Golden Quarter Playbook
Golden Quarter 2024
Your complete guide to Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas
Welcome to to our Golden Quarter content hub. Packed with expert insights, strategic guidance, and actionable tips, this is your go-to resource for making the most of the busiest and most profitable time of the year. From Black Friday to Cyber Monday and straight through to Christmas, we’ve got you covered with everything you need to thrive this holiday season. Dive in and transform your seasonal sales!
Chapter 1
Read time: 3 mins
Unwrapping the Golden Quarter: A Holiday Guide
With the end of summer comes the all-important transition to autumn and winter for online retailers, and with it the start of what has become known as the ‘Golden Quarter’ – a time when large uplifts in retail site visitors and revenue can occur due to known sales periods such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the Christmas period. Spanning October to December, the Golden Quarter has never been more important to retail businesses.
Now, more than ever, customers expect a seamless, omnichannel experience when they’re doing their seasonal shopping. Gone are the days when just maintaining a well-stocked physical store was enough to get you through the festive season; if anything, now it’s the opposite way around. For well over a decade now – and accelerated by the changes in shopping habits spurred by the pandemic of 2020 – more and more shopping is done online as opposed to in person. To maximise seasonal success, retailers need to ensure both their physical stores and online versions need to carry the same messaging and deliver the same positive experience for customers. If you’re not sure how to get started, fear not – the resources to follow should help!
What does the Golden Quarter mean for retailers?
The Golden Quarter is a time of great opportunity for retailers, representing by far the busiest period of the year and therefore the biggest potential for new sales, revenue, and ideally repeat customers, leading to sustainable business growth.The drawback is that the consequences of failure are also far higher – beyond the immediate opportunity cost, increased traffic means a greater negative brand impact if customer experiences are disappointing – for example, if failed deliveries or cumbersome checkout experiences cause consumer discontent.
Previously, retailers would tend to put most of their focus on the December peak season or Christmas period, with the expectation that this period would be by far the busiest time of year for retail traffic. While this is still the case, the growing popularity of online shopping and increased awareness of the previously US-specific sales, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, has caused a pattern of increased spending across the entire fourth quarter. The concept of the Golden Quarter reflects a general trend towards preparing further in advance for the busy end of year, a prudent strategy given research showing 29% of UK consumers will plan for winter holidays at least a month in advance.
With advanced consumer planning comes increased expectations on retailers and supply chains to ensure every aspect of their online sales experience meets the increased demand. To help you meet the challenge, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide to the Golden Quarter 2024. From the cost-of-living crisis and rising interest rates to the increasing discernment of consumers with regards to digital purchasing experiences, there’s a lot to consider in your planning process this year. But we’re here to help! Read on to ensure your business is ready for Black Friday and beyond, from checkout to delivery optimisation through to database management and address validation.
Ready to optimise your operations for the peak season? Speak to your account manager or product specialist today to get started.
Chapter 2
Read time: 4 mins
Golden Quarter Crystal Ball: Predictions for 2024
The Golden Quarter is traditionally familiar ground for retailers, offering forecastable growth in traffic, customers and revenues for retailers – and presenting familiar challenges in the form of fulfilment, user experience and checkout flows. Using historical data is a wise strategy for retailers looking to get an idea of the scale of the challenges – and opportunity – ahead.
Nonetheless, each year the landscape shifts and unique challenges emerge. The ongoing cost-of-living crisis, in addition to ever-increasing levels of competition, has made the past couple of years challenging for retailers as the financial pressures on consumers cause tightening of purse strings, impacting sales. Furthermore, interest rates have reached their highest rates – at 5.25% - for 16 years, a measure that would typically discourage consumer spending and incentivise saving.
With this being said, green shoots are beginning to emerge for retailers. EY’s UK Future Consumer Index (FCI) seemed to demonstrate that consumer financial sentiment is finally beginning to stabilise and improve, with 13% of UK consumers say they feel better about their general financial situation compared with the start of last year. Consumers reconsider investing in treats and experiences, rather than just worrying about how to pay the day-to-day bills. At 47%, the number of those extremely concerned about the UK economy is at its lowest point in 18 months, whilst those extremely concerned by the UK cost of living crisis is down by 10 percentage points in the last year.
But what does all this mean for retailers, as we move into the peak season for 2024? We’ve dusted off our crystal balls to take a look at the key trends shaping the market in order to give you some insight, to hopefully stand you in the best possible stead for peak season.
Key Predictions for Golden Quarter 2024
- Accelerated Ecommerce Growth: Building on the surge of traffic originally spurred by the pandemic, online shopping is expected to continue its upward trajectory. Retailers can anticipate a significant portion of sales originating from digital channels. It’s critical for this reason to ensure that your checkout journey is fit-for-purpose.
- Early Bird Shoppers: Consumer behaviour analysis indicates a potential trend toward earlier holiday shopping. This could be driven by factors such as supply chain uncertainties and the drive to secure desired products. It fits the overall profile of a more educated consumer, who understands the wider market trend and will plan their purchasing accordingly.
- Sustainability First: Environmental consciousness is on the rise, another trait of an increasingly educated consumer base. Chances are that when competition is fierce (as it’s guaranteed to be during peak season), a competitive edge might be gained in offering sustainable options. But while it’s an important first step to incorporate environmentally conscious offerings, the best-intentioned initiatives mean nothing if customers aren’t aware of it. Businesses that can effectively communicate their eco-friendly initiatives, through email marketing or other channels, are likely to gain a competitive edge.
- Data-Driven Personalisation: The importance of data-driven marketing cannot be overstated. Retailers with robust data management systems will be better equipped to offer personalised recommendations and promotions, leading to higher conversion rates. Robust data maintenance and a commitment to data quality is key to ensuring customer data is as reliable as it can be, so as not to hit the wrong note with personalised campaigns.
- Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) Dominance: BNPL services are gaining traction. Retailers should ensure seamless integration of these payment options to cater to evolving consumer preferences.
- Digital Wallets: The statistics say it all: digital wallets currently account for 49% (and growing) of global ecommerce sales, 58% of shoppers prefer one-click checkout options, and it’s projected that 5.2 billion people will have used a digital wallet to make a payment by 2026. For that reason, it’s never been more important to cater to digital wallets in your checkout.
- Supply Chain Resilience: The ongoing emphasis on supply chain resilience will be crucial – in more uncertain financial times, suppliers can also experience downtime, which may significantly impact sales during peak season. Retailers should have contingency plans in place – the frustration a failed delivery can cause a customer is difficult to overcome.
By anticipating these trends and investing in data quality and checkout optimisation, retailers can position themselves for success in the Golden Quarter of 2024 and beyond.
Ready to optimise your operations for the peak season? Speak to your account manager or product specialist today to get started.
Chapter 3
Read time: 3 mins
Halfway to Holiday: Key Strategies To Start Now for 2024 Holiday Success
As the summer heat peaks and Amazon’s Prime Day approaches, retailers prepare for the shopping event that has become the rehearsal for Black Friday Cyber Monday. Success on this day can set the tone and identify gaps for the latter half of the year.
- In 2023, British people spent a total of 217 billion GBP online.
- Black Friday has been the most significant online shopping day in the UK for 2023, with a record spend of 1.04 billion pounds.
With these numbers in mind, here are three crucial strategies brands need to adopt to ensure a successful 2024 holiday season:
Embracing the Era of Instant Gratification
In the progress of rapid delivery, consumer expectations are shifting. Amazon originally paved the way with its 48-hour Prime delivery, which has now evolved into an expectation for same-day or even same-hour delivery. This shift, accelerated by the pandemic, has set a new standard: consumers now view ultra-fast delivery as a baseline service rather than a luxury.
To stay competitive, and keep up with the fast-paced demand, businesses must invest in advanced address verification technology. Accurate location data, address verification, international coverage and geo-locating are essential in facilitating precise and swift deliveries globally and at scale.
Leveraging Voice and Mobile Commerce
The way consumers shop online is constantly evolving, and the rise of voice and mobile commerce is a testament to this transformation. Smart home assistants like Alexa and Siri have normalized voice-activated shopping, making it easier for consumers to browse and purchase products without lifting a finger.
These transactions are made through previously saved customer data, either directly in the retailer’s system or through digital wallets. It’s important that with the adoption of these payment methods that data is as clean as possible to reduce failed deliveries which can lead to poor customer retention.
According to PwC’s 2024 Global Consumer Insights Pulse Survey, 60 percent of shoppers use mobile devices for pre-purchase research, and 45 percent rely on their phones for accessing product information and comparisons. Retailers need to ensure their online platforms are optimized with verification software for both mobile and voice interactions, providing a seamless and intuitive shopping experience that meets consumers where they are.
Proactive Customer Retention Strategies
Customer expectations are at an all-time high, and meeting these expectations is critical for retaining shoppers. An exceptional customer experience can turn one-time buyers into loyal patrons, while a single negative experience can lead to lost customers and damaging reviews. Understanding and preempting the reasons why customers might abandon a purchase or leave a negative review is vital.
Simplifying the checkout process with tools like address autocomplete can reduce friction and build trust. Ensuring accurate and timely deliveries through robust technology solutions, such as Loqate, which can reduce failed deliveries by up to 70%, is equally important. By focusing on these areas, retailers can enhance customer satisfaction and foster long-term loyalty.
Strategizing for the Future
As we approach key shopping events like Prime Day and gear up for the holidays, it's clear that retailers must adapt to a rapidly changing landscape. Embracing rapid delivery, optimizing for voice and mobile commerce, and implementing proactive customer retention strategies will be critical. These approaches not only meet current consumer demands but also position retailers for sustained success throughout the holiday season and beyond.
Staying ahead in the competitive retail environment requires continuous innovation and a deep understanding of evolving consumer behaviors. By adopting these strategies, retailers can ensure they are not only ready for the 2024 holiday season but also well-positioned to thrive in the years to come.
Ready to optimise your operations for the peak season? Speak to your account manager or product specialist today to get started.
Chapter 4
Read time: 8 mins
Stress-Test Readiness: Ensure Your Data is Black Friday Ready
Every retailer marks the Golden Quarter on their calendar—a time when customer traffic peaks, offering unparalleled opportunities and challenges. To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin, failing to prepare is preparing to fail, especially when stakes are higher than usual. But fear not, Loqate is here to help! This roadmap outlines crucial steps to turn your sales and fulfilment into well-oiled machines before Black Friday. Let’s get started!
What is the Golden Quarter?
With the end of summer comes the all-important transition to autumn and winter for online retailers, and with it the start of what has become known as the ‘Golden Quarter’ – a time when large uplifts in retail site visitors and revenue can occur due to known sales periods such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the Christmas period.
Prepare for Golden Quarter Success
Most retailers understand the Golden Quarter’s importance to their annual profits but often miss out on some crucial aspects. Sure, it’s great to have a well-stocked product line with shiny new items, and seasonal exclusive offers can help outshine competitors. But what use is all of that if the customer experience is poor, due to systems that can’t meet the increased levels of demand? That’s the part most retailers miss. Here’s how to avoid this common pitfall:
- Recognise data is king: The rush of the Golden Quarter means a surge of customer traffic will head your way, especially on peak days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Given the amount of order communications and marketing emails you’ll need to send out to maximise sales success, it’s paramount that your customer data is clean, accurate, and up-to-date. Inaccurate addresses, be they email or physical, lead to missed promotions and failed parcel deliveries, causing customer dissatisfaction at the exact time of year where you have the most potential to win new, loyal buyers.
- Testing…testing…: High customer volumes can cripple weak systems – and if your marketing lands, what was ‘high’ last year might be small fry compared to this year’s traffic flows. That’s why it’s key to stress test your website, mobile app, and payment gateways well in advance to identify and rectify any potential bottlenecks. Define your scope first, by identifying specific areas you’d like to test, then build user personas, ideally based on previous usage data, to model how customers may use the site based on their needs. From ‘Add to cart’ to payment methods, user login to shipping methods, there’s a lot of things that can go wrong in a checkout journey. Stress testing ahead of time will pay dividends once Golden Quarter volumes begin to ramp up.
- Communication is Key: Clear and consistent communication doesn’t just mean letting your customers know of your Black Friday discounts. It covers every stage of the customer journey, from the initial marketing, to purchase / shipping confirmation emails, and even well-timed post-purchase follow-ups. Businesses who get their communications right make their customers feel valued: not only are they kept in the loop of where their parcel is and when to expect it, but they have a line of contact with the supplier in case they have questions. That leads to repeat business and customer loyalty, or even advocacy. However, all of this relies on having accurate customer data in the first place, ensuring those well-thought-out emails don’t bounce or reach the wrong person.
Proactive Prevention – getting ahead with data preparation
Don't wait for data issues to disrupt your business’ golden opportunity this year. Here's how to identify and fix the most common issues before they happen.
- Data Duplication: Duplicate customer profiles are one of the most common problems for retail businesses, but cause a great deal of annoyance for customers. Having duplicate data can lead to repeat emails which come across as spammy and diminish your brand image, and that’s not to mention the difficulties that come if only part of the data is deduplicate. If you have two identical customer profiles, but with slightly different addresses, how do you pick the right one? Implement data matching tools to identify and merge duplicate entries, ensuring customers receive only the relevant information. Loqate’s Capture solution is perfect for this – not only does it recognise and prevent duplication issues at the point of entry in forms, it’ll also automatically check and fix your existing database at a click of a button. Learn more: What is data deduplication, and what are the benefits?
- Missing Information: Incomplete customer profiles limit your ability to personalise the shopping experience. Offer incentives for customers to complete their profiles where possible, and also look to streamline the process of the most dull – yet essential – parts of form filling, by implementing a type-ahead data validation solution such as Loqate. Rather than the laborious process of manual address entry, customers need only input a few keystrokes to fill in validated address, email and phone data. Those time savings often translate into more optional information being filled in with the saved time. The result? More personalised customer profiles, better analytics, and ultimately, a greater return on marketing investment.
- Inaccurate Addresses: Incorrect addresses result in delayed deliveries, frustrated customers, and lost revenue, not to mention the cost of redelivery and wasted marketing efforts. Address verification is the answer. Loqate’s solution is the one-stop shop to ensure your customer shipping information is accurate, minimising these risks and avoiding the significant cost of failed deliveries. Learn more: Find out the true cost of failed deliveries with our ebook.
Step Ahead Of The Competition With Optimised Operations:
Precise data management paves the way for operational excellence. The thing that unites some of the very best and most successful brands, from Amazon to Apple, Gymshark to HMV, is a streamlined operation which ensures customers are put first at every stage of the buying process, from initial marketing to the checkout process, to post-order communications.
- Personalised Recommendations: Once you have your accurate customer data through a well-tuned address validation process, it’s time to put it to use through personalisation. Utilise customer data on past purchases to deliver targeted product recommendations. If your business is multinational, ensure that recommendations take account of stock levels and shipping considerations for users’ specific geographies. This not only enhances the shopping experience but also leads to higher conversion rates and potentially larger basket sizes, not to mention repeat business if the recommendations hit their mark.
- Targeted Promotions: Following on from our last point, the impact of personalisation doesn’t need to be limited to on-site customers. Instead, use customer profiles and phone and address data to create customer segments. You can tailor promotions and discounts to specific customer groups, or even introduce regional discounts where stock levels are high, or sales need a boost. This targeted approach ensures you're maximising the impact of your marketing efforts and reaching the most receptive audience.
- Inventory Management: It’s no good having all the traffic in the world if supply can’t meet demand, and that’s never more true than in peak season. From Black Friday to Cyber Monday to Christmas, it’s logical to expect large customer surges throughout the winter period, so it’s critical to leverage your past sales data and customer trends to forecast demand accurately. A data-driven approach to inventory management ensures you have the right products in stock, minimising stockouts and lost sales opportunities.
Embrace the Golden Quarter with Confidence
The Golden Quarter offers unparalleled opportunities but can be daunting for unprepared businesses. By following this plan, retailers can transform it from a stressful period to one of exceptional growth and customer satisfaction.
Success relies on meticulous preparation, proactive problem-solving, and leveraging data to optimise operations for maximum impact. Fortunately, there's a straightforward solution to ensure your data and systems are ready for Black Friday and the Golden Quarter: Loqate. With easy installation and a single API, Loqate ensures crucial customer data—such as addresses, emails, and phone numbers—are autocompleted and validated quickly in real-time or through bulk verification. Additionally, Loqate can check, verify, and clean your existing data, ensuring you're fully prepared for the winter rush. Best of all, you don’t just need to take our word for it – we’re trusted by thousands of retailers, including Gymshark, Huel, Charlotte Tilsbury and so many others.
Claim Your Free Data HealthCheck
To further assist you in preparing for the Golden Quarter, Loqate offers a complimentary data health check. This service ensures your customer data is accurate and ready for the peak season, helping you avoid common pitfalls and maximise your sales potential. Don’t miss out on this exclusive offer—claim your free data healthcheck today and step confidently into the busiest shopping season of the year.
Ready to optimise your operations for the peak season? Speak to your account manager or product specialist today to get started.
Chapter 5
Read time: 6 mins
The Ultimate Black Friday Preparation Checklist: Sleigh the Season
If there’s one key insight from our predictions for 2024’s holiday period, it’s that preparing early is essential to maximise the benefits of the peak season. As every retailer knows, however, that’s easier said than done. How do you know how much stock you need, what to spend budgets on, and what your customers are looking for this year?
Fear not! We’re here to help. This comprehensive checklist will guide you through preparing your platforms for Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM), covering everything from pre-planning to post-data analysis. By following these steps, you can optimise your operations and enhance customer satisfaction during the busiest shopping period of the year. Additionally, check out Santa’s helpers’ guide on the next page for expert recommendations in the industry.
Pre-planning
1. Set goals and budget:
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- Use historical data to get an idea of expected traffic flows.
- Define your sales targets.
- Allocate a budget for marketing and operations.
2. Plan for a longer sales period:
- Start promotions early and extend them beyond Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
3. Craft irresistible offers:
- Develop compelling discounts, bundles, and exclusive deals.
4. Assess inventory and supply chain:
- Ensure high-demand items are sufficiently stocked.
- Confirm supplier timelines and capabilities.
Website preparation
5. Update homepage with seasonal creative:
- Refresh visuals and banners to reflect your holiday promotions.
6. Test website for mobile-friendliness:
- Ensure your site is responsive and easy to navigate on mobile devices.
7. Prepare for traffic surges:
- Optimise website speed and performance against Core Web Vitals targets.
- Use tools like PageSpeed Insights and Pingdom for testing.
8. Improve checkout experience:
- Simplify the checkout process.
- Enable one-click checkout options.
9. Leverage chatbots:
- Implement chatbots for customer support and to drive conversions.
10. Stress-test your website:
- Conduct load testing to ensure it can handle high traffic volumes. Check out our blog on stress testing readiness.
- Use web performance testing tools to simulate Black Friday traffic conditions.
11. Review security measures:
- Ensure all security protocols are up-to-date to protect customer data and transactions.
- Conduct a security audit and implement any necessary updates or patches.
Marketing and sales
12. Email marketing:
- Plan and schedule email campaigns early.
- Send warm-up emails and teasers.
- Create abandoned cart recovery emails.
13. Leverage data for promotions:
- Use analytics to identify high-demand products for promotion.
- Perform ABC analysis for inventory management.
14. Double down on top sales channels:
- Focus on high-performing sales channels (e.g., social media platforms, email).
15. Retarget past visitors and customers:
- Set up retargeting campaigns to re-engage previous site visitors and customers.
16. Use buy now, pay later (BNPL):
- Offer BNPL options like Afterpay, Affirm, and Klarna.
17. Clean email lists:
- Remove invalid emails: Identify and remove invalid or non-responsive email addresses from your marketing lists. Use Loqate’s email validation tool to check the validity of your email addresses, with bulk verification for up to 100,000 emails.
- Segment your email list: Segment based on customer behaviour and preferences for effective Black Friday promotions.
- Implement real-time email validation: Use Loqate’s email validation tool for real-time verification of new subscribers’ email addresses. Learn more: What is email validation and why is it important?
18. SMS marketing:
- Implement Loqate’s real-time phone validation during customer onboarding to ensure only valid phone numbers enter your system.
- Bulk verify phone numbers to ensure you have the correct customer details in your database.
- Update invalid numbers: Reach out to customers with invalid phone numbers to request updated contact information.
Operations and fulfilment
19. Set holiday shipping strategy:
- Define and communicate shipping timelines and options.
- Offer expedited and free shipping where feasible, or include these as part of minimum spend offers.
20. Optimise order and fulfilment workflows:
- Organise your fulfilment area.
- Group orders by priority and product type.
- Consider hiring additional staff for the busy period.
21. Offer easy and hassle-free returns:
- Make your return policy clear and accessible.
- Consider extending return windows for holiday purchases.
22. Ensure customers can find your store fast:
- Use Loqate’s store finder to encourage click and collect and drive foot traffic to your stores. Learn more: Everything you need to know about our Store Finder
23. Provide prompt and personal customer support:
- Train staff for quick and effective customer service.
- Prepare standard responses for common issues.
24. Reduce delivery failures:
- Capture accurate addresses: Ensure customer addresses are captured correctly, at the point of entry, using Loqate’s address capture solution.
- Geocode addresses: Convert addresses into exact geographic coordinates with Loqate’s geocoding service.
Data accuracy and customer experience
25. Data accuracy:
- Ensure product information, pricing, inventory levels, and customer data are accurate and up-to-date. Use Loqate’s data validation solution for a free data health check to review and cleanse data pre- and post-Black Friday.
26. Checkout optimisation:
- Streamline the checkout process to reduce cart abandonment. Offer multiple payment options, including BNPL and digital wallets. Leverage Loqate’s expertise in delivering exceptional checkout experiences (click here for some inspiration on what our ecommerce customers have built).
27. Fraud prevention:
- Adopt robust validation of customer data (address, email, phone) to prevent fraud and protect both retailer and customer. Ensure customer data is accurate and secure. Learn more: Red Flags – Detecting and preventing fraud at the point of data capture
28. Customer experience:
- Focus on delivering exceptional experiences including efficient returns, excellent customer service, and transparent communication. Use Loqate’s data validation tools to ensure up-to-date customer data, facilitating prompt returns, effective communication, and personalised experiences.
Post-sales
29. Monitor analytics for actionable insights:
- Track performance metrics and user behaviour.
- Utilise heat maps and activity logs to analyse customer interactions.
30. Turn seasonal shoppers into year-round customers:
- Engage customers post-sale through email and social media.
- Offer loyalty programmes and personalised marketing.
31. Reflect on what worked and what didn’t:
- Document successes and challenges.
- Gather feedback and adjust strategies for future events.
Contingency planning
32. Create contingency plans:
- Prepare for site crashes and supply chain delays.
- Establish backup systems and alternative solutions.
Additional considerations
33. Reward loyal customers:
- Offer exclusive deals and early access to your best customers.
34. Benchmark and grow your conversion rate:
- Analyse conversion rates and identify improvement opportunities.
Conclusion
By following this comprehensive readiness checklist, you can ensure your data is accurate and your platform is prepared for Black Friday and beyond. This proactive approach will help you avoid common pitfalls, streamline your operations, and provide a seamless shopping experience for your customers. Peak season is a time of massive opportunity for retailers each year, and we hope that with our checklist in tow, 2024 is the year in which you’ll be able to say you seized it with both hands.
Ready to optimise your operations for the peak season? Speak to your account manager or product specialist today to get started.
Chapter 6
Read time: 6 mins
Santas Helpers: Expert Insights on Peak season- Black Friday Strategies and Beyond
As the holiday season approaches, businesses are gearing up for the busiest shopping period of the year. To help you maximise your Black Friday success, we've gathered insights from industry experts on essential strategies. Here’s what they had to say:
When every retailer is fighting for traffic, one silver bullet is optimising your website performance. Thien-Lan Weber, VP Strategy and Marketing at Hyvä, emphasises the importance of a fast website:
"A fast website ranks better in search engine result pages, experiences a lower bounce rate and converts better. Focus on Google Core Web Vitals and invest some of your eCommerce budget into passing those as they provide long-lasting benefits to your revenues and profit." Not only is this cost-effective, but it also helps you comply with accessibility regulations, expanding your market and boosting conversion rates.
Holiday season purchases often involve buying gifts for others, making social proof crucial. Chloe Thomas highlights:
"That’s why social proof is even more important when your customers are buying gifts than when they’re buying things for themselves. Make sure you’ve proactively put the most useful reviews and testimonials front and centre on the product page and in your marketing." Displaying useful reviews and testimonials prominently can assure customers they’re buying gifts that will delight recipients. Start with the most popular products to build trust and drive conversions.
Online retailers should focus on customer retention and lifetime value this Black Friday. Sam Theakston, Director of B2 Agency, advises:
"Focus less on 'just getting product out the door' and more on how the customers can be immersed in your wider product offering with returning purchases. Think long-term not short-term." By immersing customers in your wider product offering and encouraging repeat purchases, you can turn one-time Black Friday shoppers into loyal brand ambassadors.
With mobile shopping on the rise, optimising the mobile experience is crucial. Alun Lucas, Managing Director of Zuko Analytics, points out a common issue with mobile forms:
"One of the consistent issues we see with the mobile experience on mobile forms is the use of inappropriate HTML types for fields. This leads to incorrect keyboards being shown to the user; for example, the alphabetical keyboard being shown when someone needs to enter their phone number." This simple fix can significantly improve the mobile shopping experience, reducing cart abandonment and increasing conversion rates.
To convert last-minute Black Friday shoppers, focus on timely promotions and urgency-driven messaging. Dan Walton, Head of Growth at Quickfire Digital, suggests:
"Offer special deals in the final hours and highlight these prominently on your website and social media to create urgency. Use countdown timers and alerts like 'Only a few left!' to prompt immediate action. Simplify the checkout process with fewer steps and multiple payment options. Retargeting ads can remind shoppers of items they viewed but didn’t buy, offering extra discounts or reminders of the sale ending soon." These tactics can help you engage last-minute shoppers and boost conversions.
To maximise success during Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM), start by gathering opt-ins and customer data as early as possible. Aoife Teague, Accounts and Partnerships Lead at Octane AI, explains:
"E-commerce quizzes are an excellent way to engage customers and collect valuable information about their preferences and shopping habits. These quizzes help customers easily find the products they need by identifying their ideal choices. Octane AI customers, for instance, have seen an average conversion rate of 16% from quizzes." Implementing eCommerce quizzes enhances customer engagement, personalises the shopping experience, and boosts subscriber growth, making them a crucial component of a successful BFCM strategy.
Catherine Rees, Ecommerce Manager at Numatic International, emphasises the importance of early preparation:
"Prep early but don’t be afraid to change your mind. Yes, it can seem crazy to be prepping for Black Friday before the summer has really begun but it really helps. Be ready to hit 'go' at the end of October and give yourself the benefit of choice through peak. Competitors go early? If you wanted to you could go too! Unexpected societal event you could join in with? You can. Sudden supply chain issues, no problem. Black Friday is often very heavy on creative, the earlier you can get the bulk out of the way, the more time for finesse."
Rebecca Hillard, ecommerce customer retention specialist, advises brands with third-party distribution against competing directly with major retailers:
"Instead, what has worked incredibly well in my experience is giving customers a point of difference and a reason to shop your products through your store. Plan something those retailers can’t offer. For example, in the beauty sector, you could sell online exclusives that aren’t available anywhere else, such as exclusive sizes, product bundles, or bespoke products. A fashion brand could have an exclusive colourway or style. Consider added value incentives; customers love to feel they’re receiving something extra special. This way, everybody wins!"
Kunle Campbell, Ecommerce Growth Advisor at 2X eCommerce, underscores the importance of early preparation:
"Preparation for Black Friday should begin in the summer. Ideally, your inventory planning and order scheduling to ensure product availability by early November or late October should commence by June or July, especially if you’re manufacturing overseas. On the marketing front, focus on ramping up the acquisition of fresh customer data through zero and first-party data collection. Remember, Black Friday is largely about retargeting and customer re-engagement. The best time to collect and engage customer data is from August through October."
These expert insights provide actionable strategies to enhance your Black Friday and beyond. From optimising your website and leveraging social proof to creating value-added offers and improving mobile experiences, these tips can help you drive success during the holiday season.
Ready to optimise your operations for the peak season? Speak to your account manager or product specialist today to get started.
Chapter 8
Read time: 4 mins
Spreading the holiday cheer: 5 tips to help you deliver on time
A failed or late delivery can wreak havoc on customer experience and brand reputation at the best of times.
But the demand for slick, on-time delivery is heightened further when customers are spending their hard-earned cash on thoughtful Christmas gifts for loved ones, or spending a hefty war chest during the discount holidays of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
So just like Santa never fails to deliver, find out how you too can avoid the fallout from faulty fulfilment and leave customers feeling merry and bright this Golden Quarter.
1. Format addresses correctly to support parcel fulfilment
A common issue retailers face is when the data they provide to couriers isn’t in the correct format for their systems. This can significantly slow the delivery process or worse still, lead to failed deliveries.
For example, your courier import specification might require postcode in uppercase as the first field provided and the county field populated. But if these aren’t mandatory fields in your online checkout, problems can arise in the fulfilment process.
Our automated DCoL solution is ready to receive and process files 24/7. Data is provided to us via SFTP for address reformatting and files are processed and returned to your exact specification. We can even append other useful delivery variables, such as UPRN, geocodes and DPS to enrich your data further.
2. Use UDPRNs to improve delivery rates
A UDPRN, or Unique Delivery Point Reference Number, is an eight-digit unique numerical code that identifies delivery points for individual premises on the Postcode Address File (PAF).
By assigning this number against an address, delivery drivers are assured of accurate and enhanced address data, making it easier to find the destination property.
And that results in reduced delivery times, lower emissions, increased delivery success rates and happier customers.
Learn more: What is a UDPRN, and what are the benefits?
3. Help customers find an address in one tap
Speed and convenience are key driving factors when buying online, particularly when using mobile devices. In 2021, smartphones were used to make 66% of online shopping orders and it’s forecast that in 2024, revenue from m-commerce will rise to 105.28 billion British pounds.
Learn more: Loqate’s ultimate guide to m-commerce
With this in mind, it’s crucial that retailers create mobile experiences that are as frictionless as possible. One way to do this is by implementing a geolocation tool at the stage of customer address entry. Using single-tap technology, geolocation allows users to click a button and their current location is found, eliminating the need to even enter an address.
As well as minimising cognitive load and reducing address entry errors, geolocation reduces friction, resulting in happier customers, higher conversion rates and improved data quality – all in a single tap. Still not convinced?
Find out how leading womenswear brand, Hush, uses geolocation to create an enhanced mobile experience for its customers.
4. Add Eircode to your address finder
The eCommerce market in Ireland is booming and 83% of Irish shoppers now buy online from a UK business – which is great news for e-retailers.
However, over a third of addresses in Ireland don’t have a house name or number. And many share their address with at least one other property, making it extremely difficult for those delivering goods or services to locate their customers with precision.
To overcome this challenge, the Irish government launched Eircode in 2015. As part of the scheme, each residential and business address was given a unique identifier code, making those living in remote areas easier to find.
That’s why many retailers choose to add Eircode to the address validation tools in their checkouts. As well as improving user experience for Irish customers, Eircode drastically reduces failed deliveries and associated costs, as experienced by beauty brand, Charlotte Tilbury.
Learn more: How can Eircodes help your business grow?
5. Capture accurate addresses in real-time
Capturing a customer’s address accurately isn’t as easy as you might think. Whether it’s a lapse in concentration, a slip of a finger on a mobile device, or a missed field, customers can often accidentally provide incomplete or inaccurate data. And this faulty data impacts on your ability to deliver to the right address, leading to delays, customer frustration and costly redelivery fees.
A real-time type-ahead address capture tool allows you to collect accurate customer addresses at the point of entry in your online forms and checkouts. Not only is it the quickest and easiest way to capture address data, it’s also the friendliest solution for mobile commerce.
One retailer making sure they always deliver on time for special occasions is Hotel Chocolat. By implementing address capture, the chocolatier brand has been able to ensure that all customer, gift recipient and prospect contact data is accurate, clean and up-to-date. As a result, the company has reported an increase in sales conversions and improved database quality.
Ready to optimise your operations for the peak season? Speak to your account manager or product specialist today to get started.
Chapter 7
Read time: 3 mins
Checking the list twice: Why you need email and phone validation
The golden quarter, marked by Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the peak holiday shopping season, is a critical time for businesses. With heightened competition and consumers bombarded with offers, your message must stand out and reach its intended audience. However, this effort can be in vain if your contact data is inaccurate. That’s where email and phone validation come into play.
Why validate emails?
Enhance deliverability and sender reputation
Email campaigns are a cornerstone of holiday marketing. However, according to research by GBG, emails degrade by 7% annually. Invalid emails lead to bounces, damaging your sender reputation and preventing customers from seeing your message.
Maximise marketing metrics
Incorporating a live/ bulk email validation process before Black Friday helps you:
- Identify invalid emails during onboarding to avoid sending to them.
- Ensure valid emails ready for campaigns.
- Highlight emails requiring further verification.
This allows you to focus on valid emails, reducing bounce rates and providing more accurate marketing metrics. Invalid emails can be redirected to capture alternative addresses or utilise other channels, ensuring timely delivery of your message.
Prevent data entry errors
Email validation at the point of address entry reduces mistyped emails, which can account for up to 57% of errors. Mistyped emails lead to poor customer service and lost sales, as customers don't receive important messages or vouchers they signed up for. Ensuring data accuracy from the start saves costs and maintains data integrity.
Learn more: What is email validation and what are the benefits?
Why validate phone numbers?
Improve security and account protection
Phone validation is crucial for account security, particularly with the rise of two-factor authentication (2FA). Validating phone numbers ensures that security codes reach the correct recipients, enhancing both security and user experience.
Enhance customer communication
SMS marketing is a powerful tool, with a 98% open rate and a 45% conversion rate according to Simple Texting. Valid phone numbers ensure your messages about product launches, sales, and customer service updates reach the right audience, improving engagement and conversion rates.
Reduce costs and effort
By capturing validated phone numbers upfront, you avoid wasted effort and costs associated with contacting invalid numbers. Accurate phone numbers make ROI analysis more straightforward, giving you a clear picture of campaign effectiveness.
Learn more: Why you need phone validation in your customer data toolkit
The Loqate advantage
Loqate's email and phone validation tools offer a comprehensive solution:
- Email validation: Identifies catch-all and role-based emails, reducing bounce rates and preserving sender reputation. Helps capture and verifies accurate email addresses at the point of entry.
- Phone validation: A three-step validation process checks the number's length, country, and carrier, ensuring accuracy. Available via an easy-to-deploy API, it integrates seamlessly into your systems.
Best of all, it can all be installed at the push of a button, with our API integrating seamlessly within minutes to your CRM. By incorporating these validation tools, you ensure your messages reach the right customers, maximising the impact of your marketing efforts during the critical holiday season.
In summary
Validating email and phone data is essential for successful communication during peak shopping periods. It enhances deliverability, protects sender reputation, ensures data accuracy, and improves customer engagement. Invest in email and phone validation to ensure your Black Friday and holiday campaigns reach their full potential.
Ready to optimise your operations for the peak season? Speak to your account manager or product specialist today to get started.
Chapter 9
Read time: 4 mins
All I want for Christmas is UX
The checkout process is the last hurdle before visitors turn into customers, so it’s crucial to get it right. Even the slightest friction can drive shoppers away from your site.
And with everyone rushing to tick things off their lists at Christmas time, retailers must make it as easy as possible for shoppers to complete their purchases.
Here’s a list of UX recommendations that will help optimise your online checkout on any device and boost those all-important conversions as we move towards festive period.
1. Solve address edge cases
Many checkouts focus solely on customers who follow the intended "happy path". However, many customers hit snags along the way that could have been avoided.
Manual address entry is a major source of errors
A small number of customers will opt to enter their addresses manually, but these account for a high number of address errors. Solve this by verifying manual addresses at the point of entry.
Customers incorrectly edit their address
Customers sometimes override a verified address with information they believe to be correct. This is another source of errors and it's important to re-verify captured addresses after they are edited.
Validate addresses supplied by payment providers
Providers such as Apple Pay, and other digital wallets, will populate a customer's address in your checkout with saved details. This frequently results in incorrectly formatted and outdated information. Make sure you always verify auto-populated addresses.
2. Prioritise guest checkout
Having to register before buying is one of the top reasons for cart abandonment. By making account creation voluntary, you can significantly reduce initial checkout friction and drop-off.
Account recovery
Customers frequently forget their account details. In many cases, it’s easier to check out as a guest than to recover a password. Even if you detect the guest has an account, don’t force customers to log in.
Reduce hoop jumping
When a guest checkout is hidden below account registration, customers are forced through a lengthy process. Let your customers choose how to progress, as an easier checkout process will mean repeat business is more likely.
Transition guests to accounts
After a successful purchase, offer guest customers the ability to log in or register to link their purchase to an account. You could include this in a follow-up email with some compelling incentives to sign up.
3. Give clear feedback
Clear validation on form fields is vital to avoid confusion due to out-of-sight error messages.
Consider positive inline validation
Validation often focuses on errors and negative feedback. A checkmark next to valid information can add a sense of progression.
Timely feedback
Displaying errors too soon (before a user completes the field) or too late (once the entire form has been populated) will annoy some users. Real-time validation gives your customers immediate feedback.
Clear language
Error messages and instructions must be clear. Rather than just describe what went wrong, include the next steps to fix the error.
4. Instantly verify customer details
Phone numbers, email and physical addresses should be checked as they are typed to avoid user errors and delivery problems.
Phone number validation
Loqate's phone number validation goes beyond checking number length, it can guarantee a number's validity and ability to receive text messages.
Smarter email validation
Similarly, beyond checking for an @ symbol and a valid domain, Loqate increases email deliverability, maintains your email reputation and reduces fraudulent registrations by detecting whether an email address is genuine and can receive mail.
Learn more: What is email validation and why is it important?
Instant address lookup
Once a customer starts typing a house, business, street name or postcode, Loqate immediately provides suggestions to autocomplete the address in as few as three keystrokes. This improves the speed of checkout and accuracy of data.
5. Reduce address entry friction
A single line address lookup simplifies an address form down to just one field. Typing any part of the address on a single line is quicker and occupies far less space than a multi-field form.
Reduce the cognitive load
Address entry is usually the slowest and most demanding part of a checkout flow. Loqate provides frictionless address entry that increases customer satisfaction and reduces abandonment.
Reduce unforced errors
By interpreting typing errors, Loqate ensures accurate address data at the point of entry, reducing user-facing error messages and increasing your data quality, leading to less customer struggle and frustration.
Reduce the chance of failed delivery
Address validation increases efficiency by avoiding poor data quality and the cost of missed deliveries. In turn, customers are more likely to receive your goods and services on time, and you can avoid the staggering costs of failed deliveries.
Ready to optimise your operations for the peak season? Speak to your account manager or product specialist today to get started.
Chapter 10
Read time: 3 mins
Post-Black Friday Data Wonderland: Analysis and Recovery
Black Friday brings a significant boost for eCommerce businesses and retailer’s bottom-line year over year. However, with the influx sales the same is said of data collected during this period, which requires careful analysis and maintenance to ensure ongoing success. As leaders in the data quality space, we have identified the best techniques for analysing post-holiday data and maintaining data integrity through utilizing ongoing checks.
3 Techniques for Analysing Data Post-Holiday:
Analysing data collected during Black Friday and the holiday season is a goldmine for identifying trends, customer behaviors, and sales patterns. This analysis can inform future strategies, helping businesses make data-driven decisions. Here are some methods to consider:
- Identify Key Metrics: Focus on metrics such as sales volume, customer acquisition rates, and average order value. These metrics provide insights into what worked well and what needs improvement.
- Trend Analysis: Look for patterns in customer behavior, such as peak shopping times, popular products, and common purchase paths. Analytics tools and customer relationship management (CRM) systems can be invaluable for this purpose.
- Customer Segmentation: Segment your customer base to understand different groups’ behaviors and preferences. This can help tailor marketing strategies to different segments for better engagement and conversion rates.
Maintaining Data Integrity with Ongoing Checks
Maintaining data integrity is vital for accurate reporting, effective marketing, and positive customer experiences. Continuous data checks can help identify and correct issues before they become problematic. Best practices include:
- Regular Data Cleansing: Periodically clean your data to remove duplicates, correct errors, and update outdated information. This ensures that your data remains accurate and reliable.
- Data Deduplication: Duplicate data can lead to wasted marketing efforts and skewed analytics. Implementing deduplication processes can help maintain a single customer view.
- Data Validation: Validate mailing addresses, email addresses and phone numbers, and other contact information to ensure you can effectively communicate with your customers. This also helps in maintaining compliance with regulations like GDPR.
Neglecting data integrity can result in inaccurate reporting, wasted marketing efforts, and poor customer experiences. Hence, it’s crucial to prioritize ongoing data maintenance.
Loqate’s Data Health Check and Data Maintenance
Loqate offers a comprehensive suite of data maintenance solutions designed to improve data quality and accuracy. Their free Data HealthCheck service meticulously examines and improves your data, helping to identify gaps and issues related to data completeness and accuracy.
Key Loqate Capabilities:
- UDPRN Append: Assign a Unique Delivery Point Reference Number to customer data to improve delivery efficiencies and identify duplicate accounts.
- National Change of Address (NCoA): Keep customer records up to date by tracing customers who have moved home.
- Mortality Screening: Sensitively suppress outbound communications to deceased customers by screening your database against trusted mortality databases.
- Email and Mobile Validation: Ensure effective communication by validating email addresses and mobile numbers.
Using Loqate’s tools can lead to improved operational performance, marketing efficiency, and better customer targeting.
Conclusion
Post-holiday data analysis and maintenance are critical for sustaining the momentum gained during Black Friday and the holiday season. By leveraging effective data analysis techniques and maintaining data integrity through ongoing checks, businesses can make informed decisions that drive future success. Loqate’s free Data HealthCheck and comprehensive maintenance solutions provide an excellent resource for businesses looking to enhance their data quality and operational performance.
Ready to optimise your operations for the peak season? Speak to your account manager or product specialist today to get started.
