Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday: What’s a Brand Marketer’s Best Bet?

On Thanksgiving day, we gather around the dinner table with friends and family, devour mom’s turkey, granny’s apple pie, and give thanks for the blessings from the previous year. We also carb load on stuffing in preparation of the arduous task ahead of us—Black Friday shopping.

Dubbed Black Friday by retailers, as it’s the first day of the year that many are out of the red and in the black, profit is on the horizon.

For consumers, it’s long lines, rushing to stores in the wee hours, and now even cutting dessert short for this once-a-year free for all of stampeding over our fellow man, pushing them to the ground to get their mitts on the limited-quantity door buster.

But, is there a light at the end of the tunnel? And is that light the glimmer of a computer screen leading consumers to forgo Black Friday in favor of shopping online on Cyber Monday?

And if you’re a brand marketer, where do you concentrate your efforts to reach your target audience? Here are some stats we’ve gathered that will help you craft the perfect marketing strategy:

Is Black Friday or Cyber Monday More Popular?

This year 71% of consumers say they’re ready to shop on Cyber Monday compared to 69% who say they’re ready for Black Friday. This may seem like a small percentage difference, but it’s growing more year after year.

The largest participants in the Black Friday and Cyber Monday conversation on Twitter last year were in the 18 to 24 age group, both men and women—today and tomorrow’s consumer.

What Are Consumers Looking to Buy?

 

What Consumers Look for on Black Friday

Tablets/Laptops/PCs/TV – 27%

Clothing – 24%

Smart-home gadgets – 15%

Toys – 15%

Gift Cards -11%

Travel – 8%

 

What Consumers Look for on Cyber Monday

Clothing – 22%

Tablets/Laptops/PCs/TV – 21%

Smart-home gadgets – 17%

Gift Cards – 15%

Toys – 14%

Travel – 11%

Generally, when we think of Cyber Monday, we think of tech deals. But it turns out, shoppers are more interested in shopping for clothes on Cyber Monday and actually look for tech on Black Friday. This is precious information for retail advertisers. Tech stores need not pour all of their marketing efforts into Cyber Monday just because its name evokes thoughts of tech deals.

And sorry, vacation destination marketers, travel seems to be the lower priority for consumers on both Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Now that you’re teeming with all this newfound Black Friday and Cyber Monday data, you can tailor all your messaging to the right person, at the right time. Eat, drink, and be merry this Thanksgiving—but make sure that early morning alarm is set.