Black Friday stats: everything you need to know in 2024

The day that kickstarts it all is Black Friday – that yearly sales phenomenon where eager customers go on a shopping spree and retailers and marketers roll out their most enticing deals. To help you capitalize on the Black Friday sales, we’ve put together an all-encompassing list of essential Black Friday statistics for 2024. 

Black Friday statistics for 2024

SMS sends grew 19% month-on-month

SMS is an action-packed channel. In 2023, we saw a significant increase in SMS sends over the Black Friday to Cyber Monday (BFCM) weekend, up 19% from the previous month. This growth indicates that early adopters are starting to recognize the power of SMS as a targeted and effective marketing channel.

Text message marketing is a strategy designed to cut through the noise. There’s no noisier time of year than the holiday season, and SMS offers a way to stand out. The surge in SMS sends throughout November demonstrates that marketers are leveraging this channel to reach customers directly and drive conversions.

Many brands offer discounts to new subscribers as an incentive to sign up for SMS. This is a smart tactic, as SMS messages are quick to create and perfect for communicating flash sales, exclusive offers, and other time-sensitive promotions. Offering discounts at sign-up can also be a powerful list-building strategy, encouraging shoppers to opt in and stay connected with their favorite brands.

Dotdigital delivered a staggering 65,332,170 SMS messages over the BFCM weekend in 2023. With a delivery rate of 99.51%, SMS proved to be a highly effective channel for reaching customers during the peak shopping season.

Looking ahead to 2024, we anticipate even higher volumes of SMS sends. As shoppers prepare for the holidays, November and December consistently see a surge in SMS activity. This trend underscores the importance of incorporating SMS into your Black Friday strategy to maximize engagement and conversions.

To make your SMS campaigns stand out, use multimedia messaging services (MMS). MMS offers a richer, more engaging experience, allowing brands to share images, videos, and GIFs along with their messages. This can be particularly effective for showcasing products, creating a sense of urgency, and driving clicks.

32% of Black Friday shoppers start early

Black Friday shopping has evolved. In 2023, an impressive 32% of shoppers started their Black Friday shopping spree early, highlighting the trend of extended sales periods.

Retailers are increasingly launching Black Friday deals well in advance of the main event. Amazon is leading the charge with its second annual Prime Day event scheduled for early October. This early preview offers exclusive deals to Prime members, providing a glimpse of what’s to come on Black Friday.

Other retailers often follow suit, launching early Black Friday promotions throughout November. Many of these deals remain competitive throughout the entire sale period, emphasizing the importance of starting your marketing efforts early.

To maximize your impact, align your email marketing and social media campaigns with this pre-Black Friday shopping trend. By launching campaigns earlier, you can capture the attention of early adopters and drive sales throughout the extended shopping season.

If you’re a Dotdigital customer you’re able to utilize our easy-to-use campaign builder to create beautiful, responsive, and engaging campaign designs without needing to rely on a team of designers or coders. This is especially valuable during the busy holiday period where all teams are incredibly busy and you might have to create a last-minute email from scratch.

Black Friday appeals to 68% of Gen Z shoppers

When planning your Black Friday marketing strategy, don’t forget to consider the purchasing power of Gen Z. In 2023, a remarkable 68% of Gen Z shoppers intended to take advantage of Black Friday sales.

Moreover, 32% of Gen Z consumers believe that Black Friday sales offer good value. This tech-savvy and bargain-conscious generation holds remarkable potential for boosting your Black Friday sales performance. Ensure your marketing campaigns resonate with this younger audience by understanding their preferences, providing great value, and delivering an exceptional shopping experience tailored to their unique tastes.

Abandoned cart emails increase revenue by 28%

Abandoned cart emails are a powerful tool for recovering lost sales and driving revenue. As Black Friday approaches, implementing or optimizing an abandoned cart email program should be a top priority for ecommerce businesses.

Personalized abandoned cart campaigns can significantly boost your bottom line. Studies have shown that these campaigns can increase sales by up to 31% and improve the average order value by 16%. This highlights the effectiveness of this strategy in driving conversions and revenue.

Dotdigital saw a 47% increase in abandoned cart email sends during Black Friday 2023 compared to the previous year. This growth can be attributed to increased awareness among merchants about the benefits of abandoned cart automation and advancements in marketing automation platforms that make it easier to deploy personalized campaigns in real time.

The impact of abandoned cart emails was particularly significant in the US market. The increased use of these campaigns led to a 28% boost in revenue, demonstrating their cost-effectiveness and effectiveness.

By leveraging abandoned cart strategies, you can recover lost sales and improve your overall business performance. Implementing a well-crafted abandoned cart email program can help you maximize your Black Friday revenue and drive long-term success.

Unique email open rates are up by 11%

In 2023, there was an 11% increase in unique email open rates, indicating that customers actively sought the best Black Friday deals by engaging with their inboxes. Dotdigital sent out a total of 3,284,670,418 emails during this important shopping weekend, highlighting the important role of email marketing during the holiday season.

As customers become more selective, the challenge lies in creating emails that capture their attention amid a flood of promotional offers. A captivating subject line can be the deciding factor in whether subscribers engage with your message or move on to the next. With email inboxes overflowing during peak shopping periods, standing out with an attention-grabbing subject line becomes crucial.

AI-powered generative tools such as WinstonAI can greatly enhance this process. WinstonAI can generate subject line ideas, match the tone with your brand, and optimize the length of your subject lines for maximum impact. By harnessing the power of AI, you can create exceptional subject lines that grab your audience’s attention and improve your campaign’s success during the busiest shopping season.

Get ready for Black Friday

The holiday shopping season, particularly Black Friday and Cyber Monday, is an exciting time for both shoppers and marketers. This year, focus on utilizing multi-channel strategies, offering early promotions, and creating engaging content to capture shopper attention. By embracing these trends and refining your marketing tactics, you can maximize your impact during this busy sales period.