See how two innovative brands, Anthropologie and Erin Condren, used mobile messaging to reach shoppers and drive revenue during this year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday mark the “official” start of the holiday shopping season and are two of the biggest retail & e-commerce days of the year. This year, Black Friday sales hit an all-time historic high with online sales reaching $7.4 billion. Mobile orders increased 35% year-over-year on Black Friday, with 65% of total e-commerce sales coming from a mobile device.

Cyber Monday was another record-breaking day: US shoppers spent over $9.4 billion online, up nearly 19% from last year. Over $3 billion of total sales were attributed to smartphones, hitting a new record for mobile sales.

With six fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, consumers are eager to complete their holiday shopping—and retailers are looking to win over those early sales. Due to this short holiday shopping window, retail and e-commerce marketers need to find innovative ways to effectively reach their shoppers and maximize revenue between now and the end of the holidays.

We love seeing creative ways Attentive clients used personalized text messaging this holiday season. Here are just two of our favorite examples of messages sent by retailers over Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2019:

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Anthropologie

What they did

Anthropologie—a bohemian retailer for clothing, accessories, gifts, and home decor—sent a text message to subscribers on Black Friday promoting a sitewide discount. They included a playful custom image that displayed the discount amount. Anthropologie ended the message with a clear call-to-action encouraging customers to shop, followed by a link directly back to the website.

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Why we love it

Connecting with customers on a device most widely used for holiday shopping—their smartphone—and through a channel that they constantly pay attention to—text messaging—is the perfect way to reach shoppers and convert browsers into buyers. The lightheartedness (“have a ball”) and wintry colors in the image draw attention to the message and create a level of excitement that drives conversions.

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What they did

Erin Condren—a personalized stationery and organization retailer—sent a mobile message reminding subscribers to shop the final hours of their Cyber Monday sitewide discount. They included a festive image of an online shopper with a Cyber Monday to-do list written on one of their signature planners to further highlight the sale.

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Why we love it

Many brands, including Erin Condren, continued holiday promotions even after Cyber Monday ended. Sending a text message to subscribers on the Tuesday following Cyber Monday to promote the last hours of their sale is an effective way to target last-minute shoppers. The cheerfulness of the message (“stock up on gifts!”) adds to the spirit of the holiday season. The emphasis on “last hours” and “don’t forget” creates a sense of urgency for subscribers that encourages them to shop before they miss the sale.