Ecommerce Playbook · with Connor Rolain, Connor MacDonald · January 20, 2022 · 67 min
Summary
This episode dives into the crucial Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) strategies of two 9-figure brands, Hexclad and Ridge.com, featuring insights from their Heads of Growth/CMOs. Ecommerce operators will learn tactical approaches to BFCM planning, including sale pacing, new product launches, and the strategic trade-offs between offer simplicity and inventory management to maximize sales during peak season.
Key takeaways
For high-consideration products (1-3 month decision cycle), focus on filling your funnel 1-3 months before BFCM with brand building and then launch offers 2-3 weeks before Cyber Monday. For impulse buy products, the longer the sale runs, the better for capturing short-window conversions.
Strategically stagger new product launches before and during BFCM to create multiple engagement points and drive early traffic, especially for brands with diverse merchandising calendars.
Utilize gift guides as an early engagement tactic, launching them several weeks before core BFCM sales to capture early gift-givers with smaller discounts.
Prioritize clear, time-bound urgency in your BFCM messaging. Avoid extended sales (e.g., 60 days) that dilute the sense of urgency and reduce conversion rates.
Implement strike-through pricing instead of discount codes for complex pricing structures across multiple product categories to simplify the customer experience and prevent coupon stacking issues.
Resilience is often the key to success. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Common Thread Collective executives Orchid Bertelsen, Taylor Holiday, and Aaron Orendorff to discuss the seven characteristics of an “antifragile” ecommerce brand + 21 tactics. - Read the full article on developing an antifragile ecommerce brand: https://commonthreadco.com/blogs/coachs-corner/antifragile-ecommerce - Watch this podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/6BkM1vbTYSM
For high-consideration products (1-3 month decision cycle), focus on filling your funnel 1-3 months before BFCM with brand building and then launch offers 2-3 weeks before Cyber Monday. For impulse buy products, the longer the sale runs, the better for capturing short-window conversions.
What does this episode say about paid acquisition?
Strategically stagger new product launches before and during BFCM to create multiple engagement points and drive early traffic, especially for brands with diverse merchandising calendars.
What does this episode say about conversion & cro?
Utilize gift guides as an early engagement tactic, launching them several weeks before core BFCM sales to capture early gift-givers with smaller discounts.
What does this episode say about brand & content?
Prioritize clear, time-bound urgency in your BFCM messaging. Avoid extended sales (e.g., 60 days) that dilute the sense of urgency and reduce conversion rates.
What does this episode say about dtc strategy?
Implement strike-through pricing instead of discount codes for complex pricing structures across multiple product categories to simplify the customer experience and prevent coupon stacking issues.
