In the space of a decade, France has gone from a distant observer of the Black Friday frenzy to a major European player in this commercial effervescence.
While for consumers, the last week of November is synonymous with irresistible offers, for retailers it represents a colossal logistical and operational challenge... while at the same time providing an opportunity to maximize sales in November before the holiday season, and close out the year on a high note.
Among the decisive issues at stake at this event is the power of customer data, which can make or break the performance of retailers positioning themselves on Black Friday.
In France, Black Friday truly changed scope in 2020
Long confined to the North American market, Black Friday crossed the Atlantic in the late 2000s to become one of the biggest shopping events in France.
Following the success of the first editions, mainly driven by Amazon, the French giants (Auchan, Boulanger, Cdiscount, Fnac...) got in on the act, before the overwhelming majority of retailers, both physical and digital, added the period around the fourth Thursday in November to their calendar.
While American retailers offer their biggest discounts on the Friday after Thanksgiving, generally for 24 hours, French retailers make the pleasure last, with offers spread over the whole week, but without the -80% or -90% discounts seen on the other side of the Atlantic.
62% of French people now look forward to Black Friday
Another French specificity: the overwhelming majority of Black Friday promotions are offered on e-commerce websites (rather than physical stores). In fact, in 2020, the year in which Black Friday truly changed scope in France, online sales peaked at +127% compared to the October average, according to a Criteo study.
Black Friday is now anticipated by more than 6 out of 10 French people (62%), with an average budget estimated at €330. For a third of them, it's an opportunity to save money and do their Christmas shopping early and without stress.
For e-tailers and physical stores, the stakes are simply enormous. The 2021 edition of Black Friday generated sales of 748 million euros in France, with a hegemony of fashion items (68%), high-tech products (66%) and beauty products (44%).
Black Friday: retailers, focus 100% on your core business
Are you a retailer (or e-tailer) looking to capitalize on upcoming events such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas? You need to be 100% focused on your core business: developing offers, pricing, relations with suppliers, logistical constraints, marketing, customer experience, and so on.
You also need accurate, reliable, up-to-date and usable data. Do you really have the time to check the relevance of each piece of customer data? Make sure there are no duplicates in your databases? That you have the right delivery addresses and telephone numbers?
E-commerce and Black Friday: 4 Data threats to your sales
#1 Duplicates in your e-commerce customer database
A database polluted by duplicate entries is bound to erode your profitability. Let's take a concrete example: in the run-up to Black Friday, you decide to send out free samples to promote a high-potential beauty product, ten days before the "big day". Customers listed twice in your database will receive the same package twice.
On the other hand, you run the risk of sending an e-mail or SMS several times to the same customer, which can be perceived as spamming. You're damaging your brand image, potentially losing a recipient for future campaigns, or even a loyal customer.
Don't forget that e-mail providers base their evaluation of your domain name on spam reports. If a large number of your e-mails are pinned by recipients, the deliverability rate of your next campaigns will drop drastically, and with it your business volume. We talk about it here.
#2 The problem of reliable delivery addresses for e-commerce
Non-delivery of a parcel is problematic enough for e-tailers in normal times. But during Black Friday, this hiccup takes on another dimension for several reasons:
- You're in a rush. You don't have time to deal with logistical problems;
- Postal services are also in high demand;
- Black Friday is often one of the only times of the year when you have the opportunity to capture new customers, who are buying from you for the first time. A first package that doesn't arrive means the loss of a potentially loyal customer.
For an e-commerce business, the delivery address column is quite simply sacred. It must be accurate, up to date and in the right format. Otherwise, you risk incurring return shipping costs, handling claims, returning the package, or even a full refund.
#3 The wrong phone number: the complete off-track during Black Friday
According to a study by Qualimétrie, 47% of French people prefer the telephone to interact with corporate customer service, ahead of email (46%), social networks (14%) and instant messaging (13%). In short, one out of every two customers expects you to contact them by phone to manage the key elements of their experience... provided this data is reliable in your database.
Another potential problem: if the "phone number" field in your database is not reliable, you won't be able to run SMS campaigns, or inform your customer about the progress of their order (confirmation, parcel tracking notification, etc.). The same problem applies to incorrect e-mail addresses.
#4 The missed appointment of personalized recommendations during Black Friday
It's simple: product recommendations are " the main driver of the average basket " for 54% of e-tailers(source). Black Friday is an opportunity to fine-tune your recommendation system to boost your sales, especially with existing customers for whom you already have a purchase history, a source of essential data for making relevant suggestions.
Imagine a customer who has recently purchased a camera from you. If your database is properly updated and makes effective use of this customer's purchase history, you can suggest accessories or complementary models that really correspond to their needs: a tripod on sale, a lens adapted to landscape photography or a specialized carrying bag.
Data Enso: putting data to work for e-commerce performance
Are you a Pure Player (exclusively digital activity), a physical store or a phygital retailer (physical point of sale and e-commerce website)? Data Enso offers you reliable, intuitive and RGPD-compliant solutions for :
- Make the data collected on your contact forms more reliable: help with data entry, automatic correction in real time;
- Ensure the accuracy of the data collected: check emails, phone numbers and postal addresses;
- Optimize collection systems by reducing the number of steps required to improve the customer experience;
- Clean up and correct existing databases with our batch solution.
Discover our solutions for e-tailers or try us out!