What do Black Friday and Cyber Monday mean for your church? Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving when shoppers typically crowd stores and begin their Christmas purchases looking for deals. Cyber Monday is the Monday after Thanksgiving when merchants offer huge discounts for online purchases. Combined, from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday, these days represent a considerable portion of a company’s fourth-quarter sales and their entire year. For your church, it could mean a positive close to the current year and enough revenue to start your New Year off strong. And there is good news. Americans are projecting to spend more money.
2023 Holiday to Reach Record Spending Levels. That was a headline from the National Retail Federation’s website. They forecast that holiday spending is expected to reach record levels during November and December and will grow between 3% and 4% over 2022 to between $957.3 billion and $966.6 billion. They stated, “It is not surprising to see holiday sales growth returning to pre-pandemic levels,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “Overall household finances remain in good shape and will continue to support the consumer’s ability to spend.”1.
Deloitte, one of the nation's leading consulting groups, released these projections based on their annual consumer survey. They found:
- Consumers plan to spend an average of $567 during the Black Friday-Cyber Monday (BFCM) shopping events (Thursday, Nov. 23 – Monday, Nov. 27), up 13% from last year.
- Digital preferences brought on by the pandemic are here to stay, with 61% of the budget to be spent online, while 39% will still be in-store.
- Black Friday spending online continues to grow: Shoppers expect to spend $169 online this Black Friday versus $121 in 2019.
- While traditional brick-and-mortar merchants continue to draw the most traffic during Black Friday- Cyber Monday (60%), online-only retailers are quickly closing the gap (57%, up from 54% last year).2.
So, the good news is that the economy, though a challenge, has not caused people to stop spending. If they have money to spend on presents, they have money they can give to support your Kingdom work. You just need to get your message heard above the crowd of marketers vying for their attention and money. At the same time, your “offering plate” needs to mirror how commerce happens today.
Here are five recommendations that I have learned from observing Black Friday and Cyber Monday consumer practices.
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 57% of shoppers making online and in-store purchases. Most of the church leaders I counsel see a majority of their giving coming from some digital sources, with some seeing almost all their giving coming this way.
If you don’t have online giving or are unsatisfied with your current provider, contact us at OnlineGiving.org at (615) 206-4000 or support@onlinegiving.org.
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Retailers know that some like to shop in 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.
With OnlineGiving.org, there are more than a dozen different methods (tools) of giving, including text message, web, and church mobile app giving.
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 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 online every day of the year.
People at your church will respond if you make giving convenient for them. For instance, mobile app or text giving allows your people to give online wherever they are, even 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.
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 send 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 sunrise 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 must take the offering plate wherever your members might be. You have to think mobile and be mobile.
At OnlineGiving.org, our Chatbot feature allows you to connect instantly with your members. Check out this post on how one church utilizes this: https://www.onlinegiving.org/support/the-power-of-instant-communication
If they don’t know, they won’t go. Brick-and-mortar and online stores know they must get the message out about the deals they offer. If their audience doesn’t know about those deals, they might not visit the store or the site.
A church needs to get the message out about the multiple ways members can give. Never assume they know; ensure they know how to give beyond the weekend offering. They won't go and give if they don’t know how to give.
Finally, help your members know that a dollar given to your church is an investment in eternity! I am convinced that people will step up if we tell our story of life change and give them the means to give. They won’t go to your website and give if they don't know.
The day after Thanksgiving became known as Black Friday due to the heavy sales volume on this day. Retailers began to see a profit moving from “in the red” to “in the black.” Today, smart retailers are using technology to increase sales to end the year in the black. By learning from Black Friday and Cyber Monday, your church can utilize the same tools to move into the black.
And we can help you do that! Contact us at OnlineGiving.org today at (615) 206-4000 or support@onlinegiving.org, and we will set up a free demonstration to show you how.
The Stewardship Coach
Black Friday is known for heavy sales volume moving retailers “in the red” to “in the black.” As online commerce increases, sales strategies shift. Learning from Black Friday & Cyber Monday can help your church use the same tools and stay "in the black."https://t.co/rqO1s2s0sS pic.twitter.com/wJbPvZdiho
— Online Giving (@onlinegivingorg) November 27, 2023
1. https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/2023-holiday-reach-record-spending-levels
