One advertising firm seems to think so, using its own client data with various published e-commerce statistics.
According to a global affiliate marketing service provider, this Black Friday and Cyber Weekend will see phenomena such as the rise of revenge travel, price-sensitive shoppers that frequent coupon and loyalty sites, and an increase in mobile commerce.
In support of its assertions, Rakuten Advertising is reminding brands and publishers to monitor data of how their audiences interact with conventional and emergent retail sectors, and be agile enough to align their marketing plans to new types of consumer behavior.
The firm has based its predictions on the following points:
- Data from this year’s Singles’ Day sales statistics in Asia Pacific publisher data, travel-related figures particularly stood out, with a growth in year-on-year sales of 417%—what the firm deems as signaling the rise of revenge travel.
- Other growth verticals with increased year-on-year Singles’ Day sales included pet products (162%), food and drink (124%) and home improvement (83%). This, according to the firm, points to a shift in behavior, where people are continuing to spend in growth verticals that emerged during lockdown periods.
- APAC shoppers are supposedly much more comfortable making purchases on their mobile devices now compared to using computers. A year-on-year analysis comparing desktop against mobile orders, noted that during this year’s Singles’ Day, orders made via mobile devices had increased from 41% to below 47% of all orders. Q4 2020 data from the firm’s Peak Planning Guide indicates that SEA consumers made significant purchases via their mobile phones.
- The data also recorded that loyalty and rewards drove nearly 75% of orders during peak shopping festivals last year.
By combining both data from various sources, brands can predict what to expect during the upcoming Black Friday and Cyber Weekend. This will enable them to optimize their affiliate marketing strategies to engage with each region’s consumers during the peak season, according to Rakuten.
Said the firm’s Senior Vice-President (Asia-Pacific), Stuart McLennan: “While trends and the necessity for specialized marketing tactics vary by region, one thing is clear that peak shopping is no longer only about sales. Understanding the changing preferences and (behavior patterns) of shoppers is just as vital as focusing on discounts during known peaks like Singles’ Day, Black Friday and Cyber Weekend.”
In recent years, McLennan noted, there has been an increase in the number of local retail events cropping up all around the world, such as Singles’ Day, South-east Asian markets such as Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. “Exploring the local events accessible to brands in the places in which they operate opens up additional avenues for delivering a high-performing peak shopping strategy. Partnerships with publishers will be critical for businesses to ensure that they are strategically leveraging the channel to engage customers across the path to purchase,” he asserted.
