D I S C OV E RY C O MMERC E
2021
Festive Season
Marketing Guide
This festive season will be defined by people’s desire to see
timeless human needs reflected in modern shopping experiences.
In this marketing guide, you’ll learn how people’s need to feel connected, We’ve provided both essential recommendations, which
entertained and inspired is affecting the way they shop and buy—and how are prerequisites for success, as well as expanded
the Facebook Discovery Commerce system can help you deliver on each of recommendations to build on those initial suggestions.
these needs by creating personalised discovery experiences.
The Facebook Discovery Commerce system can help you
Throughout this guide we’ll highlight specific products and delight shoppers and anticipate their needs, helping products
recommendations, which are part of a larger, interconnected find people wherever they are through a series of sophisticated
Discovery Commerce system that can help unlock transformative growth. components and tools:
The solutions highlighted within have been chosen because we believe
they’ll be especially valuable for navigating evolving consumer behaviours
during this year’s peak sales moments.
T H E DI S COV ERY CO MMERC E SYST E M
PERSONALISATION ENGAGING ADVERTISING AND OPTIMISATION AND
+ ENGINE SURFACES CONVERSION TOOLS MEASUREMENT TOOLS
HOW TO U S E T H E DI S COV ERY COM M E RC E SYST E M
Personalise Deliver your creative Discovery to purchase Learn and optimise
Our personalisation engine is driven by machine Engaging surfaces deliver your creative through Advertising and conversion tools help people Optimisation and measurement solutions enhance
learning, and fueled by a deep understanding of curated experiences to people where they’re move from discovery to purchase, often experiences throughout the journey and over time to help
people’s interests, preferences and behaviours. already spending time. without leaving the app. you achieve and exceed your festive season goals.
01 C O M M U NIT Y A ND C O NNEC T IO N
4 ways digital
discovery is 02 E NGAGE M E NT A ND E NT E R TA INM E NT
reshaping the
mega sales and
festival shopping 03 A NT IC IPAT IO N A ND O C C A S IO N
landscape
04 INS P IR AT IO N A ND S P O NTA NE IT Y
01
COM MU N IT Y A ND C O N N EC TIO N
0 1 IN SIGHT: COMMUNI TY AND CONNEC TI ON
People are craving People are connecting through shopping within personal social groups.
58% of global holiday 2020 shoppers took actions to share their product
connection with each discoveries via social platforms, through behaviours like wishlisting,
other, businesses and
2
sharing or tagging.
communities
People are supporting local communities with their purchases.
7 in 10 global holiday shoppers took at least one action to support a local
2
or independent small business during the recent festive season ; equally,
Mega Sale Days (MSDs) like Cyber Monday and Singles’ purchasing locally (36%) was a top priority when gift shopping during the
2
Day are growing in popularity. 2020 festive season—remarkably, on par with affordability (39%).
8 in 10 global MSD shoppers we surveyed say that the sales
events allow them to “feel part of a community.”
1
Marketer opportunity
We can see the expression of this in the growth of events like Creating exceptional personalised customer-centric experiences is more
Giving Tuesday and Small Business Saturday, where shopping important than ever.
and community come together.
Businesses should consider how ecommerce experiences can more deeply
recreate the connections people get from in-person shopping experiences.
Source: 1. “Unboxing Singles’ Day” study by Crowd DNA (Facebook-commissioned online survey of 10,999 Mega Sales Shoppers aged 18-64 in BR, CA, CN, ES, ID, MX, TH, TR, US, UK, VN), Nov 2020. Qualifying respondents made an
online purchase at least once a month and used any social media channel at least once a week. 2. “Facebook Seasonal Holidays Study” by YouGov (Facebook-commissioned online study of 49,563 people aged 18+ across 32 markets:
AE, AR, AU, BR, CA, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, ES, HK, ID, IT, FR, JP, KR, MY, MX, NL, PH, PL, SG, TH, TR, TW, RU, SE, UK, US, VN, ZA). Minimum N=1500 per market. 9 Dec to 24 Dec 2020.
0 1 IN SIGHT: COMMUNI TY AND CONNEC TI ON
Recommended actions
Make people feel connected by engaging around interests,
geographies and passion points with our personalisation engine.
How can you use the Discovery Commerce system to appeal
to personal preferences and accelerate buying?
ESSENTIAL RECOMMENDATIONS
Lay the foundations for a personalised shopping experience Use flexible campaign parameters to maximise the benefits of machine
with Facebook pixel and app SDK. learning. Liquidity of budget, audience, creative and placement helps to
produce the most efficient campaign results.
Learn more about Facebook pixel
Learn more about liquidity and automation
Learn more about app SKD
Maximise relevance and performance with Conversions API. Grow your business by helping your products find people in more places.
The Conversions API tool creates a way to connect with The Facebook suite of cross-border tools can help you leverage machine
Facebook directly from your server, reducing your reliance on learning on a global scale to access a potential customer pool of billions of
cookies as an advertising mechanism—all while continuing to shoppers in other countries. And increasing relevance through personalised
respect Facebook users’ privacy preferences and provide the and localised creative can help set you up for MSD success.
relevant experiences they love.
Learn more about Cross-Border Business
Learn more about Conversions API
0 1 IN SIGHT: COMMUNI TY AND CONNEC TI ON
Recommended actions
Make people feel connected by engaging around interests, Personalise ads for preferred shopping methods like Buy Online and Pick Up
geographies and passion points with our personalisation engine. in Store, and reach people most likely to make a purchase using a specific
delivery method with Facebook pixel parameters.
How can you use the Discovery Commerce system to appeal
to personal preferences and accelerate buying? Learn more about Facebook pixel parameters
Leverage Automated App Ads for Dynamic Ads, our newest product that
EXPANDED RECOMMENDATIONS
uses automation and machine learning to help you access new efficiencies,
Use Creative Tools to customise how images from your
uncover insights and spend time on the bigger picture.
catalogue appear on your dynamic ads to create personalised
experiences. Get started with Automated App Ads for Dynamic Ads
Learn more about customising creative in dynamic ads Solve for operational barriers to expansion — such as pricing, payments
and logistics — through our network of global expansion partners.
Use digital to drive customers to sales in-store with offline Explore global expansion partners
conversions. Offline conversions allows you to reach people
offline and display ads based on the actions they take in store. As the ad ecosystem evolves to meet people’s expectations around
You can also create lookalike audiences to deliver Facebook ads privacy, it’s important to take steps to continue being able to reach new
to people who are similar to your in-store customers. and existing customers.
If you’re an app marketer, learn more here
Learn more about Offline Conversions
If you’re a desktop web marketer, learn more here
0 1 IN SIGHT: COMMUNI TY AND CONNEC TI ON
Partner integrations
PARTNER TYPE/SOLUTIONS
DRIVE POWERFUL PERSONALISATION BY
Campaign Management: Workflow optimisation, creative and media
CONNECTING YOUR CUSTOMERS’ ACTIONS THROUGH
A SAFE AND SECURE PARTNER INTEGRATION.
Partners provide streamlined access to, and setup of,
the most powerful business tools that Facebook has to
Campaign Data: onversions API, Offline Conversions API
offer. This includes workflow efficiency and automation
through Campaign Management, as well as reliable data
connections through the Conversions API.dynamic ads to
create personalised experiences.
Find a Partner
02
EN GAG E M E NT A N D EN TERTA IN ME NT
0 2 INS IGHT: E N GAGEM ENT AND ENTERTAI N MENT
People are buying into Shoppers can purchase directly from social platforms, and from influencers
they discover on Instagram. Across markets like Indonesia and Thailand,
shoppertainment games and live streams can help drive very high engagement, with events
hosted by celebrities and influencers happening throughout.
There’s a growing appetite from shoppers to make online festive
shopping an immersive experience that feels as engaging as real life ones.
31% 20%
Shoppers are finding entertainment in live shopping events and of global MSD shoppers surveyed said shoppers who made an unexpected
gamified shopping experiences during sale days and beyond. they like to see interactive games/giveaways discovery on social media discovered
1 3
as part of the MSD experience. the item during a live shopping event.
82% $25B Marketer opportunity
of global MSD shoppers agree they like to in sales is expected to be generated from live-
1
take part in shopping experiences that are stream shopping events in the US by 2023. Marketers should work to integrate entertainment into content and
1
entertaining.
commerce by creating experiences that are both inspiring and shoppable.
For shoppers in APAC, leading ecommerce sites aren’t just known Savvy marketers who truly put their customers — and their customers’ media
destinations for shopping, they’re known for entertainment too — and content preferences — first, will be well placed to succeed.
combining shopping with social platforms, influencer video reviews, Those who find the sweet spot between top-funnel engagement and bottom-
and ‘adver-tainment’-style content. funnel conversion across digital environments will meet the needs these insights
imply. That’s why it’s never been more important to test, learn and understand
which experiences and creative concepts drive engagement and sales.
Source: 1. “Unboxing Singles’ Day” study by Crowd DNA (Facebook-commissioned online survey of 10,999 Mega Sales Shoppers aged 18-64 in BR, CA, CN, ES, ID, MX, TH, TR, US, UK, VN), Nov 2020. Qualifying respondents made
an online purchase at least once a month and used any social media channel at least once a week. 2. Coresight Research, Oct 2020 3. Facebook Seasonal Holidays Study” by YouGov (Facebook-commissioned online study of 49,563
people aged 18+ across 32 markets: AE, AR, AU, BR, CA, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, ES, HK, ID, IT, FR, JP, KR, MY, MX, NL, PH, PL, SG, TH, TR, TW, RU, SE, UK, US, VN, ZA). Minimum N=1500 per market. 9 Dec to 24 Dec 2020
0 2 INS IGHT: E N GAGEM ENT AND ENTERTAI N MENT
EXPANDED RECOMMENDATIONS
Expand your reach by partnering with macro-influencers who are part of a
Recommended actions pre-existing popular media outlet or category authority to promote your
products or tell your brand story. Consider using original content from creators
TREAT SOCIAL LIKE YOUR FLAGSHIP STORE in your ad strategy to authentically find new consumers, build advocacy and
drive business impact at the intersection of culture and advertising.
How can you use the Discovery Commerce system to create
experiences that are engaging and easily shoppable? Learn more about Branded Content
Use live shopping to bring the best of the store online, by having
sales experts offer real-time advice, product demos and retail-tainment.
ESSENTIAL RECOMMENDATIONS This is an exciting way to promote new products and limited-time offers
Attract shoppers’ attention and create immersive experiences with for key shopping moments such as MSDs. [Limited Availability]
Stories ads. These are engaging full-screen ads that feature images,
videos or carousels and appear between Stories on Facebook, Tips for Facebook and Instagram Live
Instagram and Messenger. Use Ads Manager, the Marketing API, Create anticipation and excitement for limited-edition products or
Instagram ‘promote’ or Facebook ‘boost post’ to run Stories ads. small collections that won’t be restocked using Instagram Drops.
Meet the demands of an always-on shopper with small-batch launches
Learn more about Stories on Facebook
and anticipated releases to make products feel more special and desirable.
Learn more about Stories ads on Instagram
Learn more about Instagram Drops
Get creative with attention-grabbing Reels.
These multi-clip videos run up to 30 seconds in length and offer
easy-to-use text, AR filters and audio to truly engage shoppers.
Learn more about Reels Learn more about ads that link to Reels
0 2 INS IGHT: E N GAGEM ENT AND ENTERTAI N MENT
Partner integrations
PARTNER TYPE/SOLUTIONS
WORK WITH A CREATIVE PARTNER TO PRODUCE,
Creative: Production and asset optimisation/post-production
OPTIMISE, ANALYSE AND SCALE HIGH-QUALITY
CREATIVE FOR EVERY SURFACE.
Our partners possess the talent, training and technology
needed to stand out and stay ahead of the curve — no
Creative: Branded content and influencers
matter what the future holds. From lightweight templates
to full-service production, partners are skilled at bringing
your creative vision within reach. Create more impact with
high-quality content that can help drive results across
Facebook apps and technologies. Creative partners keep
Community Management: Content moderation
pace with the speed of innovation to help businesses of all
sizes succeed.
Explore Creative Partners
03
AN T I C IPAT IO N AN D O C C A S IO N
0 3 INSIGHT: A N T ICI PATI ON AND OCCASI ON
Mega Sale Days are redefining NOT ALL MEGA SALE DAYS ARE CREATED EQUAL
Shoppers are looking for bigger ticket items on Black Friday, with longer
the shopping season planning across online and offline, while Singles’ Day engages shoppers with
lower prices and more emotional reasons to shop.
Around the world, MSDs like Black Friday, Singles’ Day, Prime Day and
others are happening from July to December, causing shoppers’ anticipation On Black Friday, people surveyed are more likely to report shopping for
to stretch beyond the timeframe of the traditional festive season. functional reasons, including low prices and discounts.
2
Almost
On Singles’ Day, people surveyed are more likely to report shopping for more
6 in 10 17% emotional reasons, including feeling part of an experience or community,
and playing games.
2
holiday shoppers buy something of those that discover across
1
during a MSD event. Facebook platforms had more than 50%
1 Shoppers in both Black Friday/Cyber Monday and Singles’ Day shop in similar
of products shipped from abroad.
categories, though there is an increased focus on necessities for Singles’ Day.
Our data suggests that behind the continued popularity of Black Friday,
Singles’ Day, 10.10, Prime Day and others is this valuable sense of occasion
1
Marketer opportunity
and anticipation for people, and having an ‘event’ to look forward to.
Having a strong MSD marketing strategy has never been more important.
Marketers must be prepared to maximise opportunity during peak sales
moments throughout the second half of the year — and reach unexpected
audiences wherever they are, which may be across borders.
Source: 1. “Facebook Seasonal Holidays Study” by YouGov (Facebook-commissioned online study of 49,563 people aged 18+ across 32 markets: AE, AR, AU, BR, CA, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, ES, HK, ID, IT, FR, JP, KR, MY, MX, NL, PH, PL,
SG, TH, TR, TW, RU, SE, UK, US, VN, ZA). Minimum N=1500 per market. 9 Dec to 24 Dec 2020. 2. Unboxing Singles’ Day” study by Crowd DNA (Facebook-commissioned online survey of 10,999 Mega Sales Shoppers aged 18-64 in BR,
CA, CN, ES, ID, MX, TH, TR, US, UK, VN), Nov 2020. Qualifying respondents made an online purchase at least once a month and used any social media channel at least once a week.
0 3 INSIGHT: A N T ICI PATI ON AND OCCASI ON
Recommended actions EXPANDED RECOMMENDATIONS
Balance artificially inflated budgets with an allowable efficiency
MAXIMISE SALES DURING THIS NEW SEASON OF and bidding strategy to maximise opportunity.
SHOPPING; TEST AND LEARN EARLY AND OFTEN Learn more about bid and budget pacing
How can you use the Discovery Commerce system to
identify opportunities for growth and improvement? Track conversions to better understand the true value of your
Facebook advertising and how well it performs, independent of your
other marketing efforts.
ESSENTIAL RECOMMENDATIONS
To make festive ads more efficient and effective, consider using A/B Learn more about conversion lift
testing to compare different ad strategies and determine which one
drives the best resultsduring MSD moments. Keep up with the pace of evolving ads ecosystems using 3D measurement —
and understand the true value of your marketing.
Learn more about A/B testing
Learn more about 3D measurement
Source: “Facebook Seasonal Holidays Study” by YouGov (Facebook-commissioned online study of
49,563 people aged 18+ across 32 markets: AE, AR, AU, BR, CA, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, ES, HK, ID, IT, FR,
JP, KR, MY, MX, NL, PH, PL, SG, TH, TR, TW, RU, SE, UK, US, VN, ZA). Minimum N=1500 per market.
9 Dec to 24 Dec 2020.
0 3 INSIGHT: A N T ICI PATI ON AND OCCASI ON
Partner integrations
PARTNER TYPE/SOLUTIONS
WORK WITH A CREATIVE PARTNER TO PRODUCE,
Measurement: Mobile measurement, attribution
OPTIMISE, ANALYSE AND SCALE HIGH-QUALITY
CREATIVE FOR EVERY SURFACE.
Our partners possess the talent, training and technology
needed to stand out and stay ahead of the curve — no
Conversions data
matter what the future holds. From lightweight templates
to full-service production, partners are skilled at bringing
your creative vision within reach. Create more impact with
high-quality content that can help drive results across
Facebook apps and technologies. Creative partners keep Campaign Management: A/B testing and Campaign Optimisation
pace with the speed of innovation to help businesses of all
sizes succeed.
Explore Creative Partners
04
I N S P I R AT IO N A ND S PO N TA N EITY
0 4 INSIGHT: IN S PIR ATI ON AND SP ONTANEI T Y
Discovery is happening People enjoy and expect discovery experiences when shopping
for themselves and others.
on social
The acceleration to digital has fundamentally changed the way
63% 51% 94%
of global shoppers agreed of surveyed global holiday of holiday shoppers surveyed
shopping happens: people have moved from going shopping to always ‘I enjoyed discovering items shoppers experience difficulty who say they discover on
2
shopping. I wasn’t actively looking for’. knowing what to buy for Facebook platforms made a
2
others. spontaneous discovery whilst
2
There has been a dramatic change in how shoppers perceive and use shopping online.
digital channels: a shift from utility to inspiration. For many things,
shopping included, the internet is increasingly a place for stimulus and
imagination. The internet is an environment that can serve interest-
Marketer opportunity
based shopping as well as intent-based shopping, and social commerce With the overwhelming choice presented to holiday shoppers, the internet
is a driving force. offers growing utility to bring people inspiring, personalised shopping
stimulus — and, because of the convenience, more people are buying online.
We see evidence of online shopping sitting further up the funnel:
More than
1/3
of global MSD shoppers surveyed said they shop online with an
1
understanding of the category, but without specific items in mind.
Source: 1. “Unboxing Singles’ Day” study by Crowd DNA (Facebook-commissioned online survey of 10,999 Mega Sales Shoppers aged 18-64 in BR, CA, CN, ES, ID, MX, TH, TR, US, UK, VN), Nov 2020. Qualifying respondents made an
online purchase at least once a month and used any social media channel at least once a week. 2. Source: “Facebook Seasonal Holidays Study” by YouGov (Facebook-commissioned online study of 49,563 people aged 18+ across 32
markets: AE, AR, AU, BR, CA, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, ES, HK, ID, IT, FR, JP, KR, MY, MX, NL, PH, PL, SG, TH, TR, TW, RU, SE, UK, US, VN, ZA). Minimum N=1500 per market. 9 Dec to 24 Dec 2020.3. [NEED]
0 4 INSIGHT: IN S PIR ATI ON AND SP ONTANEI T Y
Create delightful shopping experiences by ensuring that, after discovery,
Recommended actions purchasing across your store, web and/or app surfaces is frictionless—short
load times, seamless check-outs, shortened path to cart, etc.
CREATE PERSONALISED, SHOPPABLE MOMENTS OF DISCOVERY
Understand the new friction points in-store and online
How can you use the Discovery Commerce system
to make shopping even more seamless? Use product tags to maximise the reach of your products. Product tags make
shopping seamless by driving people directly to a product detail page to learn
ESSENTIAL RECOMMENDATIONS
more or purchase from your business’ website or directly within the app (for
Help your products find the right people. Facebook dynamic ads
businesses that use Checkout on Instagram.)
are designed to connect the right products to people, automatically
displaying products to shoppers who have expressed an interest Learn more about Ads with Product Tags
on your website, in your app or elsewhere online. Simply upload a
ESSENTIAL RECOMMENDATIONS
product catalogue and set up your campaign. It will update pricing
Inspire your customers and help them find the products that are right for them
and availability automatically.
with Facebook and Instagram Shops. Across our apps, these customised digital
Learn more about Dynamic Ads storefronts make shopping even more seamless. [Limited Availability]
Re-engage people about the products they’ve browsed on your Learn more about Shops
website or in your mobile app but didn’t purchase.
Make digital discovery feel real with the power of AR technology. Facebook
Learn more about Dynamic Ads for Retargeting
AR camera effects can help people interact with your products in Instagram
Reach and retain people who have expressed an interest in and Facebook ads. Partner with an AR producer on the Spark AR partner
your products, or products similar to yours, even if they haven’t network to create and upload AR effects on the Spark AR Hub. Then create
discovered your brand via your website or app yet. your AR ad in Ads Manager.
Learn more about Dynamic Ads for Broad Audiences Learn more about AR ads
Campaign planner
Successful festive campaigns are built on good planning, and we recommend brands start to prepare their campaigns as early as
June. This media planner template is designed to help you keep on track for success using the Discovery Commerce system.
Edit or print this calendar to map out your next campaign.
JUN JUL AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB
ESTABLISH PREPARE FOR PEAK PEAK FESTIVE SALES POST-FESTIVE
FOUNDATIONS FESTIVE SALES MOMENTS MOMENTS SEASON
PERSONALISE
Set up foundations to personalise
marketing and generate demand.
INSPIRE
Use creative to surprise
and delight customers.
PERSONALISE
Set up foundations to Use advertising and
conversion tools to facilitate seamless
shopping experiences.
PERSONALISE
Continuously test, measure and optimise
to help achieve goals.
Methodology
Holiday
To understand people’s shopping behaviour during the peak season and in preparation for Christmas, Facebook commissioned
YouGov to survey 49,563 adults between 9 and 24 December 2020, the 6th wave of the Facebook Seasonal Holidays Study.
Approximately 1,500 interviews were completed in 32 countries, with samples that were representative of the adult online
population across age, gender and region in each market.
The 32 markets were: AE, AR, AU, BR, CA, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, ES, HK, ID, IT, FR, JP, KR, MY, MX, NL, PH, PL, SG, TH, TR, TW, RU,
SE, UK, US, VN, ZA
For the global average data cuts in this guide, an average was taken across all markets.
MSD
To understand the emerging growth of Mega Sale Days such as Singles’ Day or Black Friday and their impact on seasonal
shopping during Q4, Facebook commissioned both qualitative and quantitative research. Facebook partnered with CrowdDNA to
survey 10,999 Mega Sales Shoppers aged 18-84 in November 2020.
Approximately 1,000 quantitative interviews were completed in 11 markets. Qualifying respondents made an online purchase at
least once a month and used any social media channel at least once a week.
The 11 markets were: BR, CA, CN, ES, ID, MX, TH, TR, US, UK, VN
For the global average data cuts in this guide, an average was taken across all markets.
