Every year, retailers invest huge budgets into Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) campaigns, offering steep discounts to drive a surge of sales. But as the dust settles in January, one question always lingers: do these seasonal promotions actually build long-term customer loyalty, or are they just an expensive way to buy short-term attention?
In 2024, the UK retail saw some clear, positive shifts. Payment data revealed transactions over Black Friday weekend were up nearly 10% year-on-year, and online sales during “Black November” increased by around 3% compared with 2023. Fashion in particular performed well, with December clothing volumes growing 4.4% year-on-year.
But behind the headlines, a familiar challenge remains, customers acquired during BFCM often show lower lifetime value (LTV) than those acquired at other times of the year. Thes shoppers tend to be more price-driven than brand-driven – leaving retailers with the challenge of turning bargain hunters into repeat, loyal customers.
Turning Black Friday Buyers Into Loyal Customers
So how can retailers retain the customers they worked so hard (and spent so much) to acquire during Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
The good news is that many of these shoppers can become loyal customers – if brands have the right retention strategies in place. For example, analysis has indicated that loyalty programme enrolments can jump over 100% BFCM compared to a typical weekend. This proves that peak trading periods aren’t just about discounts: they’re also prime opportunities to build lasting relationships.
But here’s the catch: while 80% of UK shoppers are members of at least one loyalty programme, fewer than half use them actively. Simply signing a customer up isn’t enough; the real challenge is to keep them engaged.
Beyond Discounts: Building Engagement and Advocacy
For retailers and fashion brands, the focus needs to shift from transactional loyalty to emotional loyalty – from rewarding spend to building advocacy. That means using loyalty programmes not as coupon books, but as a platform to:
- Personalise experiences: Surveys show that around a quarter of UK consumers say they feel more loyal to brands that personalise their Black Friday marketing. Relevant product recommendations, targeted rewards, and tailored content are all crucial to turning one-time buyers into repeat spenders.
- Surprise and delight: Incentives don’t always need to be discounts. Early access to collections, exclusive events, or gamified rewards can excite customers and build emotional connection.
- Build brand advocacy: Encourage customers to become part of the brand story – through social sharing, reviews, referrals, and community engagement. Advocacy builds a stickiness that discounts alone cannot achieve.
The reality is that customers acquired through discount-driven campaigns may start with a weaker brand connection. But with the right mix of personalisation, loyalty mechanics and emotional engagement, retailers can still nurture them into long-term advocates who return far beyond Cyber Week.
Where to Go From Here
Discounts may capture attention, but loyalty builds longevity. The brands that thrive beyond this year’s peak period won’t just count how many orders they captured during Black Friday – they’ll measure how many of those customers are still active months later.
To dive deeper into how brands can build advocacy and emotional loyalty in the digital age, download our latest whitepaper
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