Every year, retailers face the same dilemma: how to create irresistible discounts and attractive campaigns to stand out in the flood of promotions during each seasonality?
But, looking at this seasonal race, is it enough to sell more?
Although all of this has its value in increasing the retailer’s revenue, it will only be possible to have sustainable performance throughout the year when the entrepreneur undergoes a mindset shift: the use of automation and data to sell more efficiently with sustainable operational effort. It is what I see as part of the future of smart e-commerce.
Looking back, Black Friday, for example, is not just the biggest sales event of the year; it is a market thermometer, revealing consumption patterns, customer behavior, and operation efficiency. The big question every retailer should ask themselves now is: what can I take from this experience to grow next year?
Going beyond the tip of the iceberg
The modern retailer needs to accept that competitive pricing is only part of the equation. Consider the following scenario: you invested heavily in discounts, attracted massive traffic, but ended the campaign with hundreds of abandoned shopping carts. What does this mean? That something deeper – and often overlooked – needs to be addressed.
This is where the strategic use of data and automation comes in. For example, targeting offers to specific profiles, sending personalized messages to customers who did not complete their purchases, or offering special conditions to those who just visited a page, are initiatives that turn lost interactions into real conversions.
In addition, analyzing which products have a higher abandonment rate allows you to adjust your strategies more surgically. Perhaps the discount is not attractive enough, or the target audience for that item was not correctly identified. Learning from these missed opportunities is a necessary step for growth. And this is visible in practice: according to Loja Integrada, merchants recovered over R$ 30 million in sales using abandoned cart tools alone in 2024.
Another important lesson that Black Friday teaches is the need for a robust operation. Those who prepared well for peak traffic times and high stock demand probably came out ahead.
Knowing, for example, which products were top sellers or peak traffic times is essential for planning future campaigns. Furthermore, having an agile operation to adjust promotions in real time can be the differentiator between achieving or not achieving goals.
The power of data
Data analysis is the most valuable legacy that any seasonality can leave for your business. See how to use it to your advantage:
- Prioritize top-selling items: Which products had the highest demand? Pay attention to these categories to highlight them in future campaigns;
- Understand consumer behavior: Who bought what, and when? Use this information to segment your customers and improve your offers;
- Prepare better: Products that were out of stock or remained unsold can be important indicators for planning in 2025;
- Adjust marketing campaigns: Historical data can guide adjustments in ads, email marketing, and remarketing, making your next campaigns even more strategic.
What remains, then?
E-commerce platforms must go beyond simply offering tools to meet demands – they need to alleviate the entrepreneur’s work, especially during market peaks. It is necessary to act proactively for the retailers, identifying opportunities, taking actions, and generating measurable growth autonomously.
It’s not about incremental changes – it’s about rethinking e-commerce entirely.
