eCommerce Express Digest - November 2023

November was tipped to be (and seemingly was) a huge month online! We understand that business owners and Digital Marketers alike were pretty busy in the lead-up and during the biggest Sales month of year, so we’ve compiled the top digital news items for you in one handy blog. 

Black Friday 2023

We’ll start with something different this month! Adobe Analytics reported, ‘a record $9.8 billion in Black Friday online sales, up 7.5% from 2022, not accounting for inflation. And for Cyber Monday, consumers spent $12.4 billion, a 9.6% increase from 2022.’

Forbes posted this statistic, as well as their 5 important trends to come out of the period:

• Sales started earlier
• Advertising costs were increased
• Ecommerce sales grew faster than in-store retail
• Inflation’s effect on sales 
• Black Friday remains the biggest Sales period of the Calendar year

We certainly saw these trends across our client base and anecdotally. What further insights can you share?

To the Google stuff….

There were another 2 more algorithm updates that were announced and rolled out in November 2023. These add to the long list of updates that have happened this year. One was a Core update and the other was aimed at Reviews. 

The November Core update commenced on the 02/11 and was completed on the 28/11. Off the back of this, the Search Engine also posted a Q&A with a lot of useful information for webmasters – from why there has been multiple updates recently and their advice for ensuring best-practice. For a good summary on this, see this article on Search Engine Land.

The recent Review update was another trying to combat poor quality and AI produced reviews. This follows the first Review Systems update in April, and they have also published an article on how to Write high quality reviews.  

Google Search is expanding its generative AI capabilities internationally, allowing users to receive more relevant and diverse search results. The initiative aims to enhance search experiences across the globe. It’s still yet to be announced that it will roll-out to Australia, but our trans-Tasman cousins New Zealand are set to have it. Full list of countries here.

Google introduces organisation markup, a new feature that helps website owners provide detailed information about their organization, facilitating better visibility and understanding in search results. Additional fields that can now be added include phone number, address and support/ other informational links.

Google is enhancing its shopping features to boost conversions. The new tools and capabilities are designed to improve the overall shopping experience for users and increase engagement with online businesses. This rollout includes a new deals hub, pricing tools and features to help marketers with the Holiday season.

Some social stories….

Meta is partnering with Amazon to streamline the conversion process for advertisers, providing a more seamless experience for businesses looking to advertise on the platform. Read more on what Maurice Rahmey said about this on LinkedIn.

Meta introduces new lead generation tools on Facebook and Instagram, offering advertisers enhanced capabilities for generating leads and connecting with potential customers on these popular social media platforms. More information here on what’s changed and how if could improve lead generation and quality on facebook.

December is shaping up as another big month to close out the year. Have we missed an important digital item or have any questions? Hit up the team today.