Black Friday buzz escalates by 400% over last year

Black Friday, considered by some to be the start of the Christmas shopping season, has taken social media by storm!

Yes, turkeys are making a noise, but it’s the buzz around Black Friday that’s getting louder and louder. Talkwalker has been monitoring all the excitement, take a look!

The week of 15 – 21 November boasted over half a million mentions on social media, with that figure increasing daily. The last 24 hours? A staggering 150,000 mentions! Compare that to the same week last year when there were a paltry 127,000 mentions.

Did you watch us tracking the turkey last year? Seriously, it’s worth a read.

traking the turkey analytics

Shopping deals knock Thanksgiving out of play!

This week’s social media mentions are seriously outpacing last week’s almost two to one. The buzz swarming around Black Friday has had a positive effect with related themes like ‘deals’ with 102,000 mentions and ‘shopping’ with 53,600.

Sad but true, these retail related themes have overshadowed mentions of the original celebration. Mentions of Thanksgiving are only 31,400 and Holiday has 27,500! Hashtags such as #ad, #sale and #BlackFriday are clearly the leading lights.

Obviously, we mustn’t ignore retail giant, Amazon. Its hashtag, #AmazonGiveaway, has more than 22,000 posts. That’s an increase of 30% compared to the previous week.

eGifter tweet

Start preparing for Black Friday 2017 now! Competition is fierce, so plan ahead. By using social media analytics to track your campaign, you’ll know whether you’re backing a ripe pumpkin or a rotten turnip.

#OptOutside – walking to the beat of a different drum!

The emerging star is retailer, REI (Recreational Equipment Inc.). It’s bucking the trend by closing its doors on Black Friday. Using the hashtag #OptOutside, it’s encouraging people to enjoy the outdoors.  

REI tweet

#OptOutside has reaped over 11,000 results during the past week. That’s an increase of 300% from the previous week. REI’s Instagram post on Monday received 15,900 likes and reached 1.4 million followers. Whilst a Facebook post from “Barkley the French Bulldog”, received over 3K likes and reached 1.7 million Facebook fans. Woof woof! 

#GrabYourWallet and head for the door

The first ‘made for social media’ election continues to impact every part of society, with Black Friday being no exception. #GrabYourWallet, a growing online campaign, is making a dramatic comeback since its creation in October.

Mashable tweet

It’s the hashtag created to persuade shoppers to stop supporting businesses that work with Donald or Ivanka Trump, or offer their clothing and accessories.  Over the last week alone its usage has increased by 1,500% across social media.

Trending retailers - big & small

Tried and tested retailers such as Amazon with 7,900 mentions in one week, Walmart with 5,500, and Best Buy with 4,000 continue to lead when it comes to brands. But, there are new trends emerging around smaller entities and their Black Friday plans.

Two trending hashtags are #handmade and #shopsmall. #handmade has increased by 250% over the last week. It’s focused on artisans who create gifts, selling through Etsy and local gift shops. #shopsmall targets small businesses and shows an increase of 230% this week.  

Shop Small Tweet

A success story worth highlighting surrounds @YT_Clothing, the vintage and used clothing retailer. Its Black Friday sale is enjoying huge attention, with mentions increasing this week by 600%. This is thanks largely to Yours Truly Clothing creator, rapper Phora. Over the past week, his Twitter and Instagram accounts have quickly become trending themes related to Black Friday.

Phora YT Clothing tweet

Retail deals are expected to be more and more prevalent in social media postings as we approach Black Friday.  Besides REI, posts by Victoria’s Secret, FitBit, Patagonia, Carter’s and BH Cosmetics were among the most engaging of the week.           

#BlackFriday => #CyberMonday

Black Friday hasn’t officially started, yet retailers are frantically preparing for Cyber Monday. Such a big event, it started trending this week, already showing a 160% increase in mentions over the past seven days. 

If you’re interested in using social media analytics for your business – why not get in touch for a chat.

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