Last quarter of the year: statistics and trends for a successful Black Friday

The last quarter of the year is a time filled with seasonal discounts and promotional activities. For many companies, the next few months, especially November, will be the most profitable of the year.

After analyzing more than 210 million online orders, IT company Admitad was able to accurately identify and predict the product categories that will be most popular among Brazilian shoppers during Black Friday and other holiday deals. The company also leveraged its data to determine the most effective sources of customer acquisition.

Preparation phase: How the sales season begins

Bargain hunter users begin their shopping activities long before Black Friday.

Already on November 11, 11.11 (eleven out of eleven) offers await, one of the biggest sales days of the year for the Chinese markets. The leader of the day is the e-commerce giant Alibaba Group and its marketplace Aliexpress. After all, this is the company that originally came up with the idea of ​​”Singles’ Day” in 2009, a big sale every 11th of that month.

According to Admitad, the global sales of Chinese online retailers between November 11 and 13, 2021 increased 7 times. Brazilian local users increased the number of orders from Chinese markets 5 times and spent 9 times more on them compared to the normal period. The most popular categories of products sold were Electronics and Cell Phones, Beauty and Health, Home and Garden, Clothing and Sports Equipment.

This year, other companies in this segment also want to take advantage of the trend and incorporate 11.11 into their marketing and sales strategy. After all, not doing so would be a missed opportunity – then again, why not warm up your audience before the main event, Black Friday? Aliexpress itself has already published the schedule of sales activities – other brands can take many interesting approaches from the undisputed leader of this sale.

Pre-sale? After sale? Studies show: the more, the better

Black Friday pre-sales serve not only to warm up the audience and generate interest in the most famous Friday in November, but also to expand the company’s sales opportunities.

In 2021, online sales on Black Friday itself did not explode as we have seen in previous years. The surge in online orders during traditional sale dates was less than a year earlier. Instead, sales increased in amplitude, for a longer period as the promotion was extended – from several days to several weeks – increasing the duration of high demand.

According to a report by Adobe Analytics, last year’s total Black Friday online sales decreased slightly – from $9 billion in 2020 to $8.9 billion in 2021. Many brands not only launched presale discounts before the 26th, but also promised to extend their discounts beyond the traditional period of Black Friday. By doing this, they spread the purchasing activity of their audience over a much longer period. Brazilian local users increased the number of orders during the sales week by 149%, and the value of orders – 4 times compared to the usual period.

For this year, brands must prepare for a longer battle for customer interest – don’t focus all your attention on just one day.

Which products will be the most popular?

Research by Admitad found that shoppers globally spent more money on electronics and apparel during last year’s Black Friday. Compared to 2020, the interest of the gaming and event industry stands out. The company predicts that this trend will continue in 2022, as these are two industries that have maintained rapid and steady growth throughout the year.

At the same time, Admitad claims that the average order value of Brazilian users increased by 82% during Black Friday 2021, compared to regular sales periods, reaching an average ticket of BRL 200.

The product categories that proved most popular with customers around the world – and with Brazilian customers – were perfectly aligned with these global trends:

A breakthrough for sales success

According to Admitad, in 2021, a significant number of users (36.4%) were motivated to buy on Black Friday by lucrative cashback offers. Another 19.4% of users decided to buy via online media recommendations and internet blogs, 7.8% via affiliated stores and 7.5% via coupon services. There is also a large segment of customers (9.7%) who come via messengers and social networks.

These platforms and networks are expected to become even bigger providers of services to customers during the last quarter of the 2022 offer season. In Brazil, cashback and coupon services, online media and blogs, social networks and affiliate stores are already at the heart of customers – and will continue to be consult before the actual acquisition. Although, according to Admitad statistics, sales via social networks experienced a slight decline – the number of orders via cashback services, online media and affiliate stores increased by 6%, 11% and 30%, respectively, throughout the year.

In addition, Admitad analyzed this year’s order flow to find out which traffic channels are increasingly performing in Brazil. This could prove to be the “secret weapon” for success in subsequent sales. The results show that contextual ads on Google, Bing and other search engine networks continue to increase their influence on local shopper activity. In 2022 alone, the number of sales through these platforms increased by 116%.

Sales through mobile apps also increased by 25%. A great reason not only to prepare your application for sales activity, but also to analyze the use of mobile-focused affiliates through partner networks and advertising through targeted ad networks.

For this report, Admitad analyzed more than 210 million orders worldwide, including more than 8 million orders in Brazil.