The wait is finally over as Black Friday App Sales is here (well, almost here) and the people are just getting started with their Christmas shopping. When it comes to shopping, almost every person has their own huge list of items and gifts that they are planning to give their loved ones.
November is a big month for the retail sector with major marketing events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday coming up. This year, they take place on November 26 and November 29 respectively and officially launch the Christmas shopping season.
With tons of promoted sales and deals online, Black Friday & Cyber Monday typically drive a huge number of downloads to apps on both App Store and Google Play. Read this blog to understand how to prepare your app to fully leverage the potential of these events.
Black Friday is the time of year when many shoppers are ready to pounce on new deals. It's also the time when mobile app users are far more likely to make in-app purchases to take advantage of these deals.
This is why it's important to do what you can to boost app conversion and engagement ahead of and during this holiday.
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Why should you promote your app on Black Friday?
With Covid forcing everyone to seek shelter at their home, the already flourishing app market has exploded. Mobile applications have played a huge role in facilitating social distancing to a large extent. Easier access to necessary products to keeping in touch with loved ones-apps has been the magic medium.
There is an app for everything nowadays. It is of little wonder then that there were 2.95 million apps available for download in the Google Play store in 2020. Apple store saw 1.96 million apps ready to be downloaded in the first quarter of 2020, an increase 0f 7.53% from the previous quarter.
By 2023, mobile apps are expected to generate more than $935 billion in revenue. As far as users are concerned, well 88% of mobile time is spent on apps.
But it is not enough to just develop the app. Once you have created the app of your choice, it is necessary to make sure that more and more people are made aware of it.
And for those business owners with an already popular app at hand, it is important to ensure that it continues to thrive and not lose out to emerging competitors. This is where app marketing comes in. And there is no better time to promote an app than the holiday season.
Not only are people eagerly looking for the best deals, but they will have more time on their hands to do so. If you have a day earmarked in your culture for shopping, then there is no reason why your business should not benefit from it.
Black Friday is slowly witnessing a paradigm shift from the real to the virtual world. As one of the biggest marketing events in the world, it is the right time for your mobile apps to encash on this holiday season.
The popularity of the 'Black Friday' keyword in app stores
The popularity of Black Friday varies around the world, and so do also the search volumes for keywords. The graph below shows the search volume for the word 'Black Friday' in the Apple App Store at the beginning of November.
Search volume for keyword 'Black Friday' 3 weeks before the event. This metric ranges from 5 to 100, with 100 as the highest search volume.
Country-wise popularity of Black Friday
With globalization, no festival is exclusive to any culture anymore. Every major festival is celebrated throughout the world. Then it would be a little pessimistic to think that a major shopping festival offering lucrative discounts, will be left behind. In the past few years, Black Friday has become more and more relevant on a global scale.
Today out of the world's 195 countries, an estimated 50-60% 'celebrate' the day in some way or the other. In Europe, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany top the list of Black Friday celebrants. Central and South American countries too have joined in the revelry for the past 4-5 years. This event is slowly gaining popularity in previously untouched markets like China and South-East Asia.
Consumer interest too is consistently increasing every year. When we compare global searches (2019 vs. 2020), we see that interest in the discount period has increased by 14%. In countries where Black Friday has traditionally played a significant role within the retail space, the growth numbers are even higher, with Brazil, Australia, and the US leading the way.
How to prepare your app for Black Friday and Cyber Monday
Black Friday is one of the best days of the year for e-commerce and a key moment for customer acquisition. Here are best practices that apps should consider to get the most out of this busy period:
Adapt your app's metadata accordingly. We recommend adding relevant keywords to your app's title, subtitle (iOS), keyword field (iOS), and short & long description (Android) to start ranking higher for these words. In the past years, keywords such as 'Black Friday', 'discounts', 'deals', and 'coupons' have typically seen popularity increase during November.
However, remember to avoid adding keywords that promote deals or discounts to Play Store metadata since, as of September 2021, they will be flagged by Google!
To prepare for the additional influx of traffic and maximize your conversion rate, make sure to update your app creatives to promote similar messages as those in your ad campaigns.
Try using Apple's in-app events and optimizing your event cards for Black Friday! In-app events are a great way to reach new users, engage current users, or reconnect with lapsed users. They might also help your app get featured on the App Store and gain an extra visibility boost.
Don't forget to update your promo text (iOS). You can change your app's promo text whenever you like (these changes don't require an entire app update) and you're able to promote whatever you like (promo text is not indexed). This can be a great way to increase engagement from customers by promoting special features, deals, etc.
Finally, your app must be ready to handle an increased number of users. Avoiding app malfunctions and bugs is key for customer satisfaction; you don't want to lose any potential customers just before the Christmas period.
Strategies to boost your mobile traffic
Considering the revenue at stake, you should be ready to employ whatever means necessary to get your piece of the holiday shopping cake.
Give people a reason to download your app
One of the surefire ways to drive more app installs this holiday season is to offer special discounts for the people who download your app for the first time. As an option, you can also introduce unique perks for your mobile shoppers, e.g. free shipping for all orders placed via mobile app.
Alternatively, you can start a referral program to attract more mobile customers. For example, you can encourage your users to share promo codes and invite their friends to shop with your app. In this case, both the invitees and the person who shares the invite should be rewarded.
Reward customer loyalty
One more thing you can do to boost your mobile app engagement before Black Friday is to offer rewards to your most loyal users.
You can provide unique insights into the items that will be on sale, and provide the ability to reserve one of the items in advance, or even offer a limited chance to get into the store early. The opportunities are endless.
Increase app installs with special offers for first-time users
If you want to increase the number of downloads and installs for your app before Black Friday arrives, you can do so by offering certain discounts or freebies to first-time users for the holiday season. For example, you could enable first-time users to get free delivery or shipping on their first order, or you can make one or more products available at a lower price.
Ahead of the holiday season, this could attract many new users who otherwise might not take the first step of using the app.
Use Black Friday push notifications
In the days or even hours leading up to your mobile campaigns for Black Friday, you should use push notifications to let users know when you're launching promotions. It's not enough to use general push notifications, however. Instead, make them personalized for different segments of your user base.
You can send users push notifications letting them know that a favourite item of theirs is on sale. Additionally, you can send push notifications indicating when a promotion will begin for certain items based on users' specific interests. Also, send push notifications when your campaigns are about to end, which will encourage people to return and make a purchase before a deal runs out.
When developing your push notifications, there are a few best practices to follow. To start with, ensure your push notification copy excites users while remaining aligned with your unique branding.
To attract users' attention and maximize engagement, send Black Friday push notifications early, ideally even weeks before promotions begin, which will build excitement.
Finally, make sure your offers are highly specific and eliminate any potential confusion when people see your notification. Taking these steps could help you create and launch successful push notifications that drive both engagement and sales.
Work with social media influencers
Another great strategy to consider is partnering with social media influencers, including influencers on Instagram, TikTok, and other platforms. However, make sure these influencers are within your app's specific niche. If you believe the influencer represents a typical user or a specific user segment, it's likely a good idea to work with them.
When looking for the right influencer, keep in mind that you don't need to target one with millions of followers. Many micro-influencers have a loyal following of hundreds or thousands of potential users, and they don't charge nearly as much as larger influencers for app endorsements.
Working with multiple micro-influencers can help extend your reach and encourage their followers to associate you with them. Micro-influencers also have a higher engagement rate than mega-influencers, with an average rate of 3.86% on Instagram compared to just 1.21% for mega-influencers.
One key advantage to working with influencers is the ability to create shoppable videos. These are videos that could feature influencers showcasing or unboxing a particular item you want to sell, along with a CTA button encouraging people to buy it. Shoppable videos are highly engaging and can direct users to purchase pages to complete an order more efficiently.
App store promotional texts
The Promotional Text section of an iOS app page contains quick information about the app. This can include short pitches or taglines, but the common goal is to inform users about app promotions and changes. The Promotional Text's conversion value makes it a useful tool for App Store Optimization.
This can be a great way to market your app to Apple users.
Create a specific campaign for the holiday
An interesting and well-informed message can go a long way in capturing the audience's attention. The more relevant your message is, the better. It is better if you come up with a specific campaign strategy that is designed exclusively to cater to the holiday crowd. A few things to keep in mind while ideating your ad campaign-
Your ad campaign should be creative and original
- Customize the campaign such that they give a clear idea about your brand
- If you have the budget collaborate with influential people to promote your app
- Use video marketing wisely
- Maintain consistency
- Rotate between different creative ads to avoid boring people
Build Campaign for all devices
Consumers in the United States are adopting smart devices at an incredible rate. The average American now owns a smartphone, a tablet, or, in most cases, both!
To ensure that your campaign reaches as many people as possible, make sure it is optimized for all devices. If it isn't, the rest of your campaign and promotion investments will have a limited impact.
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