A Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) approaches, it's time to think beyond the conventional. Surprisingly, many brands forget to consider a gifting strategy during this critical season, but the impact goes far beyond a few days of sales. You can tap into your existing tech stack to not only make gifting seamless but also boost your BFCM success while setting the stage for long-lasting benefits throughout the peak season and into the coming year.

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The Gifting Gap: A Missed Opportunity

While BFCM guides abound with tips and tricks, there's a significant gap when it comes to gifting strategies.

‍Last BFCM, we discovered that 21% of orders from Giftnote customers were gifts, and a whopping 79% of gift recipients had never purchased from the brand before.

This is a testament to the immense potential of gifting, both for immediate revenue and long-term customer acquisition.

Now, let's dive into expert insights on how to make gifting a central part of your strategy for BFCM and beyond, positioning your brand for remarkable growth throughout the entire peak season and into the coming year.

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"If you lack a gift messaging option for delivered orders or gift vouchers this BFCM or need to scale up with physical gift cards, consider integrating Giftnote's free checkout extension if you are using Shopify Plus or add our widget to your product or cart page.”

Enhance the experience by crafting personalized gift messages via Klaviyo and adding a 'hook' for opt-in marketing.

Leverage Klaviyo to segment and nurture gift recipients and gifters, fuelling your Meta, Google, and Tiktok campaigns for the next 12 months.

You could also consider trialling Shopify's one page checkout with our checkout extension if it is available to you to test any potential reduction in abandon carts.

The goal? Transform gift recipients into loyal customers. Remarkably, Giftnote customers achieve an 8% conversion rate, turning recipients into first-time customers in just 9 months!

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"Trying to find the perfect product for your friend or family member is a difficult scenario and certainly one you want to get right. With Okendo Quizzes, we can remove "Analysis Paralysis" and by answering a few questions, recommend the ideal gift based on end-user behaviors, preferences, or demographics!With Okendo Quizzes, we know the priority goal is to drive revenue and increase conversion rate, but the unexpected benefit also centers around the data sync back into key marketing channels such as Klaviyo, Attentive, and others".

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"Every thoughtful gift exchange holds the power to form unforgettable connections and inspire loyalty for both the customer and the brand — allowing for an unmatched experience to take place.Connecting Giftnote and Klaviyo is a seamless process and empowers brands to elevate their customer journey alongside providing an on-brand experience.Having the ability to update customer profiles with valuable Giftnote data is an amazing opportunity to gain valuable first-party data, which can then be used to further personalize the customer experience".

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"Gorgias empowers you to sail smoothly through the gifting season and deliver extraordinary customer service when it counts the most. Activate the Automation Add on  to effortlessly handle up to 30% of your overall ticket load, freeing up valuable time for what truly matters during this gifting season."

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"What's better than giving a gift this upcoming sales and holiday period?Using Yotpo Loyalty, your shoppers can surprise that special person in their life while also getting a little gift back for themselves via Loyalty points.Get your retention strategy ready for BFCM and beyond by building gifting into your program.Once enabled, shoppers can come back to gift beyond the holidays - for birthdays and other special occasions.🎉".

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"Sometimes gifts don’t work out 🤷 Whether your brother bought you the wrong-sized hoodie. Or your grandma completely missed the mark on gifting you the wrong color dress. Gift returns are inevitable.But the returns experience can be a touchpoint to build trust with new customers. So map out your user journey for someone needing to return a gift."

Some questions to consider:

• How smooth is the exchange process?
• Is the exchange experience automated or do customers have to email you to initiate an exchange?
• How are you influencing customers to choose an exchange over store credit?

Just as you do with your conversion rate, there are areas in your return process that you can improve to increase exchanges and upsells in the returns experience.

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As Shipbob, expands its logistics services, we understand the challenges brands face in maintaining a personal touch while sending gifts. Giftnote is a valuable solution for ShipBob partners, seamlessly integrating personalization into 3PL operations. This ensures that your brand essence remains intact while simplifying logistics, providing unforgettable customer experiences year-round.

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"Surfacing engaging product offers and discounts to the on-site customer journey can significantly improve the customer journey for those who are shopping for gifts during this upcoming holiday season."

Adding a personalization tool, like Rebuy, to your tech stack can help boost conversion and AOV with solutions like Buy More, Save More discounts — these tiered discount offers can help shoppers save money when buying multiple gifts through “Buy X, Get Y% Off” discounts while also increasing revenue for your brand".

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‍"Make it easy and engaging for shoppers to find their perfect gifted items. For example, product search filters like "gifts for Dad" or "latest gift ideas" can give shoppers some fast inspiration".

Automated merchandising can promote the most suitable products to the top of search results and collections - including higher value items and bundles, while personalized product recommendations tailored to shopping behaviours, such as "you may also like," can give shoppers even more great gift ideas."

Searchspring can help you achieve this!

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"Gift giving season is upon us! You can take advantage of your branded tracking page's real estate by adding gift-giving products (Under $25, Popular Gifts, Gift cards) and implementing a post-purchase survey on the Wonderment tracking page. This survey can ask customers if the purchase was for themselves or someone else, enabling you to personalize the experiences accordingly."

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"Videos are a powerful way to help increase conversion and lower return rates among shoppers who are looking for the perfect gift for their loved ones. Feature videos as stories on the product pages of your top gift picks, and create dedicated email marketing campaigns during the gift-giving season that feature shoppable videos. 🎥 "

Consider leveraging Tolstoy to implement and optimize these video-based strategies for maximum impact.

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"Buying gifts can be a straightforward process for some but a challenging one for others, often leading to the need for returns. However, with Refundid, you can ensure that your customers have an exceptional return experience, encouraging them to return for future purchases."

This not only benefits your customers but also frees up valuable time for your customer service and warehousing teams, particularly during peak periods. Say goodbye to the common email inquiry of "where is my refund" as Refundid streamlines the process, making it a win-win for both you and your customers.

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"With the holidays right around the corner, gift givers need to know exactly when their gifts will arrive to their friends and family. Instead of relying on confusing carrier tracking pages, Shopify merchants have the option to set up a quick tracking page using the Malomo Tracking Page Creator."

This gives merchants the ability to more proactively keep their customers updated on the status of their gifts and allows them to keep gifters engaged with the brand along the way, driving LTV up and WISMO tickets down.

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"Gifting is a great way to gain new customers. When subscribers have too much product or when they have upcoming travel plans, they often skip their next shipment. Instead of skipping, Recharge asks them if they'd like to gift their subscription to someone they know. This not only helps the merchant retain the sale but also introduces their product to a new audience. 'Skifting', it’s a smart way to grow and share."

TLDR

In a nutshell, don't miss out on the game-changing potential of gifting this BFCM season! 🎁

Book a call with us now, and we'll hook you up with a $100 Giftnote credit for installation before BFCM. It's your chance to supercharge your BFCM strategy and set the stage for gifting revenue in peak season and beyond.