What Affiliates Learned During Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2019

Black Friday and Cyber Monday have earned a reputation among consumers for huge savings, while affiliates bask in the monumental number of opportunities to create great campaigns. But, as each year passes, we learn more and more about the different trends that shape this shopping bonanza. And, staying up to date with these patterns will help you build better campaigns in the future.

Let’s take a look at the numbers and explore the different lessons affiliates learned during Cyber Monday and Black Friday of 2019.

Are Black Friday and Cyber Monday Still Alive?

Before going into the statistics, it’s important to understand more about this shopping holiday. Many believe that the rise of similar holidays and the widespread trend of sustainability would negatively affect this year’s profits. Not to mention the fact that the actual results were short of the forecast, which sent many marketers into an immediate panic.

While Singles Day and other shopping holidays also produce monumental numbers, Black Friday is still among the most anticipated events in the calendar. In 2019, this shopping event alone generated 7.4 billion US dollars in revenue, up 14% from the year before. Not only this, but we also learned important lessons, which we’ll cover in the next section.

What Affiliates Learned During Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2019

Although they are not official holidays, Cyber Monday and Black Friday are among the most exciting events of the year for both consumers and companies alike. But, it’s important to review previous patterns in order to prepare your efforts for next year. Similarly to the way some people wait the whole year to do their shopping, many affiliates spend months getting ready to ensure they get the best results – and for good reasons.

Some of the lessons affiliates learned from Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2019 are:

Consumers are Still Crazy About the Savings Bonanza

While some projections were a bit higher, spending on this digital shopping holiday was up $1.2 billion in comparison to 2018. This means that consumers are still looking forward to this event and are willing to wait in order to take advantage of the savings.

Smartphones are Already Crucial

It’s been a few years since mobile has become the biggest source of internet traffic, but the effect of smartphones on Black Friday has never been bigger. Out of the $7.4 billion in sales, $2.9 occurred through smartphones, which translates to almost 40% of total revenue.

Gaming and Tech Take the Biggest Bounties

There’s no denying the effect of sports and technology on the masses. The influence was visible during Cyber Monday as gaming and technology dominated the landscape once again. Popular sports games and new consoles were among the most popular items, but smartphones, smart televisions, wireless headphones, and laptops also generated huge profits.

Buyers Aren’t Afraid to Splash

The average order cost for on Black Friday 2019 was $168, which battered the previous record by 5.9%. This means that consumers aren’t afraid to splash, as long as they think the savings are worth it.

Online Shopping is Slowly Taking Over

Physical store sales did slow down this year by 6%, but there was also an improvement of 14% in online sales. Consumers are slowly migrating to online shopping while also increasing both the price and overall volume of their orders.

Ads Have a Larger Window of Opportunity

Because consumers are out to find the best bargains, they pay special attention to all ads referencing Black Friday. You can use this to your advantage and design slightly more complex ads than you usually would. Just remember to feature the promotion as the centerpiece and avoid drawing attention away from the action you want users to take.

Setting the Right Targeting Can Exponentially Improve Your Results

Cyber Monday and Black Friday generated billions in worldwide sales, but this doesn’t mean you should target all possible areas. Instead, focus on implementing intricate targeting settings that allow you to focus on the areas that are the most profitable to you. And, in addition to geographical location, you can also apply other filters, for instance, device type, interests, OS, connection type, and many others.

Stay Up-to-Date with the Latest Affiliate Trends

Cyber Monday and Black Friday are just two of the dozens of shopping holidays you need to take advantage of if you want to succeed as an affiliate. The tips above should help you create a better campaign and prepare your ads for next year’s shopping galore.

To learn more about the latest trend or our ads network, get in touch with ActiveRevenue and our team will be glad to help.