How Can Brands Capture the Digital Black Friday Mobs

This year’s holiday shopping season, kicking off with Black Friday, will be conducted almost substantially online, presenting retailers with a tremendous opportunity. However, to make the most of the moment and capture the Digital Black Friday Mobs, brands must have a clear understanding of the very initial steps in the “digital journey” of a consumer.

When consumers make a decision on whether or not to buy a specific product from a specific brand, they undergo a complex journey- searching websites for information, gathering opinions on user forums and opinion sites, and scrolling through social media for experiences others have had with a brand. If brands can “divert” their customers’ attention at the right moment on that journey- placing themselves front and center as the best choice- they significantly increase their chances of closing a sale.

New data science models can enable brands to grab consumers’ attention way before they make a decision on where to buy- when they are still at the beginning of their journeys- researching their purchase, gathering ideas and opinions on what to buy.

By analyzing user preferences, desires, interests, and online purchasing behaviors at the earliest stages of the consumer journey, brands can “divert” their customers’ attention at the right moment by providing the relevant offering, messaging, and content in the places that will position them front and center as the best choice- they significantly increase their chances in closing additional sales.

This model is backed up by research from McKinsey, with data from a study showing that digital engagement has created many new touchpoints where brands can connect with consumers. The traditional “funnel” model is outdated; the consumer journey, based on the data’s study, is a circular process with four main phases- and the first phase is where consumers initially consider which brand to engage with. This is where consumers will be evaluating their wants and needs; according to McKinsey, it’s at that stage and even before that “brands may ‘interrupt’ the decision-making process by entering into consideration and even force the exit of rivals.”

And those decisions are being made on the basis of interaction with messages presented by brands early in the consumer journey. According to the study, “two-thirds of the touchpoints during the active-evaluation phase involve consumer-driven marketing activities, such as Internet reviews and word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and family, as well as in-store interactions and recollections of past experiences.” In order to gain consumers’ attention, the study adds, “marketers must move aggressively beyond purely push-style communication and learn to influence consumer-driven touchpoints, such as word-of-mouth and Internet information sites.” It’s those touchpoints that Konnecto helps identify, guiding brands to the specific point where their message is going to be most effective.

Our mission at Konnecto.com is to provide the world’s largest and most successful companies with unparalleled insights into these untouched consumer journey stages, uncover the information consumers are most interested in– and enable brands to respond to it, at the right time and in the right place. Data is power- but in this case, it’s also dollars and cents for brands- dollars and cents that, with the right technique and technology, brands can claim for their own, and win over this year’s digital mobs.

Happy Holidays!