Rakuten Marketing today (December 4) announces a record-breaking Cyber Weekend for advertisers across Europe in which the Rakuten Marketing Affiliate Network reported a 27% year-on-year increase in same-store sales completed through the period from Black Friday to Cyber Monday.
While the UK market is more mature, continuing to achieve 17% growth in orders year-on-year through Cyber Week, Rakuten Marketing’s French and German Networks drove staggering growth through Cyber Weekend, achieving an uplift of 199% and 116% respectively.
According to the data, Cyber Week has evolved far beyond its associations with discount laptops, phones and white goods, with some of the largest spikes being reported in the apparel and accessories vertical.
According to European data, the apparel and accessories vertical enjoyed a 30% year-on-year increase in the sum of orders on Black Friday.
“The uptick in the performance of the Networks in France and Germany, is reflective of the huge growth of Cyber Week across the continent. Consumers and publishers alike are driving more success through the concept of Black Friday than ever before. For the fashion vertical expansion across Europe has to be a top 2019 priority; these seasonal events will only grow in influence among these audiences creating huge sales opportunities,” commented Anthony Capano, managing director EMEA at Rakuten Marketing.
Mobile’s growing display monopoly
One major contributor is the growth in the use of mobile commerce. According to Rakuten Marketing display data, by device, 46% of total site purchases across both Black Friday and Cyber Monday in the UK were completed on mobile (compared to 40% in 2017).
By comparison, purchases through desktop made up 39% of total site purchases on Cyber Monday, reflecting a 5% fall from 2017.
Certainly, one contributor to the popularity of mobile for shopping is the rise of social media sites and apps and commerce platforms. At a European level, Cyber Weekend 2018 saw a 194% increase in purchases through social platforms, highlighting a huge opportunity for brands able to build native campaigns.
“Mobile’s popularity over desktop is a clear reflection of the increasing role social commerce is playing in key sales dates. Importantly advertisers must grasp the way social media is working to short circuit the customer journey in many areas. It’s important to get the brand and the products where consumers are making purchase decisions,” Capano concludes.
