Less than a month left for and it is spectacular to see the growth that this American tradition has reaped in recent years. It’s a global phenomenon that no longer lasts a day, it normally lasts for a week, and in some cases, even a few more days.
Consumption trends are changing. for good measure the Christmas campaign is brought forward to the month of November. And not only that, around Black Friday is when online stores play a large part of their annual results.
In chapter 33 of we are going to see how a Black Friday is prepared by the hand of pierothe chief operating officer (COO) of the eCommerce of erotic toys Platanomelón and with Danidirector of customer services digital agency .
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Interview with Piero (Platanomelón) and Dani (Elogia)
01:47 Tell us how Platanomelón was born and how you have achieved the level of differentiation that you have right now in the sector.
piero: It was born in 2014 as an eCommerce, with third-party products that we sold directly to the end customer. Over time we realized that we would not get very far this way because it was a category that Amazon was about to open, so we decided to become a brand.
We are an eCommerce because our main sales channel is online but really we differentiate ourselves because we are manufacturers. We not only distribute products from other brands but we also have our own. That, and that the communication we do is a breath of fresh air within the sector, very dark and traditional. Our communication is fun, close and promotes sexual education. We do not do anything that is not supported by our sexologists.
04:47 What are your duties at Elogia and what kind of campaigns do you do at the agency?
Dani: Currently I coordinate one of the business units within the online marketing area totally customer oriented. Among the services we offer is Paid Media with each of its specialties: SEM, Social Ads, Programmatic, Content Marketing, from the point of view of usability and analytics, and Relationship Marketing.
My role currently is that our services meet quality standardswith the expectations of the clients and with the results, because we continue to be a highly results-oriented agency.
07:07 In Platanomelón you have a very powerful content marketing strategy, with 800,000 subscribers on YouTube, 200,000 on Instagram and a lot of work with . When did you come up with this strategy?
piero: It was not easy. We realized that we had few performance tools available. We cannot do Facebook Ads or Instagram Ads. That limited us a lot and we thought that the way to normalize sex and reach more people was through influencers.
At first, only one in 10 with whom we contacted said yes: that they did not see any problem in collaborating with an eCommerce of erotic toys. Little by little we were convincing more. Today they are the ones who contact us. In the end it was a very selective job, testing different messages: people with different interests and taboos. It was a matter of patience and perseverance until we found a channel that helps us to do branding, because it is what we believe in, in making a brand, more than in all our channels being profitable.
https:///herramientas-search-influencers/
11:25 Is this what led you to sponsor a TV show about sex with Monica Naranjo?
piero: Yes, in fact, they contacted us. They are impacts that make us be present and stay in people’s memory. For us this campaign is a test. It is our first contact with the environment. They are not many GRP’s (Gross Rating Points), but acceptance is very good. We can measure how improve conversion on the page in the following minutes or hours.
Television, contrary to popular belief, is a very lively medium, it has an audience and it works well. yes it is true that you have to fine tune the message. We are not as aggressive as we would like but we are glad we did and it has paid off.
13:17 For Elogia, a fundamentally performance company, it would be quite a challenge to overcome the limitations of Facebook or Google when it comes to doing things. How was that process?
Dani: Negotiation is constant with these channels. We always try, with each new format or possibility that we think can fit, with messages, product content. restrictions are highand more with adult content products.
That’s why it’s a shining example, because has managed to overcome those limits both from the communicative point of view and brand positioning. Most of this content has a lot to do with sex education. If we want to push products like the menstrual cup, we are completely banned from channels like Facebook.
We have to control the message a lot and the navigation of the landing so that articles not suitable for minors do not appear. Where there is more opportunity is in Google, but only in Search campaigns. So it is about taking advantage of every loophole, playing a lot with the type of message and looking for other types of formulas that are not purely performance campaigns, essential for the growth of any company in its initial stage.
Countdown to Black Friday
17:06 What does Black Friday mean for Platanomelón at the billing level?
piero: In five years a lot has changed, also because the company has changed. we have grown a lot. The numbers for the first two years have nothing to do with last year’s, and these will have nothing to do with this year’s. Between 15% and 20% of sales occur this month.
It is a crucial month, but it gives much more volume than margin because we are offering real discounts. We really lower prices and it shows, because the conversion always grows, and it shows in billing. It is a very important month for us, since, sometimes, it concentrates a quarter of the annual turnover.
18:46 Is it usual for billing to be so concentrated in one campaign?
Dani: It depends a lot on the sector, but there are spectacular cases. There are companies that invoice the same day on Black Friday as in an entire quarter, and for the whole week they match the annual turnover figures, and they weren’t exactly low. Just as the companies are not the same, as Piero pointed out, neither is Black Friday. Every year you learn each year it extends more and the preparation is greater. Last year there was a 20% increase in investment in the week of Black Friday compared to the previous week in the average of our clients.
«There are companies that during Black Friday manage to bill the same as in an entire quarter»
piero: And then the conversion rate multiplies much more than that 20%. We triple it that is it is profitable to assume this increase in investment. I don’t know what company Dani is pointing to, but it could be that they have a strategy of stable and slightly high prices throughout the year. Of course, when you do a real Black Friday, people jump in like crazy. As we try to offer a good price throughout the year, we notice it, but the results are good.
21:47 Having the peak of sales generated by Black Friday, 20% can even be a low percentage.
piero: the traffic is more or less the same…
Dani: Yes, and the 20% more is over the previous week. If we compare what was invested that week with what was invested in the month of October, the increase could be 50%. Keep in mind that the interest is greater, people are ready to buy, and this is profitable. But the advertising pressure is greater in all channels, and the unit costs also rise. So, of that 50, you spend 20 to achieve the same thing, and 30 is to achieve more.
piero: But you also know that more people than enter the page will end up buying, so the extra effort is worth it. The conversion rate is going to be higher than usual.
23:05 How do you organize yourself to prepare eCommerce for such a campaign?
piero: The good thing about us is that we are a digital native brand. Black Friday has been in the air in our company since the end of August. As manufacturers of products we have to pass production orders, handle the items, ship them. Since the summer there are already parts of the team that have their heads set there and in the communication department they have already held the first meetings. The most crucial thing is to do a good planning, because it is useless to have a lot of traffic if you have products without stock.
24:57 It would be a mistake both to run out of stock and to produce more…
piero: It’s a tricky balance. And in companies that grow very fast, at double or triple digits per year, it is even more difficult because you do not have reliable and stable data over time to help you make a forecast. In our business plan we have an estimated sales figure that sets in motion a chain of work that affects purchasing and manufacturing, the warehouse, work shifts, planning of offers, communication and differentiation, customer service.
27:28 Last year, did you do any special Black Friday campaign at the communication level?
piero: We would like to, but in the end, people go where they go, regardless of how much you force creativity. The keywords that are going to be put in the search engine are those of Black Friday, so you better have them everywhere; and then, if you are interested, work the creativity you want.
Although we do it more creative, we lengthen it more and it is more operational, because if not, it would be too much pressure and volume concentrated in a very short time. So lengthening it and anticipating it is useful to know if it is necessary to make adjustments in the offers; It helps customer service to find out what incidents are going to be about and to logistics, to start getting volume and responding to all peaks in demand.
30:26 For an agency like Elogia, does Black Friday also start in August?
Dani: Yes, the deadlines are the same. We have clients with a sufficiently relevant history to estimate and make the necessary forecasts of both income and investments per season. In the case of fashion eCommerce, we already have the autumn-winter season tied up in the month of May or June; and there Black Friday is already identified.
Around August you begin to receive the first reports from Google and Facebook, expectations, evolution of the previous year, how much the searches related to this date are anticipated. The good thing is that many of our clients already have all this in their heads, and those who don’t, we are introducing it to them.
Y what we leave for the end is the content and creativity of the offer to adjust them to the maximum. Content investment plan, adapt ads with promotional content in mind, the formats that can generate more impact, adapt product feeds to searches… All this is being prepared right now.
33:23 Is your investment for Black Friday aimed at SEM and reinforcing the…
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