As the owner of an eCommerce company, it’s your goal to run a successful business through employing marketing strategies. Rather than working hard to analyze the market, you should work smart to leverage every opportunity you can to attract customers and drive revenue.
One such opportunity is Cyber Monday - a day on which it's possible for consumers to get incredible deals online. For those with well-crafted strategies, it represents an amazing chance to boost your bottom line by selling more products.
To give you some idea of just how much of an opportunity it is, you only have to look at the figures from 2020, which hit a record $10.8 billion - the biggest eCommerce day in history! As you can see, it’s something that you need to be prepared for.
In this blog, we look at how to create a strategy that makes use of the highly-effective channels that are SMS and email marketing for Cyber Monday. We recommend using platforms like Klaviyo SMS marketing because they already have built-in email functions tied into the platform.
But first, here’s a bit more of an explanation of the day and how it started.
What is Cyber Monday?
Essentially, Cyber Monday is a marketing term that’s used to describe the first Monday that follows Thanksgiving in the US. This 24-hour sales extravaganza is conducted entirely online, and it’s seen as an extension of the Black Friday sales which precede it.
This modern retail experience was created back in 2004, as research showed that it was statistically the busiest online shopping day of the year. And so, the concept was born.
The Benefits of Cyber Monday for eCommerce brands
Of course, the immediate benefit of Cyber Monday is a dramatic, short-term increase in sales. However, the benefits extend much further than that. With the right marketing strategy, it’s possible for Cyber Monday to also result in:
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Raising overall brand awareness
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An increase in your email subscription database size
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Growth in your number of followers
Rather than only feeling a single, one-time boost in sales, the effects can be felt all year round, as interaction and traffic grow naturally as a result. So, now that we know what it is - let’s turn our attention to how to use email and SMS marketing to drive Cyber Monday success.
Email Marketing
There’s still much to be gained from email marketing, even though it's an older method of communication. It remains a vital business tool and offers lots of space in which to craft great messages to both current and prospective customers. It is the perfect platform from which to shout about your Cyber Monday offers.
Statista research shows that 4.6 billion people will still be using email in 2025, and it can provide:
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Increased engagement, with high click-through rates
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Low cost of implementation (It often costs no more than time)
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A direct channel that allows you to drive users to your website
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A versatile medium that allows graphics, attached files and text to be included
As with anything, there are drawbacks like spam filters that reduce deliverability, but as a permission-based marketing channel, if you get the messaging right, this can be significantly reduced for great results to be achieved.
How to Create Your Cyber Monday Offers
One of your primary Cyber Monday messages will typically include a headline offer, but it also pays to offer more than one. Perhaps your sale announcement will relate to a specific product that you’d like to focus on, but you should ensure that associated products exist that you can upsell.
For example, with a cell phone sale, many other associated products (with much less discount applied) like cases, chargers, and mobile games could be pushed. As such, the revenue you lose from the large Cyber Monday discount on products that you might be struggling to sell normally can be earned back in other ways.
You might also want to run a site-wide discount (the most common type you’ll find on Both Black Friday & Cyber Monday), perhaps with tiered discounts (spend $200 get $50 off, spend $300 get $75 off etc) - something that helps to increase order values.
Exclusive Deals To Segmented Customers
Another measure you can take to drive sales, while also strengthening the connection you have with your email subscribers is sending exclusive offers to segmented customers. Rather than simply offering a generic discount, you can say, “Hey Jane/John…we really appreciate you as a customer - here’s a discount for being a VIP”.
Email segmentation can be an extremely effective way to offer highly-personalized messages based on the individual. It can make a person feel like you’re speaking directly to them and them alone. Targeting previous customers based on previous purchases is another option, as is offering coupon codes.
SMS Marketing
Another useful option for your Cyber Monday sales drive is SMS marketing. Like email marketing, it offers high CTRs and allows for precise targeting. Companies like Klaviyo that provide email marketing also recently started to provide these SMS services built into the platform. As a Klaviyo expert services provider, we often recommend the pairing of both email and SMS flows.
It’s also permission-based, meaning that you first have to entice them to join your subscriber group in order to send them anything. Consumers are receptive to getting SMS, too, as illustrated by the Attentive Mobile Consumer Report that showed that 91% of consumers would opt-in from brand text messages.
The benefits of SMS marketing include:
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Access - Most people can receive SMS messaging
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Time-sensitive - People check messages often and can see it in time for a sale
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Readability - SMS messages are shorter and quick to read
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Deliverability - there are no SMS blockers, unlike email marketing
Sure, you have the issue of a 160-character limit and a preview field of just 20-30, but by being succinct, you can get the headline sale announcement/exclusive offer messages across.
This can help to supplement your email messages and ensure that everyone gets reached. It’s also possible to obtain more SMS subscribers (or email subscribers) through the offer of an exclusive discount, especially for Cyber Monday. That way, you get a sale, plus an opportunity to market to them all year round.
A Successful Cyber Monday Is Within Your Reach
Cyber Monday is an opportunity too good to miss for online retailers, but as we’ve discussed, if you prepare properly, you set yourself up for success. Moreover, it doesn’t have to eat into your budget.
