Black Friday 2022 results, according to Admitad Russia
The Admitad Russia affiliate network, one of Qbigtech’s businesses, reflects on the results of the Black Friday sale. Users have grown the total number of orders by 43% and spent 57% more than the “usual” period. Fashion, household, and electronics are still top performers in terms of sales.
Not just Friday: The golden week boosts sales
On average, market experts note an order number growth of 2% to 15% YOY. These figures are a bit milder than the rocket growth in 2021 or 2020. But the fact that sales see growth despite accelerating inflation and overall economic disturbances is a positive sign for business. Users are still ready to buy—if motivated and offered a good price. This is proven by the 23% growth in transitions to brand and marketplace pages during the sale week.
Every year shows that user activity is more and more evenly distributed across the sale period—with no special booms on Friday itself. As Admitad Russia experts expected, most brands extended the sale period by adding some days before and after Black Friday. That resulted in an order number boost of 62% on Friday and total order number growth of 43% during the week. Some of the “extra” orders were distributed between other days of the period.
Fun fact: the amount of Friday orders gained 104% (compared with an overall 57% gain during the week). This means the customers still make the biggest purchases on this day. It’s not just psychology that can explain that. Brands and marketplaces offer the biggest price drops on Friday—to heat the audience during marketing campaigns.
Popular categories: A leader shift
This year, electronics yielded its long-held top position to fashion goods. Apparel and shoes became the most wanted products among Russian consumers. Cosmetics, skincare, hygiene, etc., took a seat on the second row.
Online services are joining the sale over the last years. If you analyze the total number of sales that includes both online services and goods, the biggest shares in the Black Friday sale are held by event tickets (10.6%), online services (6.8%), and PC and mobile games (6%). Mobile services and food delivery services were also really important for Russians.
Customers were attracted by content websites and cashback services
Content’s role as a customer motivator is growing. Data from Admitad Russia shows that content websites and online media drove the lion’s share of orders this year.
Reviews, promotions, and product feeds of content sites played a big part, bringing over 26% of all orders in the country. Russians were also very reactive to contextual ads, which brought in up to 15% of all sales. Another feature of the 2022 sale was a high share of purchases made through Telegram (over 5%).
Brands weren’t the only ones that managed to capitalize on the period of increased demand. Advertising platforms, which drove in sales from brands for a reward, saw a 55% leap in profit.
Even so, brands continue to fight for customers, with more sales ahead. Companies and their partners will have a chance to apply their expertise and time-tested mechanics. At this stage, what is important to them is to analyze their experience and rivals’ sales in order to leverage the top-performing traffic channels, techniques, and content types.
