Marketing

The guide to sell £1M on BFCM 2023: Build your win-big strategy

Intro

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Are you looking forward to making big sales this Black Friday and Cyber Monday? Matter of fact, both small and big online businesses have the opportunity to make thousands of sales within a few days, and attract a staggering number of new customers… granted that they are well prepared for an exponential orders surge!

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^{In fact, you may be surprised to learn that Shopify merchants sold}^{$6.3 billion globally between Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2021,}^{and that BFCM}^{sales can easily account for more than 20% of annual sales}^volume^.

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If you want a piece of that pie and look forward to reaping the benefits of selling at one of the busiest times of the year, you’re in luck.

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In this guide, we're covering the necessary daily steps you can take to position yourself and your business for success throughout the Black Friday and Cyber Monday surge.

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Preparing for one of the biggest sales times of the year can help you bring in more traffic, double, triple, or even quadruple the sales you'd typically make, and cater to the needs of the consumers without worry.

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What you will discover in this guide:

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How to optimise and prepare your logistics for an exponential surge in sales
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How to develop a fully optimised BFCM marketing campaign‍
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How to optimise your e-commerce website to maximise conversions.

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What to expect in BFCM 2023?

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^{49% of shoppers have stated}^{free shipping gives them more of an incentive to purchase}^{during Black Friday sales
‍}^Source:^{National Retail Federation}

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^{$472 is the average amount consumers will spend}^{on Black Friday, with most spending an average of $415 on Cyber Monday.}^Source:^Moosend
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The pros and cons of Black Friday-Cyber Monday sales

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Consumers are more inclined to buy from brands that align with their system of values and beliefs, and recently, the Black Friday sales have won the spotlight of the clash between purpose-driven and business-as-usual brand approaches. But let’s be honest, everyone loves a good discount!

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We hosted the Clash Friday event in early October 2023 and we asked merchants the main arguments pro and against the Black Friday Cyber Monday sales.

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The founders of Unbottled, Kipli, PandaTea and Les Secrets de Loly, and Tim from Bigblue animated a heated debate around this topic! We’ve summarised them in the table below.

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The founders of Kipli, Unbottled, Bigblue, Panda Tea and Les Secrets de Loly discuss about Black Friday / Cyber Monday strategies during Bigblue's Clash!

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Table with main arguments pro and vs Black Friday sales

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Part 1. 📦 Get ready to ship thousands of packages

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^{Brace yourselves, Black Friday is coming…
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‍}^{A Bigblue study of 300+ merchants revealed that brands working with us registered a}^{surge in online purchases between 4X and 10X their average monthly order volume during the peak period}^{(starting on Black Friday weekend and up to 1 week prior to Christmas) in 2021.

Source: Bigblue}‍

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Prepare your business to ship thousands of orders within a short timeframe. There are a few simple ways to get your operations and logistics ready for the potential surge you can experience during the BFCM rush.

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✅ 1. Check your inventory forecasts

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^{During BFCM in 2021, over}^{47 million consumers across the globe}^{chose to buy from independent brands powered by Shopify. Make sure you have enough inventory to meet the demands of these consumers!}^Source:^Shopify‍

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Did you know that before becoming a shopping holiday to find great deals for basically anything you want to buy, Black Friday sales were inaugurated by electronics marketplaces to get rid of excess inventories?

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Well, Black Friday has become so much more! While it still is an occasion to sell the inventory of your previous collections, it is the perfect opportunity to get new clients.

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To ensure you can keep up with demand, keep track of your inventory more than usual leading up to the BFCM sale. You may have people putting in orders before the surge because they want to ensure they get their hands on whatever it is you're offering them.

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Conduct stock forecasts to determine how much inventory you have and whether you may need to add to your inventory before the official sale date to keep up with the demand for products.

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_{Bigblue tips

Use the Bigblue App to check your stock coverage

Bigblue allows merchants to track and centralise their inventory dashboards. It fully integrates with your CMS (Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce) and each purchase on your shop is synced in real-time to the Bigblue App.

Have a glance at your main inventory dashboard to discover the units sold and your stock coverage.}_{👉👉 Discover Bigblue’s Dashboard and analytics}
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Track your inventory with Bigblue's dashboards

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✅ 2. Identify your Best-selling products

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^{70% of consumers will buy from a competitor if the product they need is out of stock in your shop.}^{Don’t let that happen!

‍}^{Source: Shopify}

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Demand forecasting within the supply chain is an absolute must to help you keep an accurate estimate to stock up on the essentials and anticipate the sales revenue you can bring in from the BFCM sales event.

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Which products have become best sellers?

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Of course, you want more than enough inventory to keep up with customers' demands for BFCM.

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Why is this information essential for you to know?

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But knowing your best sellers also helps you decide which products to start offering deals and discounts on to get consumers excited about any sale you plan to host during this period.

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It is also a good opportunity to convince new clients to buy! Consumers are more likely to look forward to a special sale if it means getting something they want or need at a discounted price!

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_{Bigblue tips

Use the Bigblue App to identify your best sellers easily

Discover your best-sellers, your inventory history, and other insightful inventory metrics.Look at your main inventory dashboard to discover the units sold and your stock coverage.}_{👉👉 Discover Bigblue’s Dashboard and analytics}_‍

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✅ 3. Choose your logistics partner

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^{Remember that}^{84% of buyers}^{say they are unlikely to buy from a company again after a bad delivery experience.
Source: Baymard
‍}

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With orders surge reaching up to 10x the monthly volume for some merchants in just one day… Make sure your logistics partner can keep the pace of your Black Friday sales.

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Consider choosing a fast, reliable, efficient, and eco-friendly logistics partner for your products.

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If you manage your logistics in-house, prepare to pack a high number of parcels. You’ll need to bring your whole team on board and ready to prepare and ship the parcels for your clients fast and without errors.

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Example of a Bigblue merchant sales during Black Friday

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_{Bigblue’s cheatsheet to optimise your logistics during peak periods

🎙 Communicate your expected sales to your logistics partner}_{Communication is key to a successful outcome when working with a logistics partner. By providing your expected BFCM sales to your logistics partner, they can give you the most accurate estimated delivery date for customers in each of your international markets, ensuring you can relay that information to your customers when making their purchases.}_{🏭 Send your stock to the warehouse}_{If you already have your stock ready to go, send it to the warehouse as soon as possible to ensure your 3PL will have enough time to process your inventory and have everything ready to pack and ship faster. Not shipping items to the warehouse in advance could cause significant delays, and consumers want to get the items they've purchased during the BFCM sale at record speed.}_{👉👉 Discover how you can use Bigblue to run your logistics effortlessly

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✅ 4. Select your shipping method to ensure consumers get their goods quickly

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^{22% of shoppers will abandon their carts}^{when the items they’re purchasing will take too long to get to them. Don’t miss out on making the sale because of SLOW shipping times.

Soucre: Baymard}

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It's time to consider the carriers you wish to work with and the specific shipping speeds you'll offer your customers. Keep in mind - people want to get their items as quickly as possible.

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In the digital world that we're living in today, most are used to two-day shipping speed because of Amazon Prime.

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^{Gymshark lets their clients know that}^{shipping delays for BFCM sales can take up to 10 days.}^{Communicate them clearly on your product pages and tracking emails to avoid frustration from your clients.}

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Gymshark's BFCM purchase confirmation email

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_{Bigblue tips

Lashilé Beauty uses Bigblue for an ultra-fast delivery during BFCM!}_{Lashilé Beauty's Black Friday marketing campaigns are the benchmark in the market. Their success found their match in Bigblue, a logistics partner capable of keeping the pace with them during peak periods. Last year, Bigblue prepared and dispatched over 15K Black Friday packages record time.}_{👉👉 Discover Lashilé Beauty’s success story}_‍

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✅ 5. Prepare for international shipping

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^{During BFCM 2021, 15% of all orders globally were cross-border. The}^{ability to ship globally}^{can supercharge your business.

Source: Shopify}

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Are you expecting to receive orders from customers across the globe?

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If so, you need to prepare for international shipping, which includes looking into logistics options, determining the cost of shipping products outside the country, and getting a better idea of the overall time these items will spend in transit before being delivered to the recipients.

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_{Bigblue tips

Lashilé is a worldwide hit! Discover how they use Bigblue to deliver vitamin gummies}_{Lashilé Beauty has found in Bigblue the ideal partner to ship its thousands of orders daily and to support its international development strategically: in Spain, Italy, the UK, and soon in new markets.}_{"Bigblue allows us to ensure a very high quality delivery experience for all our customers in France and internationally.”
Yoann Assouline, founder Lashilé Beauty.}

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✅ 6. Deliver a unique experience with every order

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^{Did you know that over}^{53% of shoppers buy gifts for their loved ones, and for themselves during BFCM}^?

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Treat your clients with unforgettable unboxings and grasp the opportunity to get User Generated Content for free… Unboxing videos have grown by a shocking 57% in one year alone.

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Choose your packaging for the sale

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^{♻️ Sustainable packaging is on the rise. The Global Green Packaging Market is}^{estimated to exceed USD 353 Billion}^{within the next six years.}

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Decide on the type of packaging you plan to use for products that will get shipped out during the BFCM sale. It's important to consider the following things when choosing your packaging:

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Is it creative? Does your packaging stand out? If not, what can you do to improve its aesthetic and enhance the unboxing experience for the customers who buy from your business?
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Is it eco-friendly? Consumers often appreciate business owners' efforts to use eco-friendly or recyclable materials to ship products instead of using wasteful materials that contribute to pollution and climate change.

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_‍_{Get ready for Black Friday unboxing hauls

‍}_{Dermalogica’s unique unboxing made possible by Bigblue has revealed}_{155 million views on TikTok!}_{Bigblue allows brands to offer a premium unboxing experience by using custom packaging with your brand's unique style and wrapping paper to enhance the unboxing experience. On top of that, you can add flyers with promo codes, thank you letters, invitations to share their unboxing on social media with a hashtag, instructions for using the product, and free product samples to help customers discover new products.
‍}_{👉👉 Discover how Bigblue enables Dermalogica’s viral unboxing hauls}

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Build excitement with real-time delivery tracking

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^The^{total customer ticket volume increase}^{during BFCM 2021 was}^50%^{And over 32.7% of opened tickets are related to shipping and logistics questions.
Source: Zoho desk and Gorgias}

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Enhance buying experience from your business by building excitement with real-time delivery tracking.

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Be sure to set clear shipping expectations to avoid possible disappointment if and when packages don’t get delivered within the first few days of ordering.
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Reassure clients and let them know when their order is prepared, shipped and delivered!

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_{Bigblue Tips

Use your order tracking emails to increase the LTV of clients acquired during BFCM}_{Using branded delivery tracking e-mails has many advantages:

1. They have an}_{open rate of 75% vs 20 to 30% for marketing e-mails.}_{2. Each email is}_{opened up to 4 times}_{during the delivery.
3.}_{Buyers that receive an email}_{have a better repeat rate (+4%) than buyers that didn’t receive an email
4.}_{And reduce bad ratings by -60%:}_{they reassure clients, and overall increase their delivery experience. They are also a great opportunity to help you get more UGC!}_{👉 Discover Bigblue’s tracking emails}

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✅ 7. Offer free shipping for your BFCM orders

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^{53% of consumers}^{abandon their shopping carts because of excessive shipping costs.
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Know how to get FREE shipping right

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Providing customers with FREE shipping is a fantastic way to meet their needs and expectations while providing the best experience.
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Offering free shipping on orders that reach a certain threshold is an effective way to make additional sales and improve the customer experience.

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^{Dermalogica offers free shipping for purchases above 80€ and even more…}^{Once their clients reach the 80€ mark, they automatically get a free giftAnd if they order at least 120€ in products, they will get a second article for free.}

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_{Bigblue Tips
‍}_{CAVAL worked with Bigblue to implement a Prime-like delivery experience in their shop. By displaying multiple delivery methods (express, green, pick-up points, and free delivery), and providing precise delivery times, 92% of CAVAL’s clients are satisfied with their delivery experience!

Like}_Caval_{, allow your clients to rate their experience with shipping with their email thanks to their Bigblue app. A good way to boost engagement (and avoid bad surprises on Google or Trustpilot).}_{👉 Discover how CAVAL uses Bigblue
‍}

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✅ 8. Use your return policy for the holiday sales

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^{92% of buyers declared that they will buy again from a merchant if the returns process was simple.}

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Knowing that 53% of shoppers benefit from BFCM sales to lock in holiday gifts, adjust your return policy for the holiday sales.

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It helps reduce pressure on your support team while providing consumers with an option to return items.

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Image of pets and owner wearing Christmas sweaters

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_{Bigblue Tips

Extend your returns and exchanges date to mid-January}_{You can add a banner on your product pages to reassure the clients about their purchase. There is no risk if you allow your clients and their loved ones to try their gifts on!}_Caval_{extended returns from 14 days to January 15th. They use Bigblue’s returns portal and Store Credit to keep their customers happy, and retain revenue with frictionless returns!}_{👉 Discover how CAVAL uses Bigblue’s returns portal}

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CAVAL's extended returns policy for the peak season

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Part 2. 🤑 The €1M BFCM Ad strategy

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^{During Black Friday week, the average website conversion rate was 2.72% — this jumped to 4.09% on Black Friday and 3.11% on Cyber Monday.

Meanwhile}^{traffic was up 37% on Black Friday and 21% on Cyber Monday}^{compared to the average number of daily sessions across the rest of November.

Source: Wayflyer}

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After iOS14's release last year, e-commerce businesses saw a decline in ROAS from 3.8 to 3.3 across Meta and Google Ads.

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However, on Black Friday, with customers primed and ready to buy, merchants saw a jump in ROAS to 4.2. On Cyber Monday, ROAS was just above the post-iOS14 average at 3.4.

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**Across the week of BFCM, the average order value was $102 in 2021.**

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✅ 1. Get your audience segmentation right

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^{During the week of BFCM 2021,}^{55% of purchases came from new customers}^{, and on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, specifically, the percentage of purchases attributed to new customers were 55% and 54%, respectively.

Source : Wayflyer}

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Provide personalised messages to different people within your audience by taking the time to segment the audience.

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When you take this step, you can send out specific messages to different groups of people based on their likes, interests, and particular demographics.

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Settings to warm-up an audience for a BFCM campaign on Meta

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The 5 basic audience segments for BFCM

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🛍 Buyers: Identify the people who are more than likely willing to purchase from your business.

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💌 Subscribers: Connect with your subscribers by sending out promotional messages on your BFCM sales. Let them be the first to know of discounts and deals you plan to provide.

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🤩 Fans: Share content with fans via social media platforms, such as Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

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👍 Remarketing: Detail new ways to bring in traffic and target new people for the BFCM sale.

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🔥 Top-Line / New Customers: Think about what you can offer to new customers to reel them in and get them to make their first purchase during this exciting sale period.

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_{Bigblue Tips

Expert tips from marketing expert Ezra Firestone}_{Ezra Firestone ran the BFCM campaigns for his cosmetics brand BOOM and got the following results in 14 days before launching his BFCM campaign:

🔥 461K Reach
🔥 1,3M impressions
🔥 2.86 frequency (each person saw his brand almost 3 times)
🔥 0.02$ for 15 seconds of video views

During BFCM 2021, he used this same audience to show SALES AD with promo codes.}_{👉👉 Discover Ezra’s strategy for BFCM

‍}

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✅ 2. Warm your audiences up and get them ready to buy

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Create a pre-buzz for your BFCM sales

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^{Gymshark generates 20% of its total annual revenue in the 14 days surrounding the holidays, and 40% of that is in the first six hours of Black Friday!}

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Learn from the best… In this section we’ll give you a full break-down of Gymshark’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday strategy.

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🦈 Gymshark excels at BFCM!$

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They created an amazing video where they explain their sales FAQS covering: Payment Methods , Shipping Information, Discounts, and Returns.

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Social media hype

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^{Instagram has}^{800 million MAUS}^{. It's the perfect platform for advertising your brand and business to make sales, especially during the BFCM period.}

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Like Gymshark, post a teaser a day on Instagram

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Instagram Reels have become an increasingly popular way for businesses of all sizes to advertise to targeted audiences, gaining more attention surrounding their businesses. Don't sleep on the potential to make more sales during the BFCM sales period by promoting deals and discounts through Instagram Reels.

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^{87% of online}^shoppers^use^{social media}^{while making}^shopping^{decisions

Source: Statista}

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Create a BFCM shopping page on social media

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Make it possible for consumers to shop directly on social media instead of going to your website. It's another way to bring in more sales and increase your earnings during the BFCM event.

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For example, if you have a business page on Facebook, you can create a virtual shopping option for consumers who can view products you sell directly from the social media platform, add different items to their cart, and complete the buying process within minutes. It's the kind of convenience that consumers LOVE.

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^{About 11% of social media users make immediate purchases and 44% do more research before buying.

Source:}^Earthweb

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Prepare a gift guide for consumers to review

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Want to increase your chances of making that sale? Create a gift guide. Your gift guide can include phrases like this:

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For the fashionista in your life, you can't go wrong with getting the [product]!
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We all know someone special who needs [product] in their lives!
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Looking for that special something to get for your sweetheart this holiday season? Look no further than [product]. They're sure to love it!

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^{Live Streams Influence 70% of Social Media Users in Buying Decisions.

‍}^Source:^Earthweb

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Connect with social media influencers

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On top of promoting client reviews on their product pages. Gymshark added a special section on their Instagram account “GS Family”, every Friday, a bunch of lucky customers get featured on Gymshark’s stories.

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Instead of attempting to reach those with millions of followers who are often harder to connect with, you're better off connecting with micro-influencers. Work with them to get them to post about your BFCM sales event.

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✅ 3. Develop your winner Ad strategy

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^{In 2021 e-commerce businesses spent 5% more on average on Facebook ads on Black Friday week than the previous year, and the average Facebook ad spend was up 90% the week of Black Friday, versus year-to-date pre-Black Friday week.

Source: Wayflyer}

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Video wins all on BFCM

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^{80% of customers start the “customer journey” by watching branded videos on Social Media

Source: ThriveHive}

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Prepare your best VIDEO campaigns:

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Video content should include customer testimonials, product demos, behind-the-scenes footage, and more.
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Give consumers greater insights into your brand and business.

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And run it with VIDEO VIEWS GOAL:

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Set a goal for cold and warm audiences. The objective? Build huge audiences that will be ready to convert during Black Friday for cheap.
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You can convert newcomers into customers who will order from your business again and again, even after the BCFM sale is over.

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_{Bigblue tips}_{Matthieu from Stride-Up recommends keeping it short. The 15 to 20-second mark is the sweet spot for these kinds of ads.

Cabaïa, the famous backpack brand, masters video Ads! This Ad alone has generated over}_{30K likes}_{in the last 30 days and has been}_{shared over a thousand times.

We’re pretty sure we’ll be seeing this ad on BFCM!

‍}

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Advertise special bundles for the occasion

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Most business owners will create special bundle deals for customers, allowing them to get more products at a discounted rate. What types of bundles would you be willing to offer to the consumers? This is something to think about and focus on creating to give shoppers something even more exciting to look forward to, which will help you bring in more business in return.

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Create high-quality graphics depicting images of everything included in these bundled goods for customers to purchase. If the photos are compelling enough, people will want to buy those bundles, which means they will spend more with your business compared to others, including big corporations such as Amazon.

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_{Bigblue tips

Unbottled and Meuf partnered and launched a bundled offer for their clients on their newsletter "We are pleased to offer you a pair of Meuf Paris menstrual panties”}_{👉 Discover Bigblue’s logistics solutions}

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Don’t forget about promoting your discount strategy

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Ezra Firestone revealed the discount strategy to promote on your Ads for BFCM.

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You can create a four-week plan for your promotion:

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During the first week, offer a 10% discount
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Give small gift cards during the second week
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On the third week, offer 20% off certain products
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On BFCM offer 30% to 40% discount

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✅ 4. Set your email & SMS strategy

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^{Companies that use phrases such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday in their subject lines can}^{increase click-through rates by a staggering 64%}^{.

Source: Dot Digital}

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Start building suspense for the BFCM sale with a series of emails sent throughout the week. No, this doesn't mean sending multiple messages per day. Instead, send up to three weekly messages, each including a little more information than the previous one. The idea behind this is to build that sense of urgency and suspense that makes people want to know what kinds of deals and discounts they can snag when visiting your site throughout the BFCM event.

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Ezra Firestone set up an email flow for the early bird to warm them up to their sales!

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50% of BOOMs yearly sales come from this campaign flow
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1M people on their list
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37K of them produce 50% of their sales, and they are repeat loyal customers

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Ezra Firestone’s optimised flow for BFCM

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_{Bigblue tips

Use branded tracking emails to continue selling… post-BFCM}_{Encourage your subscribers to register for the pre-sale to receive early access to discounts and promotional offers exclusively available to the mailing list. It entices consumers to engage, provides access to an incredibly active group of people, and enables you to increase conversion rates.

Unbottled systematically ads a banner with a 10€ discount on each of their tracking emails!}_{👉👉 Discover Bigblue’s Tracking experience}

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Part 3. 🔥 Optimise your website for BFCM

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^🐌^{41% of shoppers}^{will leave a site if it loads too slowly and then visit Amazon to search for the same item!

Source: Retail Dive}

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Keep website speeds from hindering your progress in making countless sales during the BFCM event. Test your speeds weeks in advance to ensure visitors to your website will have a speedy, smooth experience when browsing through pages, sorting through available products, and completing their purchases.

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If your website runs too slowly, most consumers will get frustrated enough to leave the site and never return, meaning someone else will make that sale, such as your competition.

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Put your website speed to the test! Use Google’s Page speed insights to spot optimisation opportunities!

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✅ 1. Optimise your website for mobile conversion

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^{In 2021,}^{71% of BFCM purchases}^{were made from mobile devices, compared to 29% on desktops

Source: Shopify}

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Clients will see your ads on social media.

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Make sure you’ve optimised the mobile experience to enable them to shop easily from their phones or tablets rather than a desktop computer or laptop.

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BOOM drove traffic from their ads to simple landing pages optimised with a simple structure, with one option for mobile users and another option for desktop users!

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Want to achieve the same level of success while bringing in more business during the BFCM sales event? Follow this approach:

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Headline: Create a captivating headline that intrigues consumers. The goal is to reel them in with something interesting.
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Sub-Headline: Include additional details with a sub-headline that provides a bit of extra information consumers can use to their advantage to learn more about your brand & products.
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Image: Use a high-resolution, high-quality image of one of your best-sellers or something else related to your business for those who prefer visuals. The content you post can make or break the experience for consumers.
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CTA: Never forget the call-to-action. Let consumers know what you want them to do, such as buy now to save big.
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Thank You Page: Include a thank you page to show appreciation and gratitude to consumers for choosing your business. It shows you care about your customers and are grateful for them!

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✅ 2. Understand the impact of the delivery experience in sales

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Create a banner announcing delivery time estimates for BFCM purchases

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The transparency on delivery dates is something your customers will appreciate tremendously. Be sure to create a large banner that clearly announces delivery time estimates so your customers will know exactly when they should start receiving their packages. While these delivery times are just estimates, customers can receive packages before or by these dates!

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_{+ 34% CRO with Bigblue’s Fast-tags}_{Using A/B test, we have observed that buyers seeing a Fast Tag convert +34% more and are encouraged to spend more (+4% cart value), resulting in a +37% revenue per visiting buyer.

⚡️ Oma&Me displays precise delivery dates on their product pages using Bigblue’s FAst-tags.}_{👉 Discover Bigblue’s Fast-Tags}

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Create a banner announcing your Christmas cutoffs

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Creating a banner like this helps you develop a sense of urgency. It lets consumers know when to put in their orders to ensure delivery before or by Christmas. Most people want to get those orders in before then to have the items ready to give as gifts to loved ones.

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✅ 3. Facilitate payments at checkout

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+30% to 45%increase in the average order value for purchases paid for with Klarna

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💰 Accept different payment methods to cater to more consumers:

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Again, don't alienate shoppers by only accepting one or two payment methods. Instead, accept as many payment methods as possible to ensure that you can cater to a broader audience, receiving payments for the products you provide in countless ways.

💳 Add the BNPL (buy now, pay later) feature to the checkout:

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Marketing

5 min read

Product Seeding: The Key to Becoming an 8-figure Brand with Influencer Marketing

Intro

Influencer marketing has quickly become one of the most effective ways to reach a targeted audience. And while it's not always easy, there are a series of actionable steps you can take to use this marketing method and benefit from it. Companies that have experienced tremendous success with influencer marketing have typically taken an approach known as "product seeding."

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Fashion Nova has used product seeding to their advantage, essentially building its brand around some of the most prominent influencers, each of whom has a massive following.

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The company has currently enlisted the help of around 5K mega influencers who will post Fashion Nova content here and there that appears more like a casual conversation between friends than it does an advertisement.

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This marketing method has worked in favour of the fast fashion brand. The company's founder, Richard Saghian, is believed to be worth roughly $1.4 billion, selling around $500 million worth of merchandise in 2021 alone.

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^{The influencer marketing industry is expected to reach a staggering}^{$16.4B by the end of 2022}^.

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Dozens of companies are starting to follow Fashion Nova's lead, using product seeding to connect with their audience on a deeper, more personal level.

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1. SUGAR Cosmetics, founded in 2015 with only TWO products to its name at the time, is now worth $30 billion. Despite the company's humble beginnings, the founder's decision to utilise influencer marketing paid off, with social media marketing and viral videos helping the brand flourish!

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2. Gymshark became a billion-dollar DTC fitness brand by utilising the power of influencer campaigns.

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3. Another company exceeding initial expectations because of influencer marketing, PrettyLittleThing has experienced astronomical growth. Working with celebrities like Miley Cyrus and Nicki Minaj, to name a few, the brand has become the fastest-growing e-commerce fashion company.

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If you want to increase your brand's visibility and make more sales, ultimately leading to a significant profit earned each day, product seeding and influencer-generated content are necessary. There are endless possibilities for this type of content, including web content, product reviews, tutorials, and much more. Before you know it, you will begin noticing an increased interest in your brand and what you offer.

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If you're ready to master marketing and resonate with your audience, consider taking two approaches – influencer-generated content and user-generated content, both of which can make a difference in your marketing strategy.

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The Impact of Influencer Marketing on E-Commerce Conversion Rates and Sales

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^The^{global influencer marketing industry}^{will reach $24.1 billion by 2025.}^{87% of e-commerce shoppers}^{depend on social media reviews to help them decide where to make a purchase or not.}^{49% of customers}^{rely on the recommendations of influencers before ordering online
‍}^Source:^Plytix

‍

With numbers like these, it's not hard to see why more companies rely on influencer marketing and user-generated content to sell their products and services to the masses. In fact, many leading brands in the industry have already taken the initiative to rely on this marketing method to increase brand awareness and boost sales.

‍

What you will discover in this guide:

‍

Influencer Generated Content vs User Generated Content
How to use product seeding to drive sales
Product seeding done right: whitelisting vs influencer darkposting

‍

🤳 Part 1. Influencer Generated Content vs User Generated Content

‍

^{Most consumers will spend}^{more than 5 hours per day}^{watching user-generated content.

📱}^{70% of consumers will consider}^{user-generated content reviews before spending money on something specific.

🙌 93% of customers agree that}^{user-generated content}^{is valuable in helping them decide whether to make a purchase.}^Source:^{Everyone Social}

‍

The statistics speak for themselves, making understanding user-generated and influencer-generated content's overall value easier.

‍

1. What is the difference between user-generated content and influencer content?

‍

^The^{influencer marketing market proliferated}^{between 2016 and 2020, increasing from $1.7 billion to $9.7 billion four years later.
‍}^Source:^{Influencer Marketing Hub}

‍

The first step to getting started is understanding the differences between user-generated content and influencer content.

‍

When relying on user-generated content, you depend on any customers, whether they have a following or not, to discuss your products in the content they've created.

‍

Influencer-generated content is any content created by someone with a following of a minimum of 5K people, but usually much more than that.

‍

In most cases, content produced by influencers is sponsored, but content created by everyday users isn't sponsored, meaning it's more honest and open to the public.

‍

‍

2. Influencer-Generated Content

‍

^{61% of consumers}^{trust influencers' recommendations, giving your brand more credibility than ever.}^Source:^Shopify

‍

With influencer-generated content, you essentially have influencers with thousands of followers producing content on your brand, which means they will talk positively about the products you provide.

‍

It's an excellent way to get more people interested in your brand and the products you sell because those who follow these influencers will feel more inclined to make the purchases.

‍

While this content is occasionally sponsored, it's not always sponsored, and sometimes influencers make the content themselves because they love what the product does for them. s someone with a following, most would consider the influencer a trusted and reliable source who wouldn't steer them in the wrong direction. As a result, consumers who follow that influencer are more likely to purchase the products that the individual mentions in photos and videos posted to social media.

‍

The Additional Ongoing Benefits of Influencer Marketing

‍

✅ Benefit 1. Brand Credibility

‍

Many big and small companies are using influencer marketing to gain credibility. While small businesses benefit the most from this, larger corporations, including Nike, Dunkin' Donuts, and Chipotle are taking advantage of the opportunity to reach new audiences and make more sales.

‍

1. American Eagle

‍

The brand has been around since 1977 but has had its fair share of highs and lows. Even as things may have been dying out for the brand within the last five years, the brand decided to partner with the famous social media influencer Addison Rae.

‍

^{Addison Rae, a TikTok influencer with more than 70 million}^TikTok^{followers, generated $4.26 million in Media Impact Value for American Eagle over six months.
Source:}^{Women’s wear daily}

‍

The partnership helped American Eagle advertise its new line of "Mom Jeans." Because of Addison Rae, the brand is making a name for itself again.

‍

So, not only did the partnership enable them to gain more credibility, but it also made it possible for the brand to receive more user-generated content than it had before.

‍

2. Sun Peaks Resort‍

‍

An incredible ski resort situated in British Columbia, wanted to bring more attention to consumers and showcase what it had to offer.

‍

With engaging content posted by influencers on different platforms, including Instagram and Facebook, consumers were getting what appeared to be a "sneak peek" at what Sun Peaks Resort is like, ultimately leading to more reservations!

‍

^{Stunning images, daily Instagram stories, and short Facebook videos drove 200,000+ article views of three minutes or more, creating massive interest in Sun Peaks’ target market.
Source:}^{Travelmindset}

‍

‍

✅ Benefit 2. Lower Costs Compared to In-House Content Creation

‍

Influencer content allows brands to reduce advertising expenses, saving them more money in the long run. Not so sure?

‍

1. Ruggable

‍

Known for its two-piece machine washable rug system, spent 25% less on influencer marketing while receiving a 32% higher return on the investment.

‍

The famous dog influencers Asher and Ashby have an Instagram account featuring the mischiefs of two corgis with about 30K followers.

‍

Rugglable got more than 100 high-quality pieces of content from Asher and Ashby that they reused on their website, paid ads, emails and social media campaigns.
Source: Aspire

‍

‍

2. Aura Frames

‍

Leverages influencer marketing and saves roughly 50% of its monthly content budget.

‍

The company needed an efficient way to scale its content strategy without breaking the bank. According to Christine Zalocha, their VP of Marketing, the burn rate on digital marketing content falls from four to seven days.

‍

^{20% of Aura Frames’ sales are attributed to Influencer Generated Content, or paid ads featuring influencer content
Source:}^Aspire

‍

Influencer Generated Content allowed them to get over 650 pieces of content that they repurposed in over 13K custom videos to test and understand the content that truly works for the brand.

‍

Aura Frames Instagram Stories with Collabs

‍

✅ Benefit 3. Authenticity

‍

^{60% of marketers}^{say influencer-generated content performs better and increases engagement over traditional branded posts.
Source:}^{The social sheperd}

‍

1. Benefit Cosmetics

‍

Increased awareness of its brand, with more consumers recognising its authenticity due to powerful influencer marketing strategies on social platforms such as TikTok.

‍

By taking an omnichannel approach, the brand connected with a larger group of people, increasing organic impressions and gaining more sales.

‍

^{The global beauty brand partnered with a diverse group of creators via Instagram and TikTok, to promote their new Brow Microfilling Pen. This approach achieved 2.3M organic impressions}

‍

‍

Take a closer look at the results of Benefit’s campaign:

‍

On Tiktok: 1.4M impressions, 1.18% engagement rate, 3.5K hours of total viewing time.
On Instagram: 955K impressions, 3.65% engagement rate, 102.6k engagements.

‍

2. Levi's

‍

Doubled views on its products by working with popular TikTok influencers. The company has also enlisted the help of some of today's leading Gen Z influencers, including Jaden Smith, to help showcase the products they sell. This approach has helped the brand appear to be more authentic to the average consumer.

‍

^{Levi’s digital business accounts for over 15% of its total revenue, a 2X increase in just 3 years.
Source:}^Ion

‍

Levis’s combined the power of their Future Finish 3D technology to customise denim products and influencer marketing to create authentic campaigns.

‍

✅ Benefit 4. Increased Social Content

‍

^{The number of global social media users continues to increase from}^{4.2 billion to 4.62 billion between January 2021 and January 2022}^.

‍

Increasing social content is a fantastic way for brands to gain attention from millions of users daily because of the growing number of people who use social media daily.

‍

1. Starbucks

‍

The coffee brand has learned how to use the power of social media and influencer marketing to its advantage.

‍

The platform has increased the amount of social content pushed out to its 35 million Facebook followers and 18 million Instagram followers, creating fun hashtags and other ways to interact with individuals that support the business.

‍

^{A Grande Cloud Machiatto for Ari!
‍}^{Starbucks partnered with Ariana Grande to launch her own drink, the Cloud Machiatto. A single post from the artist generated nearly 3M likes.}

‍

Ariana Grande, with a Cloud Machiatto Grande

‍

2. Nike

‍

Is another major company with a massive following of over 150 million people on Instagram and 35 million on Facebook. The company uses this to its advantage, regularly posting engaging and relatable content to consumers that resonate with them instead of coming off as too salesy.

‍

✅ Benefit 5. Connection with Engaged Consumers (Brand Followers, Brand Communities, etc.)

‍

^{85% of business owners agree that branded communities have positively impacted business.
‍}^Source:^{Views for Change}

‍

1. Lego

‍

It has built its brand around community members. Groups of people with a passion for LEGOs can connect, share insights, find collectable pieces, and so much more, which means more business for the company.

‍

2. Sephora

‍

Popular cosmetics store Sephora has built a solid following with its Beauty INSIDER community. People of all ages can join the community for inspiration, helpful tips, product reviews, general beauty advice, and more. And what does this mean for Sephora? More sales!

‍

^{Sephora’s Squad influencer campaign launched in 2019 with 70 influencers, including Iyana and}^{yayayayoung.
‍}^The^{community has grown to over 5.7M members, who’ve created over 2.8M posts for Sephora.
Source:}^{Fast Company}

‍

‍

✅ Benefit 6. Informed customers and more conversions

‍

⁸^{1% of retail shoppers}^{will spend time researching a product online before they decide to buy it. Retail shoppers who do research beforehand are considered}^{informed customers}^.

‍

Studies show many of the best well-informed shoppers are buying store brand products instead of the name brand, higher priced items in the stores. So, what does this mean? It means brands of all sizes can get ahead, even relatively new, by offering lower prices on high-quality products.

‍

Some companies are experiencing a drastic increase in conversion rates and gaining consumer loyalty after relying on influencer marketing.

‍

1. Windsor saw a 29% increase in web conversions after relying heavily on social media marketing, highlighting user-generated content on their accounts.

‍

2. DMC has relied on user-generated content and influencer marketing, helping them increase consumer engagement. The valuable content allows the needlework material company to breathe new life into its marketing strategy while connecting with more consumers than ever before and boosting conversion rates.
‍

3. With its #TravelforReal campaign, Loews Hotels increased engagement rates, getting more people to make reservations for a stay at one of their many hotels!

‍

‍

‍_{Bigblue tips
‍
How Unbottled used product seeding to inaugurate its flagship store in Paris}_{Unbottled gave away 100 solid-shampoo products to the first 100 visitors of their shop!

The plastic-free personal care company, recently opened its flagship store in Paris… accompanied by no other than former Miss France and influencer, Alexandra Rosenfeld.

People lined up for more than an hour to discover Unbottled’s products and take selfies with Alexandra and the company founders.
‍}_{👉👉 Discover Unbottled’s success story with Bigblue}

‍

‍

Product seeding

‍

^{22% of shoppers will abandon their carts}^{when purchasing items will take too long to get to them. Don’t miss out on making the sale because of SLOW shipping times.}^Source:^Baymard

‍

If you want your business to succeed, the best way to get it to do so is to facilitate long-term relationships with the types of influencers with core values that align with your brand's values. In addition, it's best to give rather than ask these influencers to do something for you. This is a technique best known as product seeding.

‍

So, what does this mean? Instead of asking an influencer to support your business, you send them free products without expecting anything from them. It doesn't guarantee that they will make a post about your business, but there is a relatively good chance they will. Most influencers will genuinely appreciate receiving the free merchandise and will likely post about it, whether in pictures or videos.

‍

_{Bigblue Tips}_{Dermalogica uses Bigblue for their product seeding strategy}_{Dermalogica uses Bigblue’s gift-App feature to offer free products to their client’s orders. How does it work? Dermalogica can either establish conditions to add gifts (promo codes, purchase amount) or launch seasonal marketing campaigns to automatically offer a gift to each order on a given period.

See how Dermalogica’s product seeding strategy makes influencers jump straight to TikTok to share their unboxing experience.

👉}_{Discover Dermalogica’s success story}
‍

‍

3. User-Generated Content

‍

^{60% of consumers agree}^{that UGC is the most authentic type of marketing content available to them
Source:}^Nosto

‍

While influencer-generated content is a big deal because it can help brands of all sizes reach their targeted audience, boost engagement, and drastically increase conversion rates, it's not the only type of content working wonders. User-generated content is becoming an increasingly effective way for companies to increase visibility online, which leads to more web traffic and sales.

‍

What is UGC

‍

User-generated content is content created by the average consumer. Rather than paying these individuals to make content about your brand, you're exceeding their expectations enough to make them want to create content independently. From the quality of the products to the unboxing experience you provide, these are the things that leave a lasting impression and get people to post pictures and videos of them using a product or talking about what they like most about it.

‍

Impact of UGC on CRO

‍

^+48%^{of consumers agree that UGC helps them discover}^{brands and products.
‍}^{Source: SimilarWeb}

‍

User-generated content greatly impacts CRO because most consumers conduct extensive research before buying products. In addition, the internet has become a valuable tool, making it easier for consumers to find reviews, tutorials, and so much more before they've even invested their funds into these products. With that in mind, the consumers searching for information on products may come across different types of user-generated content that encourages them to buy a product because of how good it works.

‍

1. Calvin Kelin

‍

Created the in #MyCalvins campaign, working with mega influencers and celebrities such as Justin Bieber and Kendrick Lamar. It's helped the brand gain visibility, increase sales, and connect with new audiences like never before.

‍

2. Aerie

‍

The famous loungewear brand, started mastering the art of user-generated content as early as 2014 when it announced it would no longer retouch its models' bodies, providing authentic images of women in its clothing and accessories.

‍

The hashtag #AerieReal went viral and helped the brand gain more attention than ever. The brand is now valued at over $5 billion.

‍

‍

_{Bigblue Tips
Use your unboxing experience to generate more UGC
Cabaia’s}_{unique unboxing, made possible by Bigblue has revealed}_{50 million views on TikTok!
‍}_{To discover your brand’s unboxing virality potential go to}_{TikTok Discover}_{and look up your brand’s name + unboxing.
👉}_{Discover Bigblue’s unboxing experience}

‍

‍

What makes UGC so impactful?

‍

1. People like watching tutorials and product reviews created by random people because they provide a greater sense of authenticity.

‍

2. Most consumers find UGC incredibly relatable because it's often created by people who look like them, act like them, or even have similar interests.

‍

3. There are so many ways to find user-generated content across different platforms. The most common platforms used include Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

‍

_{Bigblue Tips

‍}_{FROM FUTURE teamed up with Bigblue to deliver the most extraordinary experience to customers with custom packaging provided.

As a result,}_{buyer satisfaction increased by 89%}_{within the short span of four months.

👉}_{Discover From Future’s success story}

‍

4. IGC or UGC: Which will drive your brand's best results?

‍

^{49% of TikTok users find products through videos}^{created by brands, creators, and other social media users. Roughly}^{37% of those individuals bought the TikTok products after learning about them on the platform.}^Source:^TikTok^{’s Path to Purchase Report}

‍

You're probably asking yourself, "Which is better - user-generated or influencer-generated content?" The truth is that both are incredibly powerful, but it's all about knowing how to use them. It's also about working with what you can afford based on your budget for marketing-related expenses.

‍

User-generated content is likely best for you if you're:

‍

Looking to save money on marketing expenses while increasing brand visibility.
Offering additional features, such as ETAs and other conveniences, that consumers will love and want to brag about to others.
Trying to build a community of consumers who can support one another while using your products.
Wanting to come off as authentic as possible to your audience.

‍

However, influencer-generated content may be the best option if you're:

‍

Willing to spend a budget on either sending products for free to influencers or paying them to post about your brand in their posts, stories, and reels.
Trying to cater to a specific audience that would be more likely to buy from your business if they saw one of their favourite influencers advertising your products.
Interested in reaching an entirely new audience of people based on different demographics.
Looking for high-quality content created by influencers that you can use across different platforms, such as TikTok and Instagram.

‍

But this doesn't mean you can't use a little bit of both. Some brands combine the two to supercharge their marketing efforts, and you can do the same. Check out this list of some of the pros and cons of each type of content.

‍

🎁 Part 2. How to Use Product Seeding to Boost Sales

‍

^{61% of consumers prefer}^{recommendations from influencers over branded social media content.

50.7% of brands that}^{work with influencers for product seeding}^{purposes own an e-commerce shop.

The influencer marketing industry has a}^{value of over $13 billion.

‍}^Source:^Shopify^‍^‍

‍

1. Benefits of Product Seeding

‍

Before using product seeding, it helps to know the many benefits you can expect to reap when you use it as a valuable marketing tool. With product seeding, you will have the opportunity to:

‍

Align with different types of influencers based on your personal preferences. You can connect with people who share similar values. These are great people to select to represent your brand.
Save money while building one of your brand's most effective marketing strategies.
Conveniently highlight some of your favourite products or new releases to boost sales for those items, which will help you earn more profit and garner more attention.
Strengthen your brand's authenticity and become a trusted, reliable source of whatever it is that you currently sell to consumers.
Build more awareness for your brand without spending nearly as much as you would in the past.

‍

💜 Some companies you may know and love best use product seeding as a strategy, such as LUSH, Zaful, and Graze.

If these are the benefits you want to experience, follow the actionable steps below to get started.

‍

2. Use It on Your Website

‍

If you send free products to influencers and customers, and some of them create content surrounding your brand and its products, include that content on your website! There are many ways to do this, such as:

‍

Having a section on your site of consumers who've used a specific hashtag relating to your business and a product it sells.
Including a "See What Others Have to Say" section on your site with short-form video content from creators who've mentioned your brand or shown others how to use some of your products.
Creating a section on your site that shows the faces of influencers using your product will often entice the average consumer to buy from you.

‍

eMarketer types of influencer content followers want more of

‍

_{Bigblue Tips}_{Create an Influencer-Friendly Website
Add a sign-up page for brand ambassadors (influencers willing to represent your brand)}_{Always create landing pages for any promotional offer, special deal, or event taking place
Include different types of influencer content throughout your website}_{to gain attention and build trust with the consumers}

‍

✅ Step 1. Master the Top Types of Influencer-Generated Content to Use on Your Website

‍

^{56% of online shoppers have bought a product after seeing a post from an influencer they trust.
Source: Hubspot}

‍

Most marketers envision carefully curated social media posts when they think of influencer-generated content that gets consumers' attention. Although most of the different types of influencer-generated content are readily available on social media platforms, such as TikTok, marketers can add more value to this content by integrating some of the posts from influencers into their web content.

‍

Product seeding is the way to go if you want how-to and FAQ content. Send influencers these products, and if you think they might struggle with using them, include a nice little note with instructions in the packaging. Once they see the magic unfold in front of them, they will want to share that with their followers, which means they're more likely to create how-to content.

‍

Bigblue Tips

‍Discover what type of influencers you should partner with

Kolsquare shared with us this useful table with the engagement rates you should look for nano, micro and macro influencers on each platform.

👉 Contact the Kolsquare team
‍

‍

Engagement rate per influencer tier. Infograph by Kolsquare

‍

✅ Step 2. How-To Maximise the Performance of your FAQ content

‍

Work on collecting how-to and FAQ content. Why? It shows consumers how to use the product AND answers many questions they might have before buying.‍

‍

Need an example? KISS, the famous cosmetic brand, made waves on social media with Falscara, an at-home eyelash extension kit that uses segmented lashes instead of strip lashes or individual lashes. And what caused such a stir? Posts from consumers on social media.

‍

Once consumers started creating short-form videos on how to apply the under-lash system, these lash kits began selling out in stores.

‍

In addition, major beauty influencers decided to try them, including Mikayla Nogueria, the 24-year-old makeup guru with a massive TikTok following of 13.6 million.

‍

Can you imagine how many people learned about Falscara and decided to buy it because of her post showing how to use it?

‍

_{Bigblue Tips

How to Get the Content You Need

After posting the first video to platforms like TikTok, consumers will likely have questions. The great thing about this is that the influencers can reply to these questions with video content, essentially answering FAQs for your brand so that you don't have to do it. It's an effective marketing strategy that saves you time and money!}_{See how Si Si La Paillette uses its FAQs to produce viral content on TikTok

👉}_{See how Eco-friendly beauty brands use Bigblue}

‍

✅ Step 3. Use Product Reviews from Influencers to boost your sales

‍

^{Nearly 79% of consumers will trust reviews from influencers.
Source:}^{Council Post: How Revenue Can Increase Through Reviews}

‍

Go above and beyond to exceed expectations, and you can increase your chances of having influencers create product reviews for the items you sell. How exactly can you go above and beyond? Follow these steps:

‍

Create an incredible unboxing experience using customised packaging that sets your brand apart from others.
Include some of your BEST products that will WOW anyone who receives them.
Use the right logistics company to ensure products arrive on time and in excellent condition. You don't want influencers receiving damaged products that they can't use.
Add a special note in the package with the products you're giving to influencers. Tell them about your brand and what it stands for, which may resonate with them!

If you're providing an extraordinary experience, influencers will get excited about unboxing your products, making them want to pull out the phone to start recording. Once they've created content surrounding your brand, it's easier to reel in an entirely new audience.

‍

_{Bigblue Tips

Lashilé Beauty displays customer reviews on its website to boost sales

Lashilé Beauty trusts Bigblue to delight customers with a 5-star-worthy delivery experience.

⚙️}_{Recommended tool:}_Use_{Loox App}_{to add video and photo reviews to your product pages like Lashilé.

👉}_{Discover Lashile’s case study}‍

‍

Lashilé Beauty uses client reviews to boost sales

‍

✅ Step 4. Host virtual events and live shopping

‍

^{The adoption of Live Shopping events has increased by a staggering 78% in the last year
Source:}^Acowebs

‍

Don't underestimate the power of virtual events! Because of the pandemic, many companies had to get creative when launching new products to the masses, ultimately leading to virtual events that have become increasingly popular.

‍

If you don't want to host in-person events, you can prepare for product launches by hyping them up and inviting a few select influencers to attend the launch. If you make it feel exclusive, you can garner more interest and get more people to attend.

‍

Influencers will get excited about trying out these new products and sharing them with the rest of the world.

‍

‍

✅ Step 5. Use guest blogging and launch contests

‍

^{Hashtag challenges and contests generate a}^{21% increase in UGC video creation.

‍}^{While 50% of Hashtag Challenges drive $5 dollars of return in Ads spend

Source: TikTok}

‍

Guest blogging is another way to share product details and get consumers excited about the upcoming release of anything you may plan to offer.

‍

Reach out to bloggers within your niche and ask if you can create a guest post on their site.

‍

While some may turn you down, others will agree to let you create a compelling post for their blog site, meaning more exposure for your brand!

‍

Impala Skates influencer campaign with Marawa

‍

^{Impala Skates partnered with roller skater and influencer Marawa to launch a collection of high-heeled skates.

Their giveaways gathered over 70K posts from excited skaters ready to roll!}

‍

🎁 Part 3. Product Seeding Done Right

‍

^{47.3% of influencers}^{are considered micro-influencers, with around 20,000 followers on their social media platform.}

‍

You don't have to reach out to mega influencers to succeed at product seeding. Did you know that micro-influencers tend to have better engagement rates, which means reaching out to everyday people with thousands of followers instead of millions to achieve your marketing goals.

‍

This content created from your product seeding efforts will enable you to dramatically boost your CRO throughout the customer journey.

‍

1. Organic Posting

‍

Getting organic posts from consumers is a fantastic way to gain awareness and build a positive reputation for your brand online. Try these steps to get more organic posts from consumers on your products:

‍

Connect with around 500 different influencers per month (16 per day)
Keep track of the influencers who get back to you and agree to receive the products you wish to send
Set realistic expectations. Not everyone will create content. However, of the hundreds of people you reach out to each month, several will post content to their platforms. It will cost you nothing when they do this!

‍

Your effort in connecting with influencers and product seeding can lead to you receiving dozens of valuable user-generated content each month. Even if you’re not getting tons of content initially, have patience, keep reaching out, and allow the posts to come naturally!

‍

2. Paid Media

‍

Paid media is another option to consider. While organic posts can help you throughout your marketing journey, you can work with experts to help you redistribute your influencer content to other platforms, such as Facebook. It enables you to reproduce this content in multiple places to ensure that more people are finding the user-generated content created on your brand and the products you sell.

‍

Influencer Whitelisting

‍

Did you know influencer whitelisting is a thing? With this process, the influencer allows brands to access their social media to post advertisements here and there. It's not the most user-friendly approach compared to influencer-generated and user-generated content because most can tell that these are advertisements.

‍

However, there are ways to use this opportunity to your advantage. You can run paid ads on platforms like Facebook, but you will need permission from the influencer beforehand.

‍

_{Bigblue Tips

Bigblue client ROWSE uses Influencer Whitelisting on Facebook Ads to reduce their CAC by 30% and increase their ROAS by 5X!

👉 Contact Simon Robert and start using Influencer Whitelisting on your campaigns}

‍

Example of ROWSE's whitelisting ad campaigns

‍

Influencer Dark Posting

‍

Dark posting is yet another option that can help you increase visibility and get more people interested in what your brand offers. With dark posting, you're placing a social media advertisement in the news feeds of your targeted audience, but this content doesn't get displayed on your timeline.

‍

If a random person visited your company's profile page on Facebook, they wouldn't see this advertisement. However, someone following your company could come across this advertisement when scrolling through their newsfeed.

‍

❤️‍🔥Use dark posting as a way to repurpose some of the influencer-generated and user-generated content you’ve collected.

‍

One action a day to launch your e-commerce in the UK in 56 days

New Market

5 min read

One action a day to launch your e-commerce in the UK in 56 days

The UK: a unique growth opportunity

‍

As Europe's largest e-commerce market and ranked 3rd in the world behind the US and China, the UK offers international brands that decide to launch there a unique opportunity to grow their addressable market (TAM) in less than two months, despite Brexit!

‍

With online sales at an all-time high of $169 billion in 2021 and expected to reach $368 billion by 2024, there has never been a better time for Direct to Consumer (D2C) brands to tackle the UK market.

‍

Although the UK market is relatively competitive and international brands have to overcome some barriers to entry, the opportunity and benefits are real, and the goals are achievable if you are ready! That's why we've compiled this guide with all the information and steps you need to take to start selling your products in the UK.

‍

What you will discover in this guide :

‍

Administrative and logistics requirements
British consumer habits
How to adapt your e-commerce and marketing strategy to the English market
How to fund your internationalisation

‍

⚡️One action a day to successfully launch your e-commerce brand in the UK

‍

📦 Administrative and logistics requirements

‍

As an international brand (i.e. one that is foreign to the UK market), the first step to successfully establishing and selling in the UK is to understand and grasp the legal requirements.

‍

Without completing these tasks, it will be extremely difficult - if not impossible - for you to operate correctly. As most of them depend on UK government institutions, they are relatively time-consuming to set up, so we recommend you deal with them first!

‍

Day 1: Choose between shipping your products internationally or from the UK.

‍

The British are very sensitive to the delivery experience:

‍

^🏦^{70％ of consumers are more likely to buy if it is guaranteed that they will not have to pay additional fees or taxes after checkout.}^Source:^Logistyx

‍

^{💰 88％ of consumers consider delivery costs critical in their purchasing decision.
‍}^{Source :}^Logistyx

‍

^{⏰ For}^{83％ the delivery time is among the most influential purchase criteria.}^{Source :}^Logistyx

‍

You know it now. The British are used to a fast and reliable delivery experience. To meet their expectations you can choose between international shipping or shipping locally from the UK.

‍

🌐 Ship from abroad to the UK

‍

_{Bigblue Tips
‍
1. You will need your GB EORI numbers and GB VAT to ship to the UK from abroad. These will save you time and speed up the paperwork once you're ready to go.

2. Always ensure that the customs documents are completed correctly and enclosed with the packages to avoid unnecessary delays.

‍
‍}🇬🇧 Shipping from the UK

‍

Shipping from the UK, benefits and inconveniences

‍

You now have a good overview of the shipping alternatives for your brand and their main pros and cons.

‍

Given the customer's expectations, the market size and the opportunity it presents to your brand, we recommend that you opt for shipping locally from and to the UK.

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Days 2 to 4: Request your EORI GB number

‍

^{🚨 Applying for your EORI number is a priority:}^{it takes 8 to 12 weeks to get it}^{(hence the title of this playbook)}

‍

‍

What is the GB EORI number?

‍

EORI stands for Economic Operators Registration and Identification number. The GB EORI is a unique reference number issued by a customs authority to identify economic operators within the UK.

‍

The GB EORI appears on all customs declarations and is required to import goods into the UK (stock transfer).

‍

If you do not already have a Government Portal account, you can create one when you apply.

‍

👉 Request your EORI GB number

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Days 5 to 8 Apply for your UK VAT number

‍

🚨 ^{Obtaining a UK VAT number will be essential if you decide to ship from the UK or France.}^{It takes 8 to 12 weeks to obtain it}‍

‍

‍Get a UK VAT number from the UK Government Gateway. You will need it to submit your tax declarations to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The non-established foreign trader must complete and send to the administration form VAT1 and its annexes.

‍

Customs fees and TVA

‍

VAT applies in certain cases:

‍

Sales between 0 and 135£

‍

‍You collect the taces and send the TVA (20%) to the British fiscal authorities.

‍

Sales >135£

‍

‍The TVA is collected on delivery to the customer.

‍

👉 Apply for your UK VAT number

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Days 9 to 12 Mastering the steps to ship from abroad to the UK

‍

Your business can start selling once it has acquired a GB EORI number and a GB VAT (Economic Operators Registration and Identification) number, required to import goods into England.

‍

The 4 fundamental steps

‍

^{1. Create an}^{account on the UK Government Gateway}⁽^here^{) to get started.}

‍

^{2. Get a GB VAT number}^{from your Government Gateway account. You will need this to submit your tax declarations to}^{HM Revenue and Customs}^{(HMRC). The non-established foreign trader must complete and send to the administration form VAT1 and its annexes.}^{⚠️ Be careful to get it in advance. It takes 8 to 12 weeks to obtain it.}

‍

^3.^{Get a GB EORI}^{(Economic Operator Registration and Identification)}^{number by applying here}^{, to import goods into the UK (stock transfer). If you don't already have a government portal ID, you can create one when you apply.}^{⚠️ Be careful to get it in advance. It takes 8 to 12 weeks to obtain it.}

‍

^{4. Mandatory administrative declarations}^‍‍^{With the UK no longer enjoying the benefits of an EU member, customs fees and delivery times will be directly affected by Brexit.}

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The documents attached to each order

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💷 Invoice

‍

📄 CN23 or 📄 Single Administrative Document attached instead of the CN23 to every order valued over 8 0000€

‍

**Example of CN23 customs fees declaration CN23**

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🚛 Proof of delivery

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_{Bigblue Tips}_{If you ship with Bigblue, all documents are generated automatically. No additional steps to ship your orders.}

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Days 13 to 15 Mastering the requirements for shipping locally in the UK

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By shipping locally from the UK, you can offer your customers a shopping experience that matches their expectations: fast delivery, no hidden costs, and certainly more environmentally friendly and less expensive for your brand.

‍

The UK requirements for opening your e-commerce business have been simplified as much as possible, whether administrative, fiscal or legal.

‍

^1.^{Getting your GB EORI number:}^{we emphasise the importance of this task.}^{Without it, you will not be able to sell in the UK!
‍}

‍

^2.^{The registration procedure is simple.}^{It can be done online and is effective within 24 hours if you have chosen the}^{Private Limited Company (Ltd)}^{status. The time to set up a company in England is 13 days, compared with an average of 32 days in Europe.
‍}

‍

^{3. Once you have obtained your GB VAT number, you must send in your}^{VAT declaration. These reports are seven lines long.

Report VAT quarterly:}^{businesses must report the amount of output VAT and input VAT to HMRC by submitting a VAT return.}^{Filing a Making Tax Digital (MTD) report annually:}^{required for annual income over}^£85,000^{. Concerned businesses must submit their tax records to HMRC digitally (versus the old method via HMRC's Government Gateway).}
‍

‍

^{4. Importing or}^{transferring your stock to the UK:}^{we explain everything on day 17 of this guide.}

‍

Bigblue Tips

To set up your business in the UK:

If you have additional questions, we invite you to take contact Pramex. They will assist you in everything related to creating and managing your foreign subsidiaries or during acquisition operations.

📲 Book a meeting with Mr. Radia from Pramex

For your taxes declarations:

HMRC provides a list of MTD-enabled software providers.

‍Avalara offers cloud-based tax compliance solutions. This tool allows you to automate your VAT declarations, MTD reports and the calculation of your customs fees.

‍

‍

‍

Day 16 Choosing the right carrier

‍

^📊^{84% of UK shoppers say that the carriers offered influence their decision to order from a particular online shop.}

‍

Because of the high delivery fees, half of British consumers have never purchased online from an international brand. They prefer to buy from marketplaces or e-commerce brands that deliver their packages locally, free of charge and quickly.

‍

^{📊 55%}^{of UK consumers named Royal Mail their preferred carrier, an ultra-fast and convenient delivery experience.}^Source:^Statista

‍

‍

^{📊 UPS is the preferred carrier for express delivery in the UK.}

‍

‍

_‍_{Bigblue Tips}_At_Bigblue_{we use Royal Mail and UPS, the UK's two preferred carriers, for orders shipped from our}_{Kûehne+Nagel}_{warehouse in the UK.}

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Day 17 Importing your merchandise stock into the UK

‍

Since Brexit, stock imports, also known as stock transfers, require customs declarations. We have prepared a checklist detailing how to export your products to the UK.

‍

You will not have to clear customs on every order if you ship from a warehouse located in the UK.

‍

👉 Get the stock transfer checklist

‍

‍_{Bigblue Tips}_{If you work with Bigblue you have two alternatives to bring your stock to the UK:

1️. Make two separate deliveries from your supplier to our warehouse in France and our UK warehouse.

2️. Make one delivery from your supplier to our warehouse in France, then use Kuehne+Nagel to deliver your stock destined for Bigblue's UK warehouse.}_‍_‍_{In both cases,}_Bigblue_{will create a differentiated inventory for each warehouse that will allow you to track your inventory accurately.}

‍

🛍 Adapting to British consumer habits

‍

Day 18 Understanding the UK's online shopping ritual

‍

^📊^{47% of British consumers have bought online at least six times in the last three months.

‍}^{Source :}^{BCI Info}

‍

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 60% of British shoppers have changed their consumption habits.

‍

For the most part, they have favoured online shopping from brands established in the UK to benefit from same-day or next-day delivery, free delivery and easy returns policy democratised by Amazon and ASOS.

‍

At Bigblue, we are committed to helping e-commerce brands grow internationally with a fast and custom delivery experience.

‍

Our historical data combined with artificial intelligence allows us to accurately determine when an order will be delivered, increasing conversion rates for merchants.

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Day 19 Understand the 3 reasons why UK consumers abandon their shopping cart

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Half of the British shopping from non-UK brands abandon their cart because of one of these reasons:

‍

🐌 Long delivery delays

‍
💷 Expensive delivery fees

‍
🥺 Difficult return policies

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Day 20 Discover the impact of free 2-day delivery on the conversion rate

‍

^{🛒 In 2022,}^{69% of British consumers abandoned their shopping baskets because of excessive delivery prices.}

‍

^{🛒 73% of Brits}^{have already added an item to their shopping cart}^{to benefit from free delivery.}

‍

The British are used to a reliable and efficient delivery experience. By offering free and fast delivery, you can increase the conversion rate of your product pages.

‍

_‍_{+ 34% CRO with Bigblue’s Fast-tags}_{Using an A/B test, we have observed that buyers seeing a Fast Tag convert +34% more and are encouraged to spend more (+4% cart value), resulting in a +37% revenue per visiting buyer.}_{The example of}_{AZLI Cosmetics}_‍_{⚡️Azli Cosmetics displays precise delivery dates on their product pages using Bigblue’s Fast-tags.}

‍

Azli cosmetics using Bigblue's Fast-tags

‍

Azli cosmetics offers buyers a multiple delivery options

‍

Days 21 to 25 Understanding UK's best practices for returns to adapt your return policy

‍

^📊^{Consumers aged 18-34 are serial returners - over 33% admit to frequently returning items.}^{Source :}^{Fashion Network}

‍

The British have a reputation for buying online and returning their products.

‍

This habit has been reinforced by the growth of e-commerce fashion brands (37% report an increase in the number of returns).

‍

Merchants normally fear returns, and they are seen as a cost centre and hard to track.

‍

_‍_{Bigblue Tips

‍}_At_Bigblue_{, we transform returns into a growth driver. We increase the Lifetime Value (LTV) of our merchants' customers with a white-label frictionless returns portal.

Our portal encourages buyers to choose store credit instead of a cash refund. Buyers can start a return request at any time, reducing the pressure on the merchant’s support teams and providing an overall better post-purchase experience}_‍_‍_{👉 Discover Bigblue's returns portal}

‍

Day 26 Understanding the importance of customer reviews in the UK

‍

^📊^{63% of online shoppers in the UK read customer opinions before making an online purchase.}^{Source :}^Statista

‍

💬

‍

Reviews are a primary source of information in the buying consideration stage.

‍

5 good reviews increase the likelihood of a purchase by a staggering 270%. Companies with at least five high-quality product reviews have a tremendously high possibility of getting people to purchase their products.

‍

That’s why getting 5-star reviews from UK clients will help you establish trust in the new market.

‍

‍_{Bigblue Tips}_At_Bigblue_{, we enable brands to improve customer experience, measure customer satisfaction and generate positive reviews.

A poor delivery experience can shatter the customers' trust in your brand. Bigblue allows you to measure buyer satisfaction and immediately alerts you if there are any problems.

Bigblue’s average delivery satisfaction is 94,3% (vs an average of 77% for e‑commerce).}_‍_‍_{👉 Discover the Bigblue package tracking experience}

‍

Bigblue allows brands to track buyer delivery satisfaction

‍

Day 27 Choose the most suitable payment method for the English market

‍

^{📊 In the UK, the volume of}^{Buy Now, Pay Later purchases could grow by 50% in 2022}^{(vs. 2021) and reach $30 billion.}^‍^‍^{Source :}^BusinessWire

‍

^{📊 33% of international visitors will not even consider making a purchase if their local currency is not suggested.}^‍^‍^{Source :}^{Shopify Blog}

‍

Use "Buy Now, Pay Later" to increase your customers' shopping cart

‍

The "Buy Now, Pay Later" trend shows no signs of slowing down in the UK. With this financing alternative, British consumers have embarked on a new mode of consumption.

‍

^🛒^{+30% to 45%}^{increase in the average order value for purchases paid for with}^Klarna^.

‍

Gymshark allows clients to pay for their purchases in 3X without fees.

‍

‍

_‍_{Bigblue Tips}_{Three payment solutions that we recommend:

1.}_{Shopify Payments}_{****the easiest way to process payments in the UK

2️.}_Mollie_{facilitates international transactions

3️.}_Scalapay_{allows you to offer your UK customers payment in 3x or 4x, without fees}

‍

🛒 How to open an e-commerce shop in the UK?

‍

Shipping to the UK also means creating a new online shop and adapting your marketing campaigns (social media advertising strategy, email campaigns, and influencers included)!

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Days 28 to 35 Create your e-commerce site for the English market

‍

^📊^{73% of products purchased online by UK consumers come from local online shops.}^‍^‍^{Source :}^BCI

‍

You’ll need to create a new online shop.

‍

✨ The benefits of a UK-based shop:

‍

Display prices in the local currency (£)
Marketing content tailored to the UK market
More accurate performance tracking for each market

‍

✨ The steps to localise your e-commerce:

‍

For Shopify: you can duplicate your original shop by following these steps
For Woocommerce: you can use the duplicator plugin
For Prestashop: you can follow this tutorial

‍

‍_{Bigblue Tips}_{Bigblue integrates with}_{leading CMS and marketplaces}_{to automate your logistics, simplify customer support ticket management and ship packages with peace of mind. Bigblue also allows you to centralise all shipments for as many shops as you need into the same platform.}

‍

Days 36 to 38 Translate your product pages and catalogue

‍

^📊^{65 % des acheteurs en ligne préfèrent un contenu dans leur langue.}^‍

‍^S^{ource :}^{Shopify Plus}

‍

You can use Weglot to translate your website automatically.

‍

Then you can hire a freelancer on Fiverr to adapt your copy to the UK market.

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Days 41 to 46 Get your marketing campaigns ready for the UK

‍

The UK is one of the most competitive e-commerce markets in the world. Get inspired by the campaigns of the best local brands, like Gymshark or Chilly's Bottles!

‍

‍

‍_{Bigblue Tips}_{To adapt your Ad campaigns on Facebook, Instagram, Google Ads and TikTok to the English market.}_‍_‍_{📲 Contact Matthieu from Stride-Up}

‍

Don’t forget your email campaigns, and your parcel tracking emails.

‍

_‍_{Bigblue Tips}_‍_‍_Bigblue_{is the only European fulfilment solution integrated with}_Klaviyo_{.

We send Bigblue data to Klaviyo so merchants can use delivery-related events in their email flows. As a bonus, all your parcel tracking emails are automatically translated:

• Parcel delivered: send a product usage guide.

• Satisfaction survey with}_Trustpilot_{: only to satisfied customers.

• Returned parcel: ask for additional details, remind to use the gift card, and stop an email loop if the package is returned.}

‍

💷 Financing your internationalisation

‍

Developing your brand globally requires more budget for both your stocks and marketing.

‍

Days 47 to 49 Target your Total Addressable Market

‍

If you have someone to help you with the market research or the costing of the business plan, you will have to pay a fee to the service providers.

‍

Day 50 Evaluate the costs of developing your site for the UK

‍

As mentioned above, adapting your website is a fundamental step. The technical development of your site, and the optimisation of the UX, without forgetting to produce new content (product categories, product pages, etc.), are costly.

‍

Day 51 Assess your stock financing needs

‍

You will have the necessary inventory information to develop your online business through the business plan, projected turnover, and cash flow budget.

‍

We have prepared a list of the types of inventory you will have to deal with and finance:

‍

Raw materials
Manufacturing of products
Transportation costs
Finished goods
Maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) goods

‍

With good inventory management, you can handle sales peaks, including Black Friday and Cyber Monday Sales. This will stop your business from losing money. 👋

‍

Day 52 Assess your marketing financing needs

‍

When you launch your brand in a new country, paid advertising will help you establish an online reach on social media.

‍

Create a UGC and influence strategy in your new market.

‍

‍_{Bigblue Tips}_At_Bigblue_{, we provide fulfilment services for all B2B and B2C e-commerce orders: for retailers, resellers, your own boutiques, pop-ups etc. Brands like Dermalogica, From Future and Unbottled trust us with their}_{omnichannel deliveries.}

‍

Day 53 Choosing your financing solution

‍

Wayflyer is an inventory and marketing expense funding solution that offers to finance your business from $10K to $20M at favourable interest rates, in less than 5 days.

‍

Your business is screened once you register and connect your platforms, to receive the most suitable financing offers for your e-commerce:

‍

The higher your revenue and the better your marketing performs, the more funds you can access.

‍
The only cost of funding is the percentage transaction fee applied to the amount of the cash advance (this is usually between 2 and 8%).

‍

_{Bigblue Tips}_‍_{4 steps to integrate Wayflyer}_{1️. Contact Wayflyer

2️. Connect your shopping and advertising platforms to Wayflyer securely.

3️. Send confidential bank details and proof of identity.

4️. Receive funds in your account within 1-3 days of signing the contract (depending on how long it takes your bank to receive the funds).}

‍