Don’t look now, but Black Friday is almost here! I have five lessons from Black Friday and Cyber Monday for you and your church.
Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving when shoppers typically crowd stores and begin their Christmas purchases looking for deals. Cyber Monday refers to the newest trend in shopping, is the Monday after Thanksgiving when merchants offer huge discounts for purchases made online. Combined, from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday, these days represent a considerable portion of not only a company’s fourth-quarter sales but their entire year.
Last year according to the National Retail Federation from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday, more than 165 million Americans shopped either in stores or online, spending an average of $313.29.
Here are some other interesting facts from the National Retail Federation:
- 89 million people shopped both online and in stores, up nearly 40 percent from 2017.
- 54% of shoppers used online and in-store purchases, becoming multichannel in their shopping. 21% shopped exclusively in physical stores, with 25% did all their shopping online.
- The multichannel shopper outspent the single-channel shopper by up to $93 on average.
- 66% of all shoppers used a mobile device for their shopping. The younger the shopper, the more they used mobile devices, with 88% of those ages 18-24 and 87% of those aged 25-34 using mobile devices.
These statistics show that America is moving away from cash and checks towards a digital world of commerce.
What lessons can we learn from Black Friday and Cyber Monday? Let me share with you five you can implement at your church immediately.
Lesson #1 – Be online or be left behind. The Big Box Stores were slow to adapt to the online buying craze. They realized they had been left behind and quickly recovered. That shows up with 54% of shoppers making purchases both online and in stores.
The majority of churches still utilize a plate or bucket, as their primary means of collecting money. They pass these by people who never carry a checkbook and have very little cash on their person. So, IF they give, the amount will be only a few dollars rather than a significant gift. We have left these people behind, providing them with limited ability to give.
We have come a long way as most churches, especially those running above one hundred, today provide some form of online giving. They realized that was how their members did commerce. They didn’t want to leave them behind, so they provided the means for people to give online. They understood that the easier you make it for people to give, the more likely they will be to give.
If you don’t have online giving yet or you are unsatisfied with your current provider, contact OnlineGiving.org today at (615) 206-4000 or drop them a line at support@onlinegiving.org.
Lesson #2 – Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Retailers know that some like to shop the stores and handle the merchandise while others like to shop online. A smart retailer never puts all his eggs in one basket. In most churches, you only have one option to give, and that is on Sunday morning.
Within your online platform, you need to provide options, as well. It is not enough to have an online giving page on your church website. That is the starting place, but with the majority of spending now occurring on smart devices, you need to provide those options as well. Text giving, for instance, is increasing every year, especially among younger generations. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket!
My friends at OnlineGiving.org currently 12 different methods (tools) of giving, including mobile giving, text giving, and church in-app giving.
Lesson #3 – Never close your doors. (Your offering doors.) This past Thanksgiving season, retailers began their sales the night of Thanksgiving. Many also allowed shoppers to connect online early on the morning of Black Friday, thus avoiding lines. Retailers know that people want convenience, so their online stores are open 24/7. Even though most brick and mortar stores closed on Thanksgiving, they were wide open online, earning millions of dollars. Your favorite store is open every day of the year online.
People at your church will respond if you make giving convenient for them. An app or text giving, for instance, allows your people to give online wherever they are even if they are at grandma’s house on Sunday. Make your giving convenient, and you will see an increase in giving. A church should never stop taking up the offering.
Lesson #4 – Think mobile, be mobile. Retailers study their market. They know shoppers will stand in line, waiting for the doors to open and search with their smart devices while they wait. It is no accident that they are sending out early morning emails with coupons and discounts. They design their marketing appeals for reading on a mobile device to a mobile world that is on the go from sunup to sunset.
Churches must think mobile and be mobile as well. For younger generations, this is especially true as many have never known a time when there was no Internet. With attendance patterns becoming more sporadic, you need to take the offering plate to where ever your members might be. You have to think mobile and be mobile.
Lesson #5 – If they don’t know, they won’t go. Brick and mortar, as well as online stores, know they must get the message out about the deals they are offering. If their audience doesn’t know about those deals, they might not go to the store or the site.
A church needs to get the message out of the multiple ways in which members can give. Never assume they know, make sure they know how to give beyond the weekend offering. If they don’t know how they can give, they won’t go and give.
Finally, help your members know that a dollar given to your church is an investment in eternity! I am convinced that if we tell our story of life change and give them the means to give people will step up. If they don’t know, they won’t go to your site and give.
The day after Thanksgiving became known as Black Friday as a result of the heavy sales volume on this day. Retailers began to see a profit moving from being “in the red” to being “in the black.” Today smart retailers are using the tools of technology to increase sales so they can end the year in the black. By implementing these five simple lessons, your church can utilize the same tools to move into the black as well.
In 2018, more than 165 million Americans shopped either in stores or online, spending an average of $313.29. What lessons can we learn from Black Friday and Cyber Monday? Let me share with you five lessons you can implement at your church. #givinghttps://t.co/IreB6SOIi6 pic.twitter.com/DZl4fjanof
— Online Giving (@onlinegivingorg) November 14, 2019
