The difference between an average Black Friday sale and a next-level campaign is all in your marketing ideas and planning.
Take charge of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend with our innovative, crowd-pulling marketing ideas designed to attract loyal customers, new shoppers, and future brand enthusiasts.
You should feel the ripple effect of your successful Black Friday campaigns long after the shopping spree ends.
Key Takeaways
- Tap into the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) purchase mindset by marketing your Black Friday deals as exclusive and limited.
- Focus on gratitude and rewarding customers with deals, tiered offers, and thank you notes to increase brand loyalty beyond Black Friday.
- Avoid basket abandonment with a smooth and simple payment process.
Why Black Friday Matters for New Zealand Businesses
Black Friday has become one of the biggest shopping events of the year, falling on the last Friday in November, and Cyber Monday on the following Monday. They were introduced to the New Zealand market in 2013 and now mark the start of the Christmas shopping season.
From increased sales to greater brand exposure and customer loyalty, Black Friday can set you up for a game-changing year.
With nearly every large and boutique Kiwi business jumping on the Black Friday bandwagon, your marketing strategy should set you apart and offer unique value.
Pre-Launch / Early Access
1. VIP Early Access
Hook your customers with early access to Black Friday deals by including them in an exclusive VIP group.
VIP status can evoke a sense of belonging to an exclusive club, offering its members the best deals available.
Target different customer segments in your email marketing and lead them to gated product pages for the VIP discount most relevant to them. This exclusivity can lead to an emotional connection and increased brand loyalty beyond the Black Friday weekend.
Using emotive, urgent wording like “exclusive offer ends soon” or “limited availability” can create a sense of scarcity and “fear of missing out” (FOMO).
A research report showed that 60% of consumers have made purchases driven by the fear of missing out, often within just 24 hours. Scarcity increased perceived value not because the item is inherently better, but because it’s harder to get.
2. Email Waitlist Sign-Up
Tap into the FOMO marketing strategy by creating a countdown waitlist.
A waitlist can build up hype and excitement for your Black Friday promotions, putting you at the forefront of a customer’s mind when they’re searching for their perfect purchase.
Create a waitlist signup form on your Black Friday landing page to collect both emails and phone numbers.
Use urgent, emotive language for your email signup CTA, such as:
“Be the first to hear about our Black Friday deals!
Claim your spot on our waitlist and get notified as soon as our limited availability discounts go live.”
This is a win-win strategy, as it also allows you to grow your remarketing audience beyond the Black Friday weekend.
3. Tiered Loyalty Offers
Market for both Black Friday and future sales!
Enhance your loyalty program with exclusive tiered points or rewards for every Black Friday purchase. This increases both Black Friday sales and encourages future shopping, allowing them to spend their earned bonuses.
For example, the Myer One card has four tiers based on the number of credits earned from spending: Member, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. The benefits they can access with their credits increase in each tier, and they often incentivise customers with Black Friday promotional offers or bonus points to boost their credits.
This marketing strategy increases exclusivity for top-tier customers. You can reward loyalty while also encouraging further spend.
4. Referral Pre-Launch Invite
Boosting the simple word-of-mouth tactic with a referral reward can elevate your Black Friday sales from predictable to phenomenal.
Reward your customers when they bring in new customers! When the new customer makes a Black Friday purchase (using a unique referral code), send your loyal customer a reward, such as:
- A special discount on a future purchase
- A cafe voucher
- A salon offer
- A free coffee
- Bonus loyalty points
This strategy attracts new customers, boosts sales, and fosters stronger customer loyalty. Everyone wins!
In-Store Experiences
5. Flash Hourly Deals
Beat the competition with exciting new sales on the hour, every hour.
What’s better than a Black Friday discount? 24 Black Friday discounts! Keep your customers engaged all day with hourly sales. The limited deals create a sense of urgency to get the promotion within the hour, before the sale changes.
This Black Friday marketing strategy is fast-paced and exciting, but takes a lot of planning. Think about:
- Ensuring you’re fully stocked for each promotional product.
- Creating dedicated landing pages that are ready to handle the surge in traffic and payments.
- Rostering extra staff and communicating all schedules, roles, and responsibilities clearly.
- Create in-store signage to promote the hourly sales.
- Automate your social media posts or email marketing to keep customers engaged.
6. Mystery Boxes
Sales begin with a spark of curiosity.
A mystery box is a bundle of surprise products at a set discounted price. The total value of products is higher than the Black Friday discount, giving customers value for money in exchange for a limited-edition mystery purchase.
It’s not only the customer who gains, either. A mystery box opens up the opportunity to clear leftover stock while still building excitement for the sale. An all-round gain.
Don’t leave your payments in mystery with your Black Friday marketing ideas. With Smartpay, you can tap into fast POS transactions and speedy settlements. Make sure your Black Friday sales and profits run smoothly.
7. Buy More, Save More
Amplify the average order value with enticing tiered discounts.
This Black Friday marketing strategy encourages customers to spend a little more to save a little more. It evokes an “oh, go on then” impulse buy.
Each tier unlocks a higher discount that could work like this:
Spend $100 for 10% off.
Spend $200 for 20% off.
Spend $300 for 30% off.
If a customer adds a $150 product to their basket, they only need to spend an additional $50 to receive 20% off. Their final price would be $180, which includes $50 extra worth of goodies.
This marketing strategy is effective for both retail and service businesses. Want an extra discount for adding on a facial? You got it! Need new headphones to go with your new phone? Too Easy!
8. Gift With Purchase
Everybody loves a free gift, right?
The traditional “gift with purchase” (GWP) tactic has been a staple of marketing for years. Research suggests that customers perceive the gift as an added benefit without an additional cost, which encourages them to make the purchase.
This technique can help you stand out from the crowd of Black Friday campaigns, positioning your brand as one that offers extra rewards. Either offer a gift, such as a digital voucher, with every Black Friday purchase or entice customers to spend $50 to receive a mystery gift.
Promote your free gift online and highlight that there are “no hidden costs” associated with this deal to build trust and foster customer loyalty.
Promotions & Pricing Tactics
9. No-Discount Limited Edition Drop
Attract customers who crave a unique and exclusive product.
Rather than focusing solely on Black Friday deals, you can unveil a limited-edition product exclusive to Black Friday. Even when released without a discount, limited-edition product releases drive sales and protect profit margins by creating a sense of exclusivity and scarcity.
Some ideas may include:
- Limited edition colour for Black Friday
- Custom gift sets or bundles
- One-off collab products between brands
- A new collectable range
- A signature scent
- A special Black Friday cocktail or dish
This strategy is best utilised as a “single drop” campaign, featuring a limited quantity of products to create urgency and boost sales. It’s one of the most alternative Black Friday marketing ideas on the list, but it is effective in creating a niche offering that stands out in the sea of flash sales.
10. Bundle Offers
You can’t have too much of a good thing in your Black Friday deals.
Bundle deals tempt customers to spend more, as they believe they are getting value for their money. You should bundle products that are either normally bought together or complement each other to further drive the value proposition. When marketing your bundle deals, highlight the offer next to the individual items to emphasise the value of the deal.
Some ideas include:
- Haircut, treatment, and a drink
- Makeup and brush set
- Craft beer and matching glasses
- Clothing and complementary jewellery
Bundle deals appeal to customers looking for a little retail therapy.
11. Service Vouchers
Black Friday campaigns are not exclusive to e-commerce online stores, either!
Service vouchers are a great way for salons, gyms, hotels, spas, or cafes to get involved in the Black Friday weekend frenzy. Offer a Black Friday special voucher for a discounted haircut or spa treatment to increase your cash flow over the Black Friday sales. This tactic ensures you collect the money upfront for services delivered at a future date.
The benefits of this Black Friday marketing strategy extend beyond the holiday shopping season. When the service voucher is redeemed, there is a significant opportunity to increase customer acquisition and loyalty, and in turn, further spending. Win win!
12. Subscription Lock-Ins
Opt-in to a Black Friday marketing tactic to combat “subscription fatigue”.
A Black Friday marketing campaign could bring new energy to your subscription model. Some ideas include:
- Free first month
- Sign-up bonus
- Flexible contract offer
- Bundle subscription deal
- Bonus Black Friday credits
- Discounted subscription gift cards
Payment & Checkout
13. BNPL Highlighting
Boost your Black Friday success by offering Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) options.
Offering BNPL options during Black Friday promotions can reduce hesitation for any on-the-fence shoppers, as they can spread payments over interest-free installments. Studies show that shoppers tend to add more to their baskets when they know they can afford to pay it off over time.
Highlighting your BNPL offering should be top of the priority list for Black Friday marketing ideas, both online and in-store. It’s a must-have checkout option to encourage customers to spend with flexible payments.
Effortlessly integrate BNPL with a Smartpay EFTPOS machine. Our card machine is flexible, supporting multiple payment options and integrations, allowing your customers to pay in their preferred way.
14. Gift Card Push
Make the Christmas shopping list easy with a Black Friday gift card offer.
Most Black Friday customers are holiday shopping, so position your Black Friday product as the perfect gift idea. Offering a $100 gift card for $85 is a lucrative option for people looking to tick off multiple presents in the sales frenzy.
You could even incentivise your team to upsell a gift card in-store at the point of sale. It’s easy, flexible, and a great deal!
Customers gain instant value when the digital card is delivered to their email. In contrast, the business gains a new customer when they redeem the card in the future. Sometimes, customers will spend more than the value of their gift card or forget to redeem it at all, which is a win for the bottom line.
15. Round-Up for Charity
Share the love with a charity partner!
Double down on your brand ethos and values throughout the Black Friday sales to ensure customers remember your brand long after the shopping spree is over.
The round-up checkout model enables customers to round up their purchase and donate the difference to your charity partner. If their basket is $119, at the point of sale, you can ask them if they want to “round up to $120 and donate $1 to charity”.
This easy round-up adds a feel-good factor to the customer’s Black Friday rush. Similarly, the business can promote, and even match, its total Black Friday charity donation amount. Turn the Black Friday frenzy into acts of generosity.
16. Split Tender Option
Make it easy to spend with payment flexibility.
Allow customers to pay for their Black Friday deals in whichever way, or ways, that suit them. Split payments allow them to pay for their purchase in multiple ways, such as splitting over a credit card, gift card, or cash payment. This flexible payment option can break down a lump sum into smaller parts spread over multiple payment types, making it easier for the customer to complete the purchase.
Promote your easy, split tender payment option during your Black Friday promotions and increase checkout convenience. Make split-tender payments seamless and hassle-free with a Smartpay POS & Payments set up to handle complex payments.
Digital Marketing Channels
17. Abandoned Cart Sequences
Re-engage customers with little reminders.
Black Friday sees a high influx of shoppers and strong purchase intent. Unfortunately, the cart abandonment rate also spikes to around 75-77% (Statista) as customers often get overwhelmed with indecision or too many options during the sales flurry.
Fortunately, you can sweep in with gentle reminders with your digital marketing strategy. Here’s how to perfect the abandoned cart follow-up:
- Timing is everything: Catch them while their purchase intent is strong and send the first follow-up within 30 minutes to 2 hours.
- Tap into cross-channel communication: Send your follow-ups via email, sms, and social media retargeting for maximum reach.
- Be personal: Don’t send generic emails to every customer. Ensure your follow-up is tailored to their cart item and the relevant deal they are interested in. Make them feel valued.
- Make it easy: Remind them of the smooth buying process, such as free shipping, multiple payment options, easy returns, and customer reviews.
- Create urgency: Add a countdown timer for the end of the sale or mention your limited stock to tap into the FOMO purchase mindset.
- Space out follow-ups: No one likes to be bombarded. Respect people’s inbox and space out your messaging with 2-3 reminders over the Black Friday weekend.
18. Influencer/UGC Partnerships
Drive trends with influencer partnerships over Black Friday.
Micro-influencers (who have between 1,000 and 100,000 followers) often have an engaged audience as they appear more authentic and relatable to the everyday person. User-generated content (UGC) is an effective marketing tactic, especially over Black Friday, as you can create social proof for your products and build anticipation for your deals.
Get creative with your influencer collabs with:
- Unboxing videos with a discount code reward for shared posts.
- Live demos of exclusive Black Friday products to create a buzz.
- Tiered discounts for every post engagement, i.e., 10% off for 1 like, 15% off for a repost, and 20% off for an email subscription.
- A new trend, such as a dance or song challenge with your Black Friday product.
19. Live Shopping Streams
Turn your Black Friday shopping frenzy into an interactive event.
Live shopping combines video streaming with online shopping on platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram. It’s growing momentum in the New Zealand market and could be a way to differentiate yourself in the overwhelming number of Black Friday campaigns.
Key features of a winner Black Friday live shopping stream include:
- A live host or brand representative to discuss the products.
- A well-crafted script to highlight the unique selling points.
- Fast-paced and live Q&A interactivity.
- Interactive quizzes, spin the wheel, or scratch cards for further engagement.
- Exclusive discounts for streamers.
- Clickable links to facilitate easy buying.
Post-Purchase / Retention
20. Post-BFCM Upsells
Extend the shopping momentum with Black Friday and Cyber Monday upsells.
Post BFCM strategies can help you re-engage your newly acquired customers and thank them for their loyalty. Use SMS or email marketing to offer further products or deals to customers:
- Retail: Suggest accessories for their newly purchased gadget or outfit.
- Service: Offer a deal for a complementary experience, such as a hair treatment with their haircut.
This Black Friday marketing campaign is an opportunity to bag extra revenue and customer satisfaction at the same time.
21. VIP “Thank You” Campaign
Gratitude is always in style.
Never forget your brand image during your Black Friday promotions, especially with your most loyal VIP customers. Send personalised thank you notes via email, SMS, or post to make your customers feel valued and part of your brand’s club.
You could even go further and offer a January voucher to encourage a repeat visit once the holiday season is over. Customers are more likely to spend with you again if they are happy with your brand and service.
22. Customer Review Incentives
Don’t miss the opportunity to boost your positive reviews!
Customer reviews are one of the best marketing ideas on Black Friday and beyond. The benefits ripple out to multiple channels:
- Reviews and photos build trust.
- Positive reviews improve your brand reputation and can enhance your SEO efforts.
- Review stars and comments can be repurposed on landing pages, social media, and in your email marketing strategies.
You could encourage Black Friday customers to leave a review in exchange for a further small discount or loyalty card points. It’s a Black Friday marketing strategy with long-term brand building in mind.
Core Considerations When Launching Black Friday Campaign
Enjoy the payoff from your Black Friday marketing ideas by ensuring you plan ahead to avoid any glitches:
- Be strict on compliance: The New Zealand Commerce Commission has strict regulations for businesses advertising products or services. Ensure your pricing is clear and accurate, and avoid inflating any Black Friday discount messaging.
- Prepare your stock: Don’t leave yourself short over the Black Friday weekend. Order extra stock to ensure you can match the sales frenzy demand.
- Optimise for mobiles: Remember that the majority of traffic comes from mobile devices, so make sure your Black Friday landing page is fast and responsive on a mobile screen.
- Make payments smooth and streamlined: Reduce any friction during the checkout process. Offer multiple payment options, split tenders, fast connectivity, and easy receipt printing with a quick and reliable EFTPOS machine like Smartpay.
- Monitor like a hawk: Success comes from knowing exactly what works. Set up your analytics, such as GA4, GSC, and UTM tags, to report on your engagement and ROI.
Final Thoughts
BFCM comes around once a year, so capitalise on it with innovative Black Friday campaigns designed to boost sales, foster brand loyalty, and drive customer acquisition. Customers look forward to snagging the best deals and marking the start of their Christmas season, so match their excitement with deals, discounts, and limited-edition releases to remember.
One of the most important factors to remember in a standout Black Friday campaign is a smooth payment process. The last thing you want to do is have your EFTPOS machine drop out mid-rush.
Smartpay makes payments easy with an all-in-one EFTPOS, designed to seamlessly fit with your business activities. From fast wifi, 4G, or broadband connectivity to flexible payment options such as contactless, BNPL, and split tenders, you can reduce any friction in your Black Friday checkout process.
Cash in on the best Smartpay features.
