eCommerce Deep-Dive with Andy Mulcahy from IMRG
)
So, Black Friday…was it any good this year?
The dust may be settling on the Black Friday period, but the real picture of what just happened can sometimes take a little longer to truly form. The reason for this is that, while it may sound like a day, ‘Black Friday’ actually refers to an extended season of discounting campaigns that launch up to a month (yes, some in October too) before the official day and can continue right into December. Within a peak trading period of that length, lots of things can happen to push it one way or another.
If we just rely on the data, all seems straightforward enough. IMRG forecast a decline of -2% for online sales across the peak Black Friday week, and it came in at -1.9%. A decline yes, but exactly in line with expectation. Does that mean it was ok then? It wasn’t markedly below expectation after all. Yet, although the overall figure came in on the mark, many of the categories that make it up were notably better or worse than expected. November overall came in at -0.8%, against flat growth from last year and, in the context of current trading conditions, that feels like a pretty good result.
The fact that the categories were a bit less predictable tell us something though. How hard were retailers having to work to generate the sales, with conversion down and time-to-purchase up? Was that ‘in line with expectation’ mark hit through really hard work, and was that work not able to push performance any higher? Audio was up +28% online, driven by sales of ear pods – a classic example of in-demand products performing well. But clothing had a weak start to November, though in the final week it got positive growth as the cold snap hit and demand for warmer clothing increased. Was it just the weather that was holding it back, or were other factors at play?
And what of December, as some have dragged their campaigns over into this month? Performance for this month should look a bit better as last year the postal strikes suppressed demand online, hence the year-on-year comparator is weaker. But does that mean it could be assessed as good when the problems last year will likely be a major factor influencing growth rates?
There are still so many ifs and buts that, at the moment, the answer to whether Black Friday was good or not remains…not sure.
Latest News
-
)
ECommerce has been in the doldrums for a few years now, with negative revenue growth, lower conversion and dips in site traffic becoming an accepted part of market conditions; that has been the post-p ... -
)
Mark Adams, senior vice president and general manager of EMEA at eCommerce platform BigCommerce talks to us about the industry trends he was excited to see during the show and the exciting development ... -
)
Rosie Bailey, Founder & CEO at AI negotiation platform Nibble, talks about what she found most insightful from the show and the hottest trends driving developments in eCommerce and marketing. -
)
Craig Smith, Country Manager UK & Ireland at enterprise commerce platform SCAYLE, shares his insights on the hottest trends in eCommerce and marketing and offers advice for newcomers entering the indu ... -
)
Anna Sutton, Co-founder & CEO of data and analytics platform The Data Refinery talks about the challenges eCommerce retailers are facing ahead of peak season and the importance of industry events in b ... -
)
Harshal Shah, CEO and Founder of virtual assistant service ECOMVA talks about the trends he found most interesting during the show and his best pieces of advice as we head on into peak season. -
)
Hugo Borensztein, Co-founder & CEO of 3D visualisation tool Omi, talks about what he’s most looking forward to from this year’s eCommerce Expo and Technology for Marketing and the advice he’d give for ... -
)
Sam Theakston, Director at B2 Agency, discusses what he’s most looking forward to at the events and the critical challenges facing eCommerce retailers ahead of peak season. -
)
Eva Palatinsky, Founder and CEO of Globalfy, shares what excites her most in the current eCommerce and marketing landscape and the top advice for newcomers to the fields. -
)
Meet Zaria Parvez, the mastermind behind Duolingo's viral social media success, who grew their TikTok from 50K to over 11M followers. Discover how she transformed Duolingo into a social-first brand, c ... -
)
Lucas van der Schalk, CEO at circular plastics solution provider Corplex highlights the biggest trends and challenges within eCommerce and marketing and what’s exciting him the most in those industrie ... -
)
We spoke to Dorota Wróbel, Chief R&D at digital marketplace G2A on what she’s looking forward to most about the show and the importance of bringing the community together at the event. -
)
If you are a regular reader of this column, you’ve probably gotten used to the updates often containing news that don’t paint a great picture of eCommerce performance. But I’m just the messenger! I ca ... -
)
Gavin Warwick, European Partnership Manager at supply chain software provider SmartFreight explains what’s exciting him about the industries today as well as the trends helping shape the future. -
)
Jack Barmby, CEO of communication tech provider Gnatta, discusses the industry trends he’s most looking forward to seeing at eCommerce Expo and Technology for Marketing this year as well as the bigges ... -
)
Beth Chapman, Managing Director at global delivery solution provider Starlinks Global talks to us about what she’s most looking forward to at the show and her advice for newcomers entering the industr ... -
)
Georgia Leybourne, CMO at eCommerce inventory and order management software business Linnworks discusses the things she’s most looking forward to at the show and the importance of the event in bringin ... -
)
Moshe Winegarten, Chief Revenue Officer at payment service provider Ecommpay talks about the biggest challenges facing eCommerce retailers ahead of peak season. -
)
Chris White, EMEA Chief Revenue Officer at warehouse management system SnapFulfil to discuss the key challenges he’s seeing in his sector and why events like eCommerce Expo and Technology for Marketin ... -
)
Gev Balyan, Founder of eCommerce website builder Ucraft tells us what he’s looking forward to most from eCommerce Expo and Technology for Marketing this year and why the shows are so important in brin ... -
)
Pratik Padhiar, Director of New Business at digital marketing communications agency h2o Creative talks to us about the biggest challenges online retailers are facing right now and what’s exciting them ... -
)
Meet Adam Ull, Global Product Information Lead at H&M, who is transforming commerce by using data and AI to enhance customer experiences across digital channels. He discusses building agile systems an ... -
)
As we approach this year’s eCommerce Expo and Technology for Marketing events, Na’ama Sheba, Chief Marketing Officer at B2B payments provider Mondu discusses the hottest trends in eCommerce payments r ... -
)
In the ever-evolving world of eCommerce, UK merchants must adopt strategic approaches to ensure sustainable growth both at home and abroad. In our recent webinar featuring Emily McMorran, CX Lead at w ... -
)
Some essential tips to help you deliver an impactful presentation with Alyssia Smith, Senior Content Manager at eCommerce Expo and Technology for Marketing -
)
A new source of information for businesses wanting to expand and increase their customer base. -
)
What a miserable year it’s proving to be for eCommerce. Revenue has performed well below expectation, site traffic overall has seen barely any growth in 2024 so far and conversion remains suppressed. ... -
)
Shaun Loughlin, Head of eCommerce at LeMieux, shares his 20-year journey in retail and eCommerce, emphasising international expansion strategies. -
)
Discover how Deliveroo enhances grocery delivery by partnering with retailers, offering logistics, and advanced tech integration, ensuring fast and reliable customer service. -
)
Explore how increasing discount usage in eCommerce is impacting revenue growth in 2024. Discover the trends, challenges, and strategies retailers are employing to navigate tough trading conditions.
)
){kind=logo}
)
)
)
)
){kind=logo}
)
)
)
){kind=logo}
)
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
.png/fit-in/500x500/filters:no_upscale())
){kind=logo}
)
)
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
)
){kind=logo}
)
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
)
)
)
)
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
