Winning Holiday Customers From Black Friday Through the End of the Year

While still the biggest shopping time of the year, Black Friday doesn’t hold all of the weight that it used to. In fact, over 50% respondents in Zeta’s recent consumer research revealed it’s not their main focal point in their holiday shopping this year at all. So, when will the other (nearly half of) shoppers do their holiday shopping, and how can you reliably capture those sales? In a year complicated by economic gyrations and fears of a deepening recession, the implications of consumer sentiment this holiday season could be significant.

It’s not too late to prepare

How are your best customers finding you? Once they find you, what’s your plan to keep them engaged beyond this season? It’s never too late to engage with a vender who can help you think through and implement no-nonsense ways strategies. But you need to ensure they can help you:

• Map an “ideal customer” journey and evaluate opportunities to improve it. 

• Learn how to gain visibility with similarly ideal customers across a number of channels.

• Deepen your brand’s connection with existing customers by reaching out with timely and relevant messaging via their favorite channel, be it social media, text, email, or something else.

All aboard for Christmas 2022

Tighter budgets make it especially important to reduce any barriers to making a sale. December will surely be both a challenge and a massive opportunity for all brands. Be sure to:

1. Reserve sufficient marketing budget to extend campaigns later into the year.
2. Target high-value audiences that will drive more robust ROI.
3. Get your brand in front of prospects with similar demographics, sentiment, location and psychographics as your ideal customer.
4. Have a game plan for potential logistical hiccups like supply, labor, and shipping issues that may be beyond your control.
5. Develop a manageable, proactive communications plan to help soothe and manage customer expectations. 

No Omnichannel marketing plan for Christmas 2022? It’s not too late to get one.

Our recent survey of 2022 holiday shoppers revealed they want to successfully navigate a blend of in-store and online shopping this year. This means that successful marketers will certainly need an omnichannel approach to reach shoppers wherever they want to make a purchase. 

Targeting those offline shoppers doesn’t have to be complicated or stressful, either. For starters:

1. Make sure you have clear physical signage for your in-store shoppers.
2. Help shoppers feel connected to their community by partnering with local organizations to increase visibility and provide mutual support.
3. Use geographic targeting to push people to your brick-and-mortar stores.
4. Pair an SMS messaging campaign with targeted display and search ads to drive consumers to your brick-and-mortar locations.

Use what you have to incentivize shoppers

It’s no surprise with the economy as it is that our survey revealed a majority of in-person shoppers plan to hit the discount stores, followed closely by department stores. Because of their size, these stores can pass along cost savings to customers, and 30% of respondents say price matters above all else when they’re making a purchase decision. But that’s not the only thing that gets consumers excited about shopping with a particular brand. 

What matters most to holiday shoppers in 2022?

It’s not all about pricing

If you’re a smaller company or can’t offer discounts, there is still plenty to offer customers and prospects. Focus on building relationships with customers based on core values and messaging. In other words, make sure customers can align with your vision and have reasons beyond pricing to shop with you. 

Keep in mind that a respectable 26% of survey respondents indicated that uniqueness and greater selection or variety of products matter when deciding where to shop. Our data also indicates that Millennials and Gen Z shoppers are more focused on investing in experiential gifts — and are even willing to spend more than older counterparts to obtain them.

Retailers who are able to remain nimble and take steps to learn about and respond to their customers’ highest priorities will be poised to do well even in more difficult shopping seasons like the one just ahead. 

Don’t know where to start to quickly get some of these plans in place? Download our Holiday Marketing Guide and let’s start a conversation.