5 Ways to Maximise Black Friday Sales with Mobile-Native Stories

As of writing this article, Black Friday is only a couple of weeks away. Therefore, we feel it prudent to tell you that if you plan to make use of it, the time to start preparing is now. Seeing that, for most brands, this will simply include offering a Black Friday discount, we also feel it prudent to provide five, more creative, ways to help you out maximize Black Friday sales with mobile-native stories. So, without further ado, let's see how you can make the most out of the upcoming weeks.

How to maximize Black Friday sales with mobile-native stories

The main idea of maximizing Black Friday sales is to use the upcoming weeks to create buzz around your products. Know that every customer knows that Black Friday is coming up and that you will offer some discount. So, instead of focusing on the discount (as most brands will do) try to build buzz around your products with Black Friday in mind. Then, once Black Friday comes, your customers will feel that much smarter because they waited, and because you didn't outright tell them to simply make use of the discount.

Exclusive early access previews

The goal here is to build anticipation and make loyal customers feel valued. To do so you need to start posting stories as soon as possible and showcase upcoming deals, teasing your best discounts or high-demand products. The key thing here is to tease, and not put the discounts at the forefront. That way your customers will feel lucky and/or clever because they've noticed the discount that others didn't.

You could even rework your app for Black Friday and create an “Early Access” tier for subscribers or app users who view these stories. By adding a countdown timer leading to the sale, you reinforce a sense of exclusivity and urgency. Again, the idea is to build the buzz around your products and not simply offer them for a discount. Highlight that these offers are exclusive to app users. Also, try to tease products without showing the price, adding mystery and encouraging viewers to check back when the sale starts. If you feel that you will lose customers because you promote exclusive deals, don't. Word-of-mouth marketing can do wonders when it comes to discounts. And all the customers who missed out this year will likely be even more willing to join in in 2025.

Limited-time flash sales with countdown timers

The idea here is to leverage impulse purchases and create a sense of urgency. You will do this by first stating through stories that you will have hourly or limited-stock flash sales. Then, during Black Friday, you host these sales as advertised. Including a countdown timer in the story emphasizes that the deal is time-bound, which can encourage quick purchases. Flash sales on specific items, promoted through stories, let customers know that if they want the deal, they need to act fast.

The main tip we have for you here is to use bold visuals and text to draw attention to the limited nature of these deals. Make sure that each story highlights the unique value of the product on sale, whether through visuals or concise descriptions. If you are running an app, make sure to notify your users about the sale, and the financial advantages of it.

Personalized story recommendations

This idea is by no means a novel one. But, this doesn't make it less effective. Far from so. In practice, one of the sure ways to increase relevance and engagement is by showing products customers are more likely to buy. Ideally, this is an automated process where your customers get regular feedback from your brand about special deals that they might be interested in. But, if running such a process is too costly for you, we recommend that you occasionally put it into practice. And what better occasion than a Black Friday sale?

Now, full-fledged personalization is a long-term process and includes both third-party and first-party data. So, we won't go into much depth here. The idea is that you use data on customer preferences or previous purchases to create personalized stories for different user segments. For example, if a user has shown interest in fitness products, their stories might highlight discounts on workout gear or supplements. Personalization in stories can help users feel like the content is tailored just for them, which can increase engagement and lead to more sales.

If you don't have much demographic data about your users, we would advise that you segment them based on past purchases, browsing history, or wishlist items. Try A/B testing to see what types of products resonate most with different segments, and adjust story content accordingly for the best impact. A couple of weeks until Black Friday should be enough time to flesh out and put into practice a decent personalization campaign.

Interactive polls and quizzes

An engaged user is a user that is willing to make a purchase. So, for the upcoming Black Friday sale, why not engage users with interactive content while subtly guiding them toward products they’ll love? You do this by creating interactive stories where users can participate in polls or quizzes. For instance, “What type of Black Friday shopper are you?” with results that link to specific product categories. This can help users explore new products they may not have considered while keeping them engaged in a fun, interactive way.

The main thing here is to not push your user's willingness to engage too far. Make polls or quizzes simple, quick, and informative, and ensure that they are mobile-friendly. Highlight a few relevant products immediately after each answer choice, giving users a sense of instant discovery. Ensure the products you link to have strong deals or unique selling points to boost conversions. If you make the mistake of making your poll and quizzes too long or irrelevant, you will only frustrate your customers.

User-generated content and social proof

Black Friday is the day when everyone is trying to sell something. For some customers, this is a cause for concern as not all shops are honest. So, why not use the upcoming weeks to build credibility and showcase popular items by highlighting real customer experiences?

What you do is share stories with photos or testimonials from previous buyers, showcasing popular Black Friday purchases or bestsellers. Seeing other users enjoying their purchases can motivate hesitant customers to buy. This user-generated content (UGC) builds trust and shows authenticity, especially if the stories highlight positive reviews, ratings, or photos of the product in real-life use.
The best way to do this is to reach out to past customers and ask if they’re willing to share feedback or a photo of their purchase. Most likely won't bother doing so for nothing, so consider offering a small incentive for those who contribute to UGC during Black Friday. Feature only your highest-rated or most-reviewed products in these stories to maximize social proof.

A common mistake with Black Friday marketing

The sole use of a Black Friday discount is a common mistake people make with marketing. And if we take a step back, we will see that this type of mistake is endemic to all seasonal marketing. Not just for stores, but for general publisherswell. Namely, what you can easily notice is that instead of creating an engaging strategy, brands simply put a seasonal greeting in their regular content posting and call it marketing. This is just a tiny bit better than doing nothing.

Too many brands will promote the same, generic message during specific seasons and all their messages will likely go ignored. Instead, we would invite you to value quality in marketing and put actual thought and effort into it. Creating marketing content doesn't have to be a chore, but can instead be a fun and creative process where you look for different ways to represent your brand. After all, this is why here at StorifyMe we try so hard to inspire our clients in creating new and interesting content.

Final thoughts

The strategies that we've showcased should be seen as more of a suggestion than a blueprint. You can always look to mix elements from different strategies. For instance, you can mix personalized messages within your pools. Or, you can provide limited-time flash sales to people who create UGC regarding your brand. Again, what we at StorifyMe encourage is creativity. And we will be more than happy to help you put your ideas into story format.