Get Out of the “Sales” Zone: How Can Brands Connect With Consumers In The Longest Holiday Season Ever

COVID-19 has impacted every facet of our daily lives: from work commutes to special occasions, nothing looks like it did even a year ago. But how has the pandemic impacted consumer’s buying choices, preferences, and interests? How are consumer-facing brands adjusting to tackle Black Friday —the biggest shopping day of the year? And how are brands staying top-of-mind as reports signal a slight increase in overall spending, while discretionary spending remains negative?

COVID’S impact
It’s no surprise online shopping sales numbers have skyrocketed this year. Take the toy market for example. According to ROIRevolution, the pandemic “caused the initial surge in online toy purchases, up 175% year-over-year in April and 180% in May.” Growth continued well into October, with sales increasing by 85%. This is a trend perceived in almost all industries and has forced everyone to come up with new strategies.

Eyes on the prize
So, how are brands changing their usual marketing plans around Black Friday and Cyber Monday? Firstly, brands are competing with each other to occupy the mind-space and screen time of consumers. “Black Friday” discounts began far ahead of November 27th. After Amazon Prime set their annual deal event-- Prime Day-- in October, Target, Walmart, and other retailers followed suit with a flurry of holiday sales all of November.It’s important to note: brands are likely to take advantage of the optics around encouraging people to stay home. Consumers are far more likely to trust —and buy from—a brand or company that has similar values. For example, Dove shared a video that demonstrated the importance of handwashing and reinforced the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) advice to “to show the world that care can have a big impact.” For their consumers, shopping has become all the more responsible and gives people a reason to do so safely.

Earning trust
For brands to build a trustful rapport with consumers, connecting authentically and meeting them where they’re at on social media is key. Now, doing so —and being on top of what’s trending—has become more important than ever as people’s interests and behaviors are changing. This means actively participating in social listening across relevant native platforms (Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, etc.) to find out what are your audience’s interests, preferred activities and even their favorite meme accounts to follow. That insight will help create content with makers/influencers from that specific audience with appropriate messaging and nurture that community with very frequent and relevant commenting. Simply having content scheduled for your social media channels is no longer enough to engage with your audience. With people staring at their electronic devices more than ever, having a strong online presence-- and an e-commerce strategy catered to new consumer behaviors-- will help differentiate brands amidst this hectic sales schedule and beyond the gift-buying season.

Give them what they want
Consumers aren’t just looking for deals. They’re also looking for ideas, inspiration or maybe just a laugh. Brands that get out of the “sales” zone help make that human connection, allowing the brand’s voice to deliver more than coupons. Home bakers are looking for inspiration. Virtual birthdays need fun activities. Parents are running out of ideas for mealtime. So when the Black Friday deals are done and the world goes back to whatever normal is these days, the best brands are still here, ready to add a human touch to the holiday season...and beyond.