can help you close sales faster. For example, a customer reaches out to you with a query regarding the size of a garment. While you chat with that customer, you could trigger urgency by telling them the last few pieces in their size are selling out fast. The result: a quick sale.
WhatsApp conversational marketing best practices:
BFCM is a busy time – for both retailers and customers. And WhatsApp’s instantaneous nature is a huge benefit.
For example, say a customer is shopping from your BFCM sale and has a query regarding a product. The customer reaches out to you via WhatsApp and you reply instantly, answer the query and help the customer place the order fast.
In another case, let’s say your customers added items in their wishlists to buy them during the BFCM sale. You could send them a WhatsApp message informing them that the sale has started and whether you should save the item for them before it gets sold out.
People always have their mobile phones with them. This means that there’s a lesser chance of your WhatsApp messages going unread. Let’s back this up with stats — WhatsApp has a click through rate of 45% to 60%.
Now let’s look at how you can use WhatsApp during the entire span of preparing for the BFCM and holiday season sales to beyond.
BFCM is one of the biggest shopping events and so, you should start your sale announcements weeks or months in advance. WhatsApp is one of the best channels to send your upcoming BFCM sale announcements.
Customers can easily refer to your messages and stay updated at all times. What is more, your WhatsApp messages will also have your website link. That makes it easy for customers to access the site as soon as the sale begins.
Here’s an example:
Every eCommerce brand would have the BFCM sale. So, how are you going to try to stand out from the crowd?
To build excitement around your sale, start sending teasers of your discounts. Let customers know what kind of offers they can expect this year. However, make sure you don’t disclose every detail. Let there be a surprise element.
Here’s what you can do:
Here’s an example:
A pre-order campaign before your BFCM sale can help you in many ways:
Many shoppers wait for the BFCM sale to purchase items on their wishlists. You could boost your pre-order sales by creating WhatsApp pre-order campaigns before the sale.
Another way that pre-order campaigns can help you is to assess the demand of specific products. Based on the number of shoppers that show interest in your product or pre-order, you can have a good idea of its demand. This can also help you manage your inventory better and stock the product accordingly.
Here’s a pre-order WhatsApp broadcast example:
As the sale period is going to be a busy time, wouldn’t it be better if you informed customers about your sale, return, and exchange policies much in advance? So that they can shop stress-free without wondering, ‘Will I be able to return this item if it doesn’t fit me?’
Here’s a WhatsApp broadcast example to share your return/exchange policy:
Almost every brand, big and small, would be having a BFCM sale. This means there will be immense competition. And so, if you don’t promote your sale, customers might forget about you.
To stay ahead of your competition, and on top of your customers’ mind, send them multiple reminders as a build up to the sale day.
Here’s an example:
It’s not enough to send WhatsApp broadcast messages before the sale begins. The real action takes place once the sale begins. Your competitors are going to fight for customers’ attention. So, if you don’t remind customers about your deals and offers, your competitors might take away their attention.
Here’s an example:
Since BFCM is one of the most busy shopping periods, your customers are going to be all over the internet, browsing different sites. At the same time, products do tend to sell out fast during this time. In such a scenario, if shoppers have liked some products on your site and they’re running out fast, you should make sure you bring them back to your site in a timely manner.
The best way to get your message across – WhatsApp broadcasts. Do this:
Here’s an example:
Even though it’s the busiest shopping period, customers might still need your help. For example, they might have queries regarding the size or color of a product, or shipping-relation doubts, etc. And so, it’s important that you provide them real-time support.
With the WhatsApp business API, you could even set up FAQs that could answer the basic questions. That way, you can save time and resources to respond to more complex queries.
Here’s an example of a WhatsApp customer support message:
The good thing is that WhatsApp Business API solutions like QuickReply.ai come with a powerful inbox dashboard to manage support queries; at the same time, it also lets you set up smart automations to address incoming questions more efficiently. Learn more about it here.
Generally, on average 69% of carts are abandoned. During the Black Friday sale period, this rate goes up by 5%. With so many attractive deals floating around on the internet, your customers are bound to leave their carts without checking out.
Some reasons of cart abandonment during BFCM:
And these are the kind of abandoned cart messages you could send to shoppers:
Here’s an example:
Customers tend to make a lot of purchases during the Black Friday Cyber Monday sale. While you might send them email notifications and confirmations, you should also use WhatsApp to send quick alerts and updates of their transactions and purchases.
That way, they can get a quick confirmation on their phone, and they can continue shopping more without worrying.
Here’s an example:
As soon as your customers place an order, you should be ready to send them a shipping update. This will help reduce customers' anxiety and they’ll be able to get back to shopping more. Sending them shipping updates via WhatsApp means customers won’t miss the updates. Moreover, they can have the shipping details handy on them whenever they want to check the status.
There are different kinds of shipping alerts that you should send to customers.
Here’s an example:
BFCM is one of the best times to share product recommendations to customers. You might have a lot of data about your customers past shopping behavior, likes, interests, etc. Based on that, you could recommend products to them during the BFCM sale period.
Moreover, there’s a lot going on during this time, and customers might miss out on some of your best deals. This is where product recommendations can help you help your customers.
Here’s what you can do:
Here’s an example:
Now that customers have made purchases, your engagement rates should not drop. One effective way to engage customers post-BFCM is to request them for product reviews.
Customers are most probably happy with the good deals and shopping. It’s a great opportunity to collect positive reviews.
That way, you can keep them engaged, and collect user-generated content such as reviews, images, etc.
Here’s an example:
You won’t be able to sell out your entire inventory. There will be some items that will remain. But that’s not a bad thing. It’s an opportunity to promote those items.
The post-BFCM period can get slow but you can improve your engagement during this period with the right strategy.
You can send WhatsApp broadcasts to share the remaining items. To entice customers to purchase them, you could offer incentives such as extra discount, free shipping, same-day delivery, etc. Chances are, those customers who couldn't make purchases during the sale period, would buy from the remaining items.
Here’s an example:
Most eCommerce businesses extend the BFCM sale by a few days. This way, they can sell off their remaining products. What is more, customers who missed out on shopping during the four days, can make use of this opportunity to avail the discounted prices.
Here’s an example:
You might get many first-time customers during the BFCM sale. To be able to tap into them, you should engage and nurture a relationship with them. That’s where survey campaigns can help.
Segment your first-time customers into one group. Then, run WhatsApp broadcast surveys to know them better. Ask them questions that will help you understand who these customers are, their demographics, products they’re interested in, what more they’d like to see on your site, etc.
Here’s an example:
There’s a lot of effort you’d have to put into your WhatsApp strategy for BFCM. From building your WhatsApp list to setting up campaigns to automating messages.
To do all this, you need to first have a WhatsApp Business API solution provider in place.
QuickReply.ai can help you with 40+ customizable eCommerce WhatsApp chatbots.
Tool and strategies modern teams need to help their companies grow.
Leverage the untapped growth potential of WhatsApp marketing to acquire and retain customers.
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