Top Live Shopping Strategies for record-breaking Black Friday & Cyber Monday Sales 20245 min read

Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) have become essential to the success of e-commerce, contributing to record-breaking sales year after year. In 2023, U.S. consumers spent a staggering $9.8 billion on Black Friday and a massive $11.3 billion on Cyber Monday, both setting new records for online sales. During these two days alone, many brands saw their annual revenue double or even triple, proving the importance of BFCM for driving revenue.

Whether you’re in Skincare, Beauty, Fashion, Food, or Consumer Electronics, the strategies in this article will help you tap into the growing power of Live Shopping and make Black Friday and Cyber Monday your most successful sales days yet.

For inspiring success stories, check out Live Shopping Success Stories for BFCM and Holiday Season.

Strategy 1: Promote Black Friday – Cyber Monday Deals and Events in Advance

One of the most crucial elements of a successful BFCM campaign is building anticipation well in advance through marketing. Your buyer audience is bombarded with offers during this time, so starting early ensures your brand is at the top of their mind when the big day arrives. Furthermore, it’s not just about letting the audience know when and where the broadcast will take place. It is also about captivating them to tune in and buy products.

Tease your Buyer Audience: Create excitement by using teaser videos, sneak peeks, and countdowns on social media, your website, and email campaigns. Let your shoppers know that something big is coming. For example, a Beauty Brand can share a teaser video highlighting limited-edition holiday makeup sets with a message like, “Only 7 days until the big reveal! Set your reminders!”

Pre-releases: Offer small glimpses of the products or deals to come. Skincare Brands could showcase upcoming product bundles or demo limited-time treatments in short Instagram stories or TikTok videos, enticing users to tune in for the full live event.

Create a Content Calendar: This is extremely important for ensuring your promotions are well-timed and engaging. By tailoring your Live Shopping shows around key dates, you can educate buyers, demonstrate products, launch new items, and promote offers for the BFCM and Holiday Season. 

For more on this, check out our guide on How to Create an Effective Monthly Calendar for Your Live Shopping Shows.

Leverage Influencers: Influencer partnerships are a powerful way to expand your reach. A consumer electronics brand could partner with a tech influencer to unbox and preview upcoming Black Friday gadgets, driving interest and credibility before the sale.

Tip: By leveraging Multi-host Selling Feature of Channelize.io, brands can get their favorite hosts or influencers in the same room for a Shopping Show, double the Engagement, and much more.

Strategy 2: Host Multiple Live Shopping Shows

Consistency is key when it comes to live shopping. Hosting a single event won’t have the same impact as running a series of shows that gradually build viewership and anticipation. Brands need to create multiple touchpoints for their audience to engage with their live shopping events, leading up to and during BFCM.

Bonus: Check out our Live Shopping Calendar for BFCM and Holiday Season 2024 to strategically plan your live shows and maximize Sales.

Make sure there is variety: Don’t focus on a single category; instead, plan a series of events featuring different products. A food brand, for example, could host a live demo on creating holiday feasts one day and a show promoting giftable gourmet food hampers the next.

Scheduled Broadcasts: Establish a broadcasting schedule and share it with your audience. Skincare brands could host a series of nightly live streams leading up to Cyber Monday, where each event focuses on a different product line (e.g., anti-aging, hydration, or skincare routines).

Interactive Engagement: Keep your audience actively involved through real-time interaction during Live Shopping events. Including live Q&A sessions allows the host to address specific buyer questions, creating a personalized experience. This level of interaction builds a stronger connection with the audience, leading to higher engagement and increased sales.

Cross-Promotion: Collaborating with influencers or complementary brands can help you expand your audience. A Fashion Brand could team up with a beauty influencer for a joint livestream featuring holiday outfits and makeup ideas, doubling the potential reach.

Strategy 3: Exclusive Offers and Limited-Time Deals

Nothing drives sales during Black Friday and Cyber Monday quite like exclusive, time-sensitive deals. These limited-time offers create a sense of urgency that compels viewers to act immediately, knowing the deal won’t last long.

Flash Sales: Offer time-limited discounts on products only available during the live stream. For example, a beauty brand can run a flash sale for their top-selling products at 50% off for the next 30 minutes.

Bundles and Exclusive Sets: Create exclusive product bundles that are only available during your live shopping event. A food brand could offer gift hampers or holiday meal kits that are unavailable anywhere else.

Countdowns and Urgency: Use countdown timers during your event to emphasize when the offer will expire. A fashion brand can flash a countdown clock on-screen, showing how long viewers have left to purchase a limited-edition winter jacket at a discounted price.

Free Shipping and Added Perks: Encourage viewers to buy during the event by offering free shipping, exclusive gifts with purchase, or early access to upcoming products.

Strategy 4: Leverage Influencers and Brand Ambassadors

Partnering with influencers and brand ambassadors can significantly boost your brand’s visibility and trust during BFCM. Influencers bring credibility and a wider audience, making your Live Shopping events more engaging and relatable.

For example, a Beauty Brand can collaborate with a popular makeup artist to co-host a live event, demonstrating products in real-time while answering audience questions. This not only drives immediate sales but also builds long-term brand loyalty by tapping into the influencer’s trusted community.

Bonus Strategy: Use UGC in the Form of Shoppable Videos for BFCM Success

For Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) 2024, Shoppable Videos can be a game-changer. By transforming User-Generated Content (UGC) like Instagram Reels, TikTok videos, and customer reviews into shoppable videos, you can seamlessly blend engagement with high conversion potential. This strategy taps into authentic, trusted content, allowing you to drive significant sales with minimal extra effort.

For your BFCM campaign, here’s how Shoppable Videos can boost your success:

• Reuse TikTok & Instagram Reels: Turn your social media content into shoppable assets on your website, linking directly to the featured products, and driving instant purchases.
• Showcase Product Collections: Demonstrate products, reviews, and comparisons, providing customers with an interactive, immersive experience.
• Embed Anywhere on Your Website: Maximize sales conversions by embedding shoppable videos throughout your site for a watch-and-buy experience.
• Engage & Convert Shoppers: Create a smooth path from viewing UGC to purchasing, keeping shoppers engaged and eager to buy.
• Shareable Video Links: Promote shoppable videos on social media for increased visibility and traffic to your BFCM offers.

Learn more about how Shoppable Videos can take your BFCM 2024 to the next level here: Transform Your BFCM 2024 with Shoppable Videos.

Conclusion: Live Shopping Strategies for Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2024

As you develop your Black Friday and Cyber Monday marketing strategies, keep in mind that your ultimate goal is to craft memorable shopping experiences that not only generate immediate sales but also build lasting customer loyalty.

The key is to ensure that Black Friday shoppers aren’t just making one-time purchases—they’ll return again and again, especially during your future Live Shopping events.

New to Live Shopping? Let Channelize.io help you create a winning BFCM strategy. Book a FREE DEMO to get started.