The 2024 Black Friday and Cyber Monday period marked a standout year for retail, generating $118.2 billion in November revenue, including $10.8 billion on Black Friday alone, according to Adobe.
Alongside record-breaking sales, brands achieved 7.68 billion customer interactions across SMS, MMS, WhatsApp, and email, demonstrating the critical role of multi-channel communication during peak shopping events.
SMS remained a cornerstone of engagement, with 1.8 billion messages sent globally to deliver last-minute deals and promotional reminders. This continued reliance on SMS highlights its effectiveness in driving real-time interactions and supporting retail campaigns.
Email saw remarkable growth, with volumes increasing 33% on both Black Friday and Cyber Monday compared to 2023. Transactional emails, such as order confirmations and shipping updates, played a vital role as shoppers made their purchases.
Despite the crowded season, engagement remained strong, with Black Friday emails achieving a 13% open rate and Cyber Monday climbing to 15%.
Sean O’Neal, Chief Product Officer at Sinch, said: “This year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping events underscored the vital role of timely, reliable, and high-throughput communication in delivering exceptional digital customer experiences. Sinch’s Customer Communications Cloud enabled brands to exceed consumer expectations and perform at their best during the year’s busiest and most high-stakes shopping days of the year.”
The holiday season also highlighted the shift toward more personalised and omnichannel approaches. With consumers expecting seamless experiences across platforms, brands that adopted versatile communication strategies saw better results. Pre-event campaigns, in-event promotions, and post-event follow-ups were key in sustaining momentum and building loyalty.