Emarsys reveals 45 per cent YOY increase in Black Friday customer engagements

An analysis of the billions of cross-channel retail messages delivered on behalf of customers like Parfym from Black Friday through Cyber Monday has revealed an overall year on year increase of 45 per cent. This data has been released by Emarsys following the 2022 Black Friday shopping weekend, where the platform supported customers on their journey to becoming truly omnichannel.

Ahead of the increase in volume of customer engagement across the platform reported this Black Friday, Emarsys commissioned Forrester Consulting to survey 620 marketing decision-makers globally, asking how companies can best use omnichannel strategies during Black Friday. 62 per cent of respondents said that their omnichannel strategy has yielded higher margins, while 54 per cent said that it has yielded greater customer loyalty and retention.

The analysis of Emarsys’ own platform data this Black Friday weekend shows a significant rise in activity compared to 2021 and includes customer engagements across key channels such as email, SMS, mobile push notifications, in-app and web. Email particularly remains important in the context of omnichannel, not just as a standalone but as a starting point to drive traffic to other channels.

The rise in SMS volumes is also unsurprising given the tough economy and retailers’ need to cut through the competition and deliver the best personalised deals to customers in real-time. As the ”Emarsys Customer Loyalty Index” reported, 71 per cent of UK shoppers admitted they were most loyal to those stores offering “discounts, incentives, and rewards.”

While these increases in customer engagements across a variety of channels show a clear commitment to omnichannel, Emarsys warns against celebrating the sheer volume of campaigns or number of channels used alone during this Black Friday sales period which starts earlier each year. Instead, the company argues that marketing effectiveness can only come from effective targeting.

Meghann York, global head of product marketing at Emarsys explains, “It is more about quality and timing than the volume of messaging. Brands this Black Friday weekend who will reach their business goals connected to loyalty, retention and lifetime customer value, will have focused on personalisation and listened to their customers’ needs. It’s not enough to be customer-centric anymore, we must become customer-obsessed.”

She continues, “Channels used to engage customers, of course vary per brand. With the recent economic turmoil, wherever they chose to shop, people are being more cautious with how they spend their money, taking the time to find the best products and deals. It has never been more important that retailers build omnichannel strategies that help brands meet customers at the right moment, on the right channel, with the right message for them.”

Volume increase per channel measured on the Emarsys platform from leading retailers and brands with a per cent change since 2021. Dates for Black Friday weekend were 24th to 27th November 2021 and 25th to 28th November in 2022:

1. Overall volume – 45 per cent increase
2. Email – 44 per cent increase
3. Push (mobile) – 54 per cent increase
4. SMS – 55 per cent increase
5. In-App – 99 per cent increase
6. Web – 48 per cent increase