Black Friday has been established as an undeniably powerful moment that mobilizes the consumer public; Therefore, we composed a presentation, in which we analyzed every perspective of Black Friday, coming to conclusions and providing directions that aim to help companies achieve the best possible result in this competitive period.

2. Black Friday is a
relatively new thing in Greece.
However, it has managed to become
popular in the last three years.
In fact, searches regarding the term ‘Black
Friday’ have doubled since November 2017.
This consecutive increase of searches leads us to
the conclusion that Black Friday has a growing fan
base that is looking forward to the event.
This anticipation starts around the end of
September, grows in October and reaches a
peak in November. It is therefore crucial for
brands to be ready for the big event at the
time. And since most of the Black Friday
searches are made via mobile devices
(65.6%) (vs desktop 30.3%), it is important
that brands are present on any platforms that
can be reached via smartphones (social
media, google, apps).
Bla
ck Friday
Sep 29, 2019 Jan 19, 2020 May 10, 2020 Aug 30, 2020
2017 2018 2019
2M
4M
Black Friday is a
Greek thing too
Searches of the term “Black Friday” Sep 2019 – Aug 2020
2020
Searches of the term “Black Friday” on yearly basis
Sources: Google
Black Friday is a relatively new thing in Greece. However, it has
managed to become popular in the last three years.
In fact, searches regarding the term ‘Black Friday’ have
doubled since November 2017. This consecutive increase of
searches leads us to the conclusion that Black Friday has a
growing fan base that is looking forward to the event.
This anticipation starts around the end of September, grows in
October and reaches a peak in November. It is therefore
crucial for brands to be ready for the big event at the time.
And since most of the Back Friday searches are made via
mobile devices (65.6%) (vs desktop 30.3%), it is important that
brands are present on any platforms that can be reached via
smartphones (social media, google, apps).
Total
Mobile
is a Greek
thing too

5. Black Friday has simple rules that most brands follow,
but each successful brand puts an interesting spin on
them. When trying to stand out in a saturated market,
brands experiment with new strategies every year.
Nonetheless, the basic steps are more or less the
same, and are the following:
Create a strategic plan with clear actions & tactics as
well as a concept and a campaign
Build anticipation by creating the FOMO effect –
publish content, advertise, invest on e-mail marketing
Start delivering early, and slowly reach the peak of
your discounts by the end of the event. Manage your
website traffic and continue advertising
Your plan is not over when Black Friday is over. With
Christmas season coming you need to stay put. Black
Friday marketing should be part of an ongoing year
plan anyway

6. Communicate
Black Friday
like a pro

7. This year
brands
and
retailers
need to
adjust

8. 21%
30%
44%
51% 51%
13%
21%
25%
27%
33%
1%
7% 8%
12% 12%
2019 25-27 Mar ‘20 1-3 Apr ‘20 8-10 May ‘20 22-24 May ‘20
Online Shop Food Delivery Online super market
Base: 750 rolling, Greek consumers
Have ordered from – in the last 10 days
Covid -19 has been the X factor of our everyday lives for too long
now, and the changes it has brought in our routine are
fundamental. Firstly, the pandemic has changed the rules in our
economies, as some business categories have seen tremendous
growth and others have hit rock bottom. We see it in the choices
we make – for example we are more interested in buying antiseptic
gels than perfumes nowadays.
Secondly, it is not just what we buy, but it is also where we buy it
that we have seen changing during the coronavirus times. Our
shopping habits have changed for good. Since the March lockdown,
online shopping has dramatically increased, making us more tech
savvy than ever. In fact, an IELKA survey showed that, compared to
2019, online shopping has more than doubled (to 51%) in May 2020.
Covid-19 will undoubtedly be one of the main factors of influence
for the big selling event this November. With online sales growing
and the prospect of a potential lockdown being a constant threat,
there are several questions brands will need to answer: Are they
ready to adapt to the new circumstances? Do they sell what is
‘saleable’ now? Are their websites/ online shops capable of
providing a good customer experience? And
most of all, have they communicated their
Black Friday offer loud and clear?
Covid 19
a virus changing
the norms

9. Τhe clock is tickingTo capitalize on the online sales ascending trend, this year’s
Black Friday will be starting online earlier than ever in many
countries.
For example, Home Depot in the US announced that its Black
Friday sale will last nearly 2 months amid the coronavirus
pandemic. Similarly, it is rumored that Amazon is considering a
two-day Prime event in the fourth quarter while also running
a long promotion of “Early Black Friday Deals” beginning in
October.
Starting the online sales earlier will help brands to recover
any loses from the difficult lockdown period and to accelerate
the prolonged Holiday period to force a stronger 4rth
quarter revenue.

10. In our minds Black Friday is associated to long queues
outside shops and malls. This year things will be different, as
the new rules of health and safety and social distancing
won’t allow that. Home Depot considers this new approach
to Black Friday as a reinvention of the event and aims to
improve the shopping experience “with your safety and
well-being as their priority.”
However, fighting the crowds has never been a good
shopping experience for anyone. Being able to avoid this, is
only a natural advancement to a new contemporary
shopping era.
Many of the world’s largest retail brands have also
announced special online offers on their websites and apps.
This is also a way to ‘compensate’ any custom/ human
customer experience being missed by not being
able to shop in an actual store and being
served by a sales assistant.
Sources: Vaimo, Statista

11. When Covid-19 took hold, a big part of online sales concerned grocery shopping,
with consumers using online supermarkets increasing by 1,000%. Apart from
groceries, we also saw an increase in technology goods sales (+43,70%, April
2020), which traditionally is one of black Friday’s key shopping categories.
Additionally, since offices and gyms were closed, people also invested in office
chairs and skipping ropes for comfort and exercising accordingly. At the same
time, with bakeries and coffee shops being shut down they also invested in bread
making machines and baking equipment.
Although, Black Friday has mainly been associated with non-essentials, such as
electronics, apparel, and all sorts of gifts, we may see some ‘new necessities’ rising
up as top shopping categories. It is a great opportunity for products that we
haven’t previously seen as big Black Friday hits, now emerging and shining.
Goods such as fitness equipment, household appliances, DIY , health
related products might be the antagonists of TVs and laptops this
year.
Are bread machines
the new laptops?
Sources: Vaimo, Statista

12. Are you
ready to
play by
the new
rules?
Are you
ready to
play by
the new
rules?
Are you
ready to
play by
the new
rules?
Are you
ready to
play by
the new
rules?
Are you
ready to
play by
the new
rules?
Are you
ready to
play by
the new
rules?
Are you
ready to
play by
the new
rules?

13. Is your website ready
for the event?
There is a big portion of shoppers
that would normally visit your store
on Black Friday that will now use your
website instead. The last thing you
want is your site crashing and
customers choosing your
competitor’s website instead.
Apart from the capacity of hosting
many people, is your website/online
shop providing shoppers with an
exquisite customer
experience? Do you offer
exclusive online sales? Do
you have a competitive
delivery and returns
policy?
Do you have an app that
will make shopping even
easier?
Apps are becoming more and more the
consumers’ choice of platforms when it
comes to shopping. There is one reason
for that: they are so easy to use. Most
of us use our mobile phones for
everything and shopping is part of it.
According to Forbes, customers spend
3-4 times more on mobile apps than
desktop, they spend
twice as much money and
are twice as likely to
return. What are you
waiting for?
Is Black Friday even for
you?
Well, some of you might think Black Friday is
not for your business, either because your
business is quite small or because the
services/goods you sell are not relevant to
Black Friday’s shoppers. However, with
Black Friday concept changing due to
coronavirus and new categories being added
in the game, you might want to reconsider.
Additionally, the stakes are higher for
smaller retailers who have suffered
due to the lockdown. Smaller
businesses need to
accelerate their digital
transformation and offer a
great online experience as no
one knows how much the
pandemic will last. Black Friday is
a good opportunity to lunch their
online platforms and to trigger
sales.

14. Have you
created
the
effect?

15. Strategy & Tactics
First you will need a clear strategy to
reach your audience. For this, you will
need to know your audience well – what do
they like? Which platforms do they use
etc. Then you will have to craft a plan with
the right content and tactics to ensure
success. Remember to always act ‘on
brand’ and never forget what your brand
represents, what it stands for and how it
is positioned in the market.
Strategy & Tactics
Creating inspiring and appealing content
is the cornerstone of any communication
you choose for your brand. Social Media
platforms are great for content
generation as you can reach any sort of
audience there. Make sure the content
your share is relevant and different to
that of your competitors. Fueling this
content with media budget or creating
original ads (TV, Digital, etc.) will
maximize results.
Black Friday is surely a good opportunity
for direct response ads, however, don’t
underestimate the importance of
awareness ads. Direct response ads work
better when combined with awareness
ads, as the latter create the trust
consumers need to feel in order to make
purchase decisions.
Strategy & Tactics
Influencers are a great way to create
FOMO for your brand. People want what
their favorite singer/tv persona/ Insta-
grammer (and so on) has. Black Friday is
a great period to use influencer market-
ing, to communicate you offers and prod-
ucts.
Other PR tactics you could use this
period, are online events promoting your
products through concepts with the help
of Influencers.
Remember to affiliate your name with the
right Influencers – people who are rele-
vant to the values of your brand.
Creating FOMO is
a type of art

16. 2.Build
3.Deliver
4.Sustain
1.PlanDigital Presence
Website -
Seo -
App -
Coms Strategy
- Strategy
- So.Me
- Campaign & Concept
- Promotion Phasing
Assets
So.Me. & Google -
Teasing Content
Teasing Ads launch -
(awareness)
Targeting
- Email marketing
- Teasing campaign
- Populate remarketing
Assets
Campaign unfolding -
So.Me. & Google Content -
Direct response Ads launch -
Promotion
- Managing discounts & e-shop
- Retargeting if necessary
Assets
So.Me.& Google -
Content / reaching
out to Christmas period
Christmas ads teasers -
Promotion
- Final discounts
- Retargeting late birds
- Create 360 days sales effect

17. We are here
to help!
info@adjust.gr
+30 211 102 7400