What Marketers Are Doing

Let’s look at their past campaigns.

Planning

When they started campaign promotions
1-2 weeks prior
31%
2-4 weeks prior
24%
3+ months prior
15%
1-7 days prior
15%
1-2 months prior
15%

About 1 in 3 marketers kicked things off 1–2 weeks before the sale. A smaller group started even earlier, suggesting growing competition for early attention.

Was the Black Friday data used to inform Cyber Monday campaigns?
Within 1–2 days to optimize for Cyber Monday
41%
Yes, same day and took inputs for Cyber Monday in real-time
35%
After Cyber Monday was over, everything was analyzed together
24%

41% marketers said they reviewed data within 1–2 days of the sale. Quick analysis helps marketers learn and adjust for post-sale activations and benchmarking.

Strategy & Execution

What offers or incentives were used in the BFCM campaigns? (Select all that apply)
Percentage discounts of products or services
61%
Free shipping
44%
Bundled product offers
37%
Buy one, get one (volume based) offers
33%
Email-only offers
27%
In-store only offers
21%
In-app only offers
19%
Did not use offers or incentives
8%
Other
1%

Percentage discounts were by far the most popular. Free shipping, bundled offerings, and buy one, get one (BOGO) deals were also in the mix.

Which marketing channels were used to promote BFCM campaigns? (Select all that apply)
Social media ads
76%
Email marketing
67%
Website Offer banners
43%
In-store signage
42%
SMS marketing
36%
QR Codes on ads
31%
Influencer partnerships
28%
Traditional printed ads or flyers
26%
Connected TV or OTT ads
15%
Guerilla/experiential marketing in unique locations (e.g., on a vehicle, in a dressing room mirror, etc.)
11%
Out of home ads
10%
Other
1%

Social media ads were the most popular marketing channel during BFCM sales, followed closely by email campaigns and website offer banners. Marketers used both personal and paid reach to drive traffic.

Performance

What KPIs or metrics were used to measure the effectiveness of BFCM campaigns? (Select all that apply)
Revenue
57%
Number of conversions
43%
Average order value (AOV)
39%
Ad impressions and reach
35%
Ad click-through rates (CTR)
34%
Offer redemptions
27%
Return on ad spend (ROAS)
26%
Customer acquisition cost (CAC)
24%
QR Code scan rates
21%
Customer lifetime value (CLTV)
14%

Revenue was the most common success metric chosen by 57% of respondents. This is clear proof that sales still speak loudest, followed by conversions and AOV. Interestingly, revenue was ultimately in focus since AOV X conversions = Revenue.

Were the marketing campaigns effective?
Somewhat ineffective
4%
Very ineffective
5%
Neutral
19%
Somewhat effective
35%
Very effective
37%

Most marketers (37%) said their BFCM marketing was very effective. Only a small group felt it didn’t work well. There’s a strong sense of confidence going into the next BFCM season. However, is that truly well-founded? We will let you be the judge of that.

QR Deployment

Were QR Codes used in the BFCM campaigns?
No
41%
Yes
59%

59% of marketers said they used QR Codes during BFCM, showing that QR-driven engagement is gaining momentum.

How were QR Codes used in the BFCM campaigns?
Printed ads or flyers
27%
In-store signage
25%
Social media ads
22%
Product packaging
16%
Websites
8%
Unique locations (eg: on a vehicle, in a dressing room mirror, etc)
2%

Printed ads and flyers were the most popular QR Code placement (27%). Marketers also used them on packaging, signage, and even digital ads.

Next, we examine what
marketers can
do to fill the gaps.

Chapter 3