Hello, you lovely Creatives!

Welcome to Volume 4️⃣0️⃣ of Creative Cuts 🔪 - your weekly dose of creative strategy from your friends at Creative OS.

And today on the cutting board…

We were ALL witnesses last weekend.

Opening up our email inboxes…

And instantly being suffocated by endless flash sales, free gifts…

And the occasional incentive that made you lose track of the oven timer on your Thanksgiving turkey…

But as marketers, we’re A-okay with this kind of digital intrusion.

We’re ALL in mutual agreeable that BFCM is our Superbowl.

And today - we’re going to dive into all the juicy numbers, and unpack everything that went down. 

Trends across ads, emails, and websites…

Who was buying (and why??)...

And we’ll cap off with some tactical strategy for winning the remaining holiday season

Because this ball game ain’t quite over just yet. 

Let’s Roll

Chase

Scale of BFCM 2024 and Emerging Trends

From a quick glance at the numbers…

The 2024 BFCM events have set new benchmarks.

• Approximately 197 million Americans shopped over the Thanksgiving weekend, surpassing initial projections.

• Online sales experienced a substantial surge, with Cyber Monday alone generating between $12.8 billion and $13.3 billion, marking a notable increase from the previous year.

• Mobile devices accounted for 55% of online sales on Black Friday, emphasizing the growing importance of mobile optimization for e-commerce platforms.

This has all brought super intriguing insights into consumer behavior and effective marketing strategies along with it.

And as we transition into the remaining festive period (Christmas/New Year’s), it's important that we can adapt, implement and capitalize on these targeted approaches to maximize our success.

Here’s what went down…

🧠 Exclusive Partner Offer: Creative OS

Ever notice how your favorite brands and agencies produce thousands of creatives every single month? I promise you they’re not doing everything net new…

This is exactly why over 5000+ brands trust Creative OS as a core part of their creative workflow.

It's a massive library of over 3,000 industry proven ad, email and landinag page templates.

What makes it different than a standard template pack you can buy? → It’s an evolving and ever changing library stacked with leading creative from some of your favorite people including Nick Shackelford, Ashvin Melwani, Barry Hott, Sarah Levinger and dozens more.

Plus they add over 70 new templates every single week.

Just grab a template, customize it in Figma or canva, and launch. 

What you can expect → 

• Use the inspiration tool to find templates that match your brand / industry

• Instantly copy it into Figma or Canva

• Change some copy / images

• Launch and watch the 💰 roll in

The best part? You can try it risk-free with their 3-day trial.

Special offer for our readers → Get 50% off your first month with code "CUTS50"

Advertising Trends

Artificial Intelligence Integration

The use of AI has redefined how retailers engage with customers during BFCM. AI-powered chatbots provided real-time assistance, resolving customer queries, and facilitating transactions with a responsiveness that human teams often struggle to match at scale. Personalized product recommendations based on browsing and purchasing history further boosted average order values.

Businesses leveraging AI tools saw conversion rates increase by 9%, and customers who engaged with AI-driven recommendations spent 25% more on average than those who didn’t​.

Social Media Influence

Platforms like TikTok and Instagram were crucial in shaping consumer behavior, with trends such as "TikTok Made Me Buy It" driving impulsive, unplanned purchases. Shoppable posts and live commerce events transformed passive scrolling into direct conversions.

TikTok reported a 23% increase in e-commerce ad spend over the holiday period, highlighting its growing influence as a purchase-driving channel.

Beauty brand e.l.f. Cosmetics launched a TikTok campaign featuring influencers demonstrating their product in festive tutorials.

And the hashtag challenge generated 1.2 million engagements and contributed to a 40% sales lift compared to the previous year.

Email Marketing

The days of one-size-fits-all email campaigns are over.

Personalized subject lines, dynamic product recommendations, and localized offers drove open rates, clicks, and conversions this year.

Emails with personalized subject lines saw a 26% higher open rate than those without, while personalized content boosted click-through rates by 14%.

For example: We saw a subscription box service sent location-based weather-specific recommendations (e.g., “Warm Up This Winter with These Essentials”) to customers in colder climates, which doubled their conversion rates.

Our advice?

Use segmentation data from past BFCM campaigns to identify top spenders, frequent browsers, and disengaged users to craft hyper-relevant holiday offers.

Dividing email lists by demographics, purchasing behavior, and even browsing history allowed businesses to deliver hyper-targeted campaigns that felt relevant to each recipient.

Segmented campaigns generated 760% more revenue compared to non-segmented campaigns.

Website Optimization (UX)

Websites that prioritized intuitive design and navigation reaped the rewards during the high-pressure shopping weekend.

Simple layouts, visible filters, and predictive search functionalities helped customers find what they needed faster.

For example: A global shoe retailer simplified their navigation for BFCM, prominently featuring “Shop By Size” and “Shop By Style” filters on their homepage, reducing bounce rates by 22% and increasing conversion rates by 18%.

Our advice?

Test website navigation with real users before the holiday season to identify potential pain points and streamline their shopping journey.

Paid Meta Ads

This deserves it’s OWN section.

Because paid advertising on Meta platforms always the lifeblood of driving traffic and conversions for brands during BFCM 2024.

Here’s what worked and how you can replicate these strategies:

Personalization

Dynamic Product Ads (DPAs) were particularly effective, showcasing products users had browsed or abandoned in their carts.

Advertisers using DPAs reported a 34% increase in return on ad spend (ROAS) compared to static product ads.

An example: A home goods retailer retargeted cart abandoners with carousel ads featuring their abandoned items and a limited-time discount. This strategy reduced their cart recovery time by 50%.

Winning Ad Formats

Meta’s suite of ad formats allowed brands to engage shoppers at different stages of the funnel:

A lot of reels and carousel ads being used resulted in higher CTR’s and less friction among mobile customers.

Leveraging AI for Optimization

Meta’s Advantage+ Shopping Campaigns (ASC) allowed brands to automate ad placement and targeting decisions using AI. Advertisers who embraced this technology saw higher efficiency and better results with minimal manual adjustments.

Meta reported that advertisers using ASC achieved 32% lower cost per purchase compared to manually managed campaigns.

Focus on Creatives

In an oversaturated ad environment, thumb-stopping creatives were essential. Top-performing ads:

• Used bold, attention-grabbing hooks in the first 3 seconds.

• Leveraged holiday themes to evoke a sense of urgency and excitement.

• Incorporated authentic User-Generated Content (UGC) to build trust and relatability.

Strategies for Winning the Remaining Holiday Season

Like I said, the holiday season isn’t over.

Here are some strategies that will help you maintain momentum and drive sales throughout Christmas/New Years:

Festive Website Design: Updating your website with holiday-themed visuals and messaging can create an engaging shopping atmosphere. Ensure that the design aligns with your brand identity while evoking the holiday spirit.

Gift Guides: Curate gift guides categorized by recipient, price range, or interests to assist customers in their purchasing decisions. This approach simplifies the shopping process and can increase average order value.

Prominent Display of Gifting Ads: Feature your gifting-focused advertisements prominently on your homepage and relevant landing pages. This visibility can capture customer interest and direct them to curated gift selections.

Clear Shipping Information: Communicate shipping deadlines and options transparently to ensure customers are aware of delivery times, especially for last-minute shoppers.

Flexible Return Policies: Offering extended return periods during the holiday season can build customer trust and accommodate gift recipients who may need to exchange items.

Leverage Social Proof: Showcase customer reviews and testimonials, particularly for popular gift items, to build credibility and influence purchasing decisions.

Implement Live Chat Support: Providing real-time assistance through live chat can address customer inquiries promptly, reducing barriers to purchase and enhancing the shopping experience.

Optimize for Mobile: Ensure that your website is fully optimized for mobile devices, as a significant portion of holiday shopping occurs via smartphones and tablets.

Monitor Inventory Levels: Keep a close eye on stock levels of popular items to prevent overselling and to manage customer expectations regarding product availability.

In Closing…

Hopefully that’s everything you need to capitalize on the remaining holiday season. 

(If there’s something I missed, LMK)

If you can provide your customers with an enjoyable shopping experience that encourages conversions WHILE fostering brand loyalty…

There’s no reason you won’t finish this year strong. 

Happy Holidays,

Chase

That’s all! If you’re looking to find inspiration or get the best ad templates out there, come hang out with us at Creative OS and tell your friends!