If you work in eCommerce, and if you’ve ever worked in retail, you know that the busiest week of the year is almost upon us. Yes, the Cyber 5 is almost here. The term Black Friday was coined in the 1950s by Philadelphia police describing the chaos of the day following Thanksgiving. Since then, it’s evolved into the Cyber 5 for eCommerce, including Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday, Cyber Saturday, Cyber Sunday, and Cyber Monday.
With this in mind, we want to look back at how the Cyber 5 performed in 2021 and examine what trends you can expect to see in 2022 for the busiest shopping season of the year.
Important Black Friday 2021 Statistics
Online Sales
- Shopify stores collectively made $6.3 billion in sales.
- 88 million Americans shopped online on Black Friday 2021.
- 17.7% of all Black Friday sales in 2021 were from Amazon.
- Consumers spent $109.8 billion online from Nov. 1 to Nov. 29 in 2021.
- Cart abandonment was 77.74% on Black Friday.
- In 2021, Black Friday sales were 23% higher than on Cyber Monday.
- 52% of online shoppers were first-time buyers in 2021.
Email Marketing Performance
- Email campaigns with “$ off” messages had the highest conversion rate at 14.8%.
- CTR (click-through rate) increased by 64% when subject lines included Black Friday or Cyber Monday.
- 20% of online holiday site visits occurred because of email.
- Consumers who purchased through email were likely to spend 138% more than those who didn’t receive email offers.
- Email volume increased by 25% from 2020.
Mobile and Desktop Performance
- Almost 43% of Black Friday sales were made through mobile phones.
- 74.17% of online traffic on Black Friday was from mobile devices.
- According to Business Insider, a majority of consumers browsed deals on their phones but preferred to purchase on desktop.
- Desktop has an 11% conversion rate compared to mobile, which has a 5-6% conversion rate.
Cyber Monday Sales
- $10.7 billion was spent by consumers on Cyber Monday 2021, which was 1.4% down from $10.8 billion in 2020.
- The top categories for Cyber Monday were toys, video game consoles, gift cards, books, video games, and baby products.
- Cyber Monday spending beat Black Friday spending by $1.8 billion.
- Buy Now, Pay Later revenue increased by 20% compared to 2020.
Now that we’ve looked at where we’ve been when it comes to the Cyber 5, let’s take a look at where we’re headed this year.
2022 eCommerce Black Friday Trends
Early Shopping
Consumers have already begun browsing for holiday deals, and many are making early purchases. Many brands have released their holiday deals early as well, in anticipation of early shopping.
Sustainability
72% of consumers want to buy from brands that make positive contributions to society, and sustainability practices are the biggest factor influencing buying decisions.
BNPL (Buy Now, Pay Later)
Shoppers are increasingly choosing the option to pay over time. 40% of millennials and 42% of Gen X consumers utilized BNPL in 2021, and those percentages are expected to grow this year.
Small Businesses
Shopping from small businesses increased in popularity during the pandemic and is expected to continue. 47 million global consumers purchased from independent and D2C brands, according to Shopify.
Social Shopping
Social media shopping integrations have been on the rise in recent years and are expected to gain popularity with consumers this holiday season. Consumers enjoy the convenience of purchasing directly from their social media apps without having to leave them.
In conclusion, it’s good to keep these statistics and trends in mind as you prepare for the Cyber 5. Consumers are utilizing various forms of online shopping more than ever before, and are shopping for deals earlier. If you’ve optimized your website for desktop and mobile, and you’re running omni-channel campaigns that highlight your holiday deals, your brand is likely to increase its revenue.
If you find that you’re needing help navigating the Cyber 5 or you have questions about how to maximize your holiday marketing efforts, the team at Blue Wheel is here to help!
Simply fill out the form below and we’ll get in touch to discuss your marketing and advertising goals.
