Personalization, Conversational Commerce, and Trust Define This Year’s Shopping Season
Sinch, which is pioneering the way the world communicates through its Customer Communications Cloud, has released its predictions for the 2024 Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BF/CM) shopping season. Based on insights from Sinch’s 2024 Consumer BF/CM Survey, conducted across the US, UK, Spain, France, Germany, Brazil, and Australia, the company forecasts that this year’s shopping trends will be dominated by personalization, conversational commerce, and secure communication technologies.
With retailers preparing for what could be another record-breaking shopping season, millions of consumers are expected to engage with brands during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Sinch predicts a significant shift in how businesses will use communication technologies to enhance customer experiences, drive sales, and ensure security during these high-traffic sales events.
In 2023, mobile messaging played a pivotal role in retail communications, with SMS, RCS, and WhatsApp at the forefront. Sinch processed over 4 billion messages globally during Cyber Week, including more than 800 million SMS messages on Black Friday, marking a 22.65% increase in activity compared to 2022. This rise mirrored a 7.4% increase in U.S. Black Friday spending and a 9.6% increase on Cyber Monday, highlighting the growing reliance on direct communication channels during these key shopping events.
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Sinch’s Key Predictions for 2024 Black Friday and Cyber Monday
Omnichannel Promotions Will Drive Engagement:
According to Sinch’s 2024 Consumer BF/CM Survey, omnichannel engagement will be crucial, with 77.9% of consumers preferring to receive promotions through two or more channels. 61.3% of shoppers expect to receive holiday promotions via email, while 44.9% favor at least one mobile messaging channel. Furthermore, 51.2% of consumers stated they are likely to engage with interactive campaigns delivered via messaging apps, demonstrating the increasing importance of immersive, mobile-first experiences.
Elevating Holiday Engagement with AI and RCS:
In 2024, personalization will be more about how brands can deliver tailored experiences seamlessly, and AI-driven automation will be key to making this happen. Nearly 80% of consumers want personalized recommendations during the holiday season, and with RCS adoption growing—especially with iOS 18 support—brands can elevate customer engagement like never before. RCS allows companies to offer rich media content, such as product demos and embedded payment options, directly within messaging apps, creating a frictionless experience.
According to Sinch’s 2024 Black Friday/Cyber Monday Survey, 51.2% of respondents said they would engage with interactive holiday campaigns sent directly to their messaging application, like RCS. This combination of AI-powered targeting and RCS’s multimedia and in-message purchasing capabilities will enable brands to deliver hyper-targeted promotions and offers, boosting both interaction and conversion rates while making the customer journey smoother and more engaging.
Consumers Demand Instant, Reliable Transactional Messaging:
The Sinch 2024 Consumer BF/CM Survey also revealed that nearly 50% of consumers expect to receive an order confirmation immediately after making a purchase, emphasizing the importance of fast and reliable transactional messaging during peak sales periods. Additionally, 94.4% of consumers indicated that transactional messages—such as order confirmations—are somewhat or very important. Multiple channels are key, with 30% of respondents preferring to receive transactional notifications through both email (75.1%) and SMS (42.9%).
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Conversational Commerce Will Enhance Customer Engagement:
Sinch forecasts that conversational commerce will take center stage this holiday season, with consumers increasingly engaging with AI-powered chatbots. The survey shows that 56.6% of shoppers want to use chatbots to track order status, while 45.8% want to learn more about products before making a purchase, and 43.2% value accessing customer service outside business hours. This growing preference for interactive, AI-driven support will streamline the shopping journey and foster deeper customer engagement.
By leveraging Sinch’s suite of messaging solutions—including RCS, AI-driven automation, and verified communications—brands can deliver personalized, secure, and engaging experiences that align with 2024’s shopping trends. These tools will be instrumental in helping businesses build long-term customer loyalty and achieve success during peak sales periods.
“Retailers need to be prepared for the evolving expectations of today’s digitally savvy shoppers,” said Virginie Debris, SVP of Messaging Product. “Our predictions for 2024 emphasize the growing importance of omnichannel, personalized, and secure communications in driving customer engagement and sales. Sinch is dedicated to providing the cutting-edge tools businesses need to excel in this competitive landscape.”