Decoding a CBD Brand's Black Friday Triumph: Lessons and Insights

Black Friday is one of the biggest shopping days of the year, and CBD brands are no exception. In 2023, the CBD industry is expected to generate over $2 billion in sales, and Black Friday is a major driver of that growth.

So, how did one CBD brand achieve such a resounding triumph on Black Friday 2023? What can other CBD brands learn from their success?

Lesson 1: Start Planning Early

Black Friday success doesn't happen overnight. It takes months of planning and preparation to ensure that everything goes smoothly on the big day. However, you don't need to start planning in July. Starting in November is still early enough to give you plenty of time to prepare a successful Black Friday campaign.

Here are some of the things you can do to start planning for Black Friday in November:

• Research your target audience and identify their needs and wants. What are they looking for in a CBD product? What are their pain points? What are their budget constraints? Once you understand your target audience, you can develop a marketing strategy that will appeal to them and encourage them to shop on Black Friday.

• Develop a marketing strategy that will appeal to your target audience and encourage them to shop on Black Friday. This may include creating social media campaigns, running email marketing campaigns, and/or developing paid advertising campaigns.

• Plan your Black Friday deals and promotions. What products will you discount? What coupons or promotions will you offer? Make sure your deals are competitive and that they will appeal to your target audience.

• Update your website and checkout process to ensure that they can handle the increased traffic and orders on Black Friday. Make sure your website is fast and reliable, and that your checkout process is easy and efficient.

• Make sure you have enough inventory to meet the demand on Black Friday. You don't want to run out of stock of your most popular products on the biggest shopping day of the year.

How Starting Planning Early Works

Starting planning for Black Friday early in November gives you plenty of time to:

• Do your research. You need to understand your target audience and their needs and wants in order to develop an effective marketing strategy. You also need to research your competitors to see what kind of deals and promotions they are offering.

• Develop a comprehensive marketing plan. Your marketing plan should include a mix of different tactics, such as social media marketing, email marketing, and paid advertising. You should also have a plan in place for handling customer service inquiries and shipping orders.

• Get all of your logistics in place. This includes making sure you have enough inventory, that your website is ready to handle the increased traffic, and that you have a plan for shipping orders quickly and efficiently.

By starting planning early, you can avoid the stress of rushing to get everything done in the last few weeks before Black Friday. You can also be more strategic in your planning and execution, which will increase your chances of success.

Here are some additional tips for planning for Black Friday:

• Start building excitement early. Let your customers know that you're having a Black Friday sale and what kind of deals they can expect. You can do this through social media, email marketing, and your website.

• Partner with other businesses. Cross-promotion with other businesses can help you reach a new audience and boost sales on Black Friday. For example, you could partner with a local yoga studio to offer a discount on CBD products to their students.

• Make it easy for customers to shop. Offer a variety of payment options and make it easy for customers to checkout. You should also make sure your website is mobile-friendly, as many people will be shopping on their smartphones on Black Friday.

• Provide excellent customer service. Be prepared to handle an increased volume of customer service inquiries on Black Friday. Make sure your customer service team is responsive and helpful.

By following these tips, you can plan a successful Black Friday campaign that will boost sales and increase brand awareness for your CBD brand.

Lesson 2: Offer Deep Discounts and Exclusive Deals

Offering deep discounts and exclusive deals on Black Friday works by creating a sense of urgency and excitement among consumers. When consumers know that they can get great deals on their favorite products for a limited time only, they are more likely to act quickly and make a purchase.

Deep discounts also make consumers feel like they are getting a good value. They are more likely to buy products that they have been wanting or needing if they can get them at a discounted price.

Exclusive deals for email subscribers are a great way to reward loyal customers and make them feel valued. It also encourages them to sign up for your email list so that they can be the first to know about future deals and promotions.

Here are some specific examples of how deep discounts and exclusive deals can work to boost sales on Black Friday:

• A customer who has been wanting to try a new CBD product is more likely to do so if they can get it at a 70% discount.

• A customer who is already a fan of a particular CBD brand is more likely to repurchase their favorite product if they can get it for free shipping.

• A customer who is subscribed to a CBD brand's email list is more likely to buy from that brand on Black Friday if they receive an exclusive discount code.

By offering deep discounts and exclusive deals on Black Friday, CBD brands can attract new customers, reward loyal customers, and boost sales.

Here are some additional tips for offering deep discounts and exclusive deals on Black Friday:

• Make sure your discounts are competitive. Research what your competitors are offering and make sure your discounts are at least as good, if not better.

• Target your discounts carefully. Consider offering different discounts to different groups of customers, such as first-time customers, loyal customers, and email subscribers.

• Communicate your deals clearly and prominently. Make sure your customers know about your Black Friday deals well in advance and make it easy for them to find the information they need.

• Use urgency to encourage customers to act quickly. Let your customers know that your discounts are only available for a limited time.

• Use social media to promote your deals. Share photos and videos of your discounted products on social media and encourage your followers to shop early to take advantage of the best deals.

By following these tips, CBD brands can offer deep discounts and exclusive deals that will attract new customers, reward loyal customers, and boost sales on Black Friday.

Lesson 3: Create a Sense of Urgency

How Creating a Sense of Urgency Works

Creating a sense of urgency is a marketing tactic that uses the fear of missing out (FOMO) to encourage consumers to act quickly. When consumers feel like they have to act now or they'll miss out on a good deal, they're more likely to make a purchase.

Here are some specific examples of how the winning CBD brand used the tactics you mentioned to create a sense of urgency:

• Offering a limited number of products at a discounted price: This creates a sense of scarcity, making consumers feel like they need to act quickly to get the product they want before it sells out.

• Creating a countdown timer on their website: This visually shows consumers how much time they have left to take advantage of the deal, further increasing the sense of urgency.

• Sending out email reminders to their subscribers: This keeps the deal top-of-mind for consumers and reminds them that they need to act before it's too late.

In addition to these specific tactics, the winning CBD brand also created a sense of urgency by using words and phrases such as "limited time offer," "exclusive deal," and "hurry, supplies are limited." These words and phrases create a sense of excitement and urgency, making consumers more likely to act quickly.

Why Creating a Sense of Urgency Works

There are a few reasons why creating a sense of urgency works so well. First, it taps into the fear of missing out (FOMO) that many people experience. When we feel like we're missing out on something, we're more likely to take action to avoid that feeling.

Second, creating a sense of urgency forces people to make decisions quickly. When they don't have time to overthink things, they're more likely to make the decision to buy.

Finally, creating a sense of urgency can make people feel like they're getting a good deal. When they feel like they're getting something valuable at a limited price, they're more likely to make a purchase.

How CBD Brands Can Use Creating a Sense of Urgency

CBD brands can use creating a sense of urgency in a variety of ways to increase sales on Black Friday and other key shopping days. Here are a few ideas:

• Offer limited time discounts and coupons. This is one of the most effective ways to create a sense of urgency. Make sure to communicate the deadline for your discounts clearly and prominently.

• Run flash sales. Flash sales are short-term sales that offer deep discounts on a limited number of products. This is a great way to create a sense of scarcity and urgency.

• Use countdown timers on your website and in your marketing materials. This will show consumers how much time they have left to take advantage of your deals.

• Use urgency-creating language in your marketing materials. Use words and phrases such as "limited time offer," "exclusive deal," "hurry, supplies are limited," and "don't miss out."

• Create a sense of community and excitement around your Black Friday sale. Do this by running social media contests and giveaways, and by partnering with other businesses to offer cross-promotions.

By creating a sense of urgency, CBD brands can encourage consumers to act quickly and make purchases on Black Friday and other key shopping days.

Lesson 4: Make it Easy to Shop

Consumers don't want to spend hours trying to find the products they want on Black Friday. The winning CBD brand made it easy for consumers to shop by offering a variety of payment options and making it easy to checkout.

They also offered a variety of shipping options, so consumers could choose the option that was most convenient for them.

Here are some specific examples of how the winning CBD brand made it easy for consumers to shop on Black Friday:

Payment options:

• Accepted all major credit cards, as well as debit cards, PayPal, and Apple Pay.

• Offered a buy now, pay later option through Klarna.

Checkout process:

• One-page checkout process that was easy to navigate.

• Guest checkout option was available, so customers didn't have to create an account to complete their purchase.

• Saved shipping and billing information for future purchases.

Shipping options:

• Offered free shipping on all orders over $50.

• Offered a variety of shipping speeds, including standard, expedited, and overnight shipping.

• Allowed customers to track their orders in real time.

In addition to these specific examples, the winning CBD brand also made it easy for consumers to shop by:

• Having a well-organized website that was easy to navigate.

• Using clear and concise product descriptions.

• Offering high-quality product photos and videos.

• Providing excellent customer service support.

By making it easy for consumers to shop on Black Friday, the winning CBD brand was able to reduce friction and increase sales.

Here are some additional tips for making it easy for consumers to shop on Black Friday:

• Offer a variety of payment options. Customers should be able to pay for their purchases in the way that is most convenient for them.

• Make your checkout process quick and easy. The fewer steps there are in the checkout process, the more likely customers are to complete their purchase.

• Offer a variety of shipping options. Customers should be able to choose the shipping option that is most convenient and affordable for them.

• Make it easy for customers to track their orders. Customers want to know where their order is and when they can expect to receive it.

• Provide excellent customer service support. Customers should be able to get help quickly and easily if they have any problems with their order.

By following these tips, CBD brands can make it easy for consumers to shop on Black Friday and increase their chances of success.

Lesson 5: Provide Excellent Customer Service

Excellent customer service is essential for any business, but it is especially important on Black Friday, when companies are dealing with an increased volume of traffic and inquiries. The winning CBD brand understood this and took the following steps to provide excellent customer service on Black Friday:

Hired additional customer service representatives. This ensured that there would be enough staff to handle the increased volume of inquiries.

• Extended customer service hours. This made it easier for customers to get help when they needed it, even if it was outside of regular business hours.

• Made it easy for customers to contact them. Customers were able to contact the company by phone, email, and live chat. The company also had a strong presence on social media, where they responded to customer inquiries promptly.

In addition to these specific steps, the winning CBD brand also provided excellent customer service by:

• Being responsive. Customers expect to receive a response to their inquiries quickly, especially on Black Friday. The winning CBD brand made sure to respond to all inquiries within 24 hours.

• Being helpful. Customer service representatives should be able to answer customer questions accurately and provide helpful information. The winning CBD brand trained their customer service representatives on all of their products and services, so that they could provide the best possible support to their customers.

• Being friendly and courteous. Customer service representatives should be friendly and courteous when interacting with customers, even if they are dealing with a difficult situation. The winning CBD brand made sure that their customer service representatives were always professional and respectful.

By providing excellent customer service on Black Friday, the winning CBD brand was able to build trust and loyalty with their customers. This is essential for any business that wants to succeed in the long term.

Here are some additional tips for providing excellent customer service on Black Friday:

• Empower your customer service representatives. Give them the authority to resolve customer issues without having to escalate them to a manager. This will help to reduce customer frustration and improve the overall customer experience.

• Use a customer relationship management (CRM) system. A CRM system can help you to track customer interactions and provide more personalized customer service.

• Provide self-service options. Customers should be able to find answers to their questions or resolve their issues on their own, without having to contact customer service. This can be done by providing a knowledge base of FAQs, troubleshooting guides, and live chat support.

• Monitor social media. Social media is a great way to listen to customer feedback and identify any potential issues. By monitoring social media, you can quickly resolve any problems that arise and prevent them from escalating.

By following these tips, CBD brands can provide excellent customer service on Black Friday and build trust and loyalty with their customers.

Success on Black Friday for CBD brands

Black Friday is a major shopping day, and CBD brands can achieve success by following these lessons:

• Start planning early. This will give you enough time to develop a marketing strategy, plan your deals, and update your website and checkout process.

• Offer deep discounts and exclusive deals. Consumers expect to find great deals on Black Friday, so make sure your discounts are competitive and that you offer exclusive deals to your email subscribers.

• Create a sense of urgency. Let consumers know that your deals are only available for a limited time. This will encourage them to act quickly and make a purchase.

• Make it easy to shop. Offer a variety of payment and shipping options, and make your checkout process quick and easy.

• Provide excellent customer service. Be responsive, helpful, and friendly when interacting with customers. This will help to build trust and loyalty.

In addition to these lessons, CBD brands can also succeed by focusing on building relationships with customers, using data to inform their decisions, and being innovative.

By following these tips, CBD brands can attract new customers, reward loyal customers, and boost sales on Black Friday and beyond.