December 19, 2024

Black Friday/Cyber Monday PartnerCentric Recap: Outperforming Industry Growth Rates

By Ilene Rosenthal

This year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping period delivered strong results for PartnerCentric clients. Despite economic uncertainty and changing consumer behaviors, our data shows significant year-over-year (YoY) growth across key performance metrics and critical verticals.

• Conversion Rate: Increased by 25% across the portfolio.
  • Home and Garden increased by 159% year over year
  • Our Health and Wellness clients saw a 36% increase
  • Clothing and Apparel was up 111% across the weekend
  • Games and Toys  increased by 86%

• Average Order Value: Increased by 14% YoY across all clients.
  • Food and Gifts increase AOV by 30%
  • Games and Toys  increased by 86%

• Return on Ad Spend: Increased by 5%
  • Computer and Electronics improved ROAS by 116% year over year
  • The Games and Toys segment increased by 95%

Given changes in stores across these segments, these specific measures demonstrate the success of PartnerCentric’s implemented strategies for clients. 

Other verticals saw the holiday demand lift, such as Automotive. In this high-profile category, we saw improved conversion rate (15% increase), average order value (5% increase) and return on ad spend (51% increase).

In line with client roster growth in multiple ecommerce categories, PartnerCentric saw overall e-commerce revenue and order volume growth.

• Ecommerce Revenue: 80% Increase YoY
  • Games and Toys grew by 470%
  • Home and Garden was up 179% period over period
  • Clothing and Apparel improved revenue by 121%

• Ecommerce Order Volume: Up 55% comparing year over year
  • Games and Toys increased by 399%
  • Clothing and Apparel increased by 84%

What Happened In The Industry And How Did PartnerCentric Compare

This holiday season is defined by a unique and “nervous” economy that has both positive (low unemployment) and negative (inflation) impacts on the consumer. Overall, spending has increased, but consumers are utilizing different payment methods and are also increasingly looking for deals.

The rise of alternative payment methods, such as Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) options, is reshaping how people manage their purchases, offering flexibility and convenience.  According to an article published in Digital Commerce360, “BNPL payments vendor Klarna said orders from U.S. consumers increased 29.5% on Black Friday over the previous year”. Additionally, BNPL enables consumers to purchase items that may have been too expensive for them to consider. 

Alongside this, loyalty and rewards programs remain important as businesses strive to retain customers and foster long-term relationships. Deal-driven purchasing also remains a significant factor, with consumers prioritizing value and cost-saving opportunities when making buying decisions. “During Black Friday weekend, shoppers prioritized early deals and savings, spending 5% less per purchase, while increasing the number of items in their online shopping carts by 5 percent”, according to Rakuten Advertising. 

While industry reports indicate BNPL performance increases ranging from 23-29.5% (as reported by Forbes and Digital Commerce360), PartnerCentric outperformed this benchmark at 176% year-over-year growth, demonstrating peak optimization of this partner type. Integrating BNPL partners into our client strategies should remain a key focus as we continue to drive value and align with emerging consumer preferences. 

While many partner categories grew, PartnerCentric clients outperformed industry growth rates in the following:

• BNPL: +176% growth YoY
• Loyalty/Rewards: +97% growth YoY
• Coupon/Deals: +92% growth YoY

It was shown that consumers looking for deals shopped early. PartnerCentric saw success across value-driven publisher types (Loyalty/Rewards and Coupon/Deal) during Cyber 5 (Thanksgiving-Cyber Monday). PartnerCentric also bucked the daily shopping trend in the Apparel category. While Rakuten Advertising reports a 20% decrease in revenue for apparel brands on Cyber Monday YoY, PartnerCentric clients in this vertical increased revenue by 63% from the same day YoY. 

Key Takeaways: 

In conclusion, this year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday results underscore the remarkable success of PartnerCentric’s strategies combined with client collaboration, with growth across key performance measures and significant outperformance in critical verticals such as Apparel, Games and Toys, and Home and Garden. 

Our clients have been positioned to capitalize on evolving consumer behavior by aligning with industry trends like the rise of Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) services, loyalty programs, and deal-driven purchasing. The exceptional performance compared to broader e-commerce benchmarks further demonstrates the effectiveness of PartnerCentric’s tailored strategies in driving superior results. As we look ahead, continuing to refine these approaches and prioritize emerging opportunities will ensure sustained success for our clients in the dynamic digital commerce landscape.

< Previous Back to Blog