As the holiday shopping season approaches, the buzz around Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) is getting louder and louder.

Did you know that 80% of shoppers now use their mobile devices to find the best deals? That’s why having a mobile app for your Shopify store can really set your brand apart. Just think about it: you can offer your customers a smooth shopping experience right in the palm of their hands, complete with exclusive deals and early access to sales.

In this article, we’ll break down 6 reasons why a Shopify mobile app is a must-have for boosting sales during the busiest shopping weekend of the year. Let’s dive in…

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When is Shopify Black Friday Cyber Monday 2024? 

This year, Black Friday will take place on Friday 29th November 2024, and Cyber Monday on 2nd December 2024. 

Some Shopify stores also decide to run early-access sales often on Wednesday or even the previous Monday - and we’ll talk more about this in point 6 of this article. 

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6 reasons why you need a Shopify mobile app this BFCM

1 - Majority of BFCM sales are made via mobile

Shopify saw $9.3 billion sales across Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2023, with millions of shoppers taking part.

Here’s the big takeaway: 73% of those shoppers were on mobile.

So, if you’re only focusing on your website’s desktop experience, you’re missing out on around ¾ of your customers. 

If you really want to skyrocket your sales this BFCM weekend, you’ll need to create a seamless mobile shopping experience - and the best way to do that is by getting a mobile app for your Shopify store. 

Not only do consumers prefer them, but they also deliver better results. Mobile apps have an 85% higher add-to-cart rate and 74% of customers use apps with the intent to purchase - making them a powerful tool to maximise sales.   

So you’re not only getting more orders, but those orders are worth more, too. 

Additionally, app-exclusive exclusive features like push notifications and in-app promotions give you a more direct and effective way to interact with customers, boosting both sales and engagement during your BFCM sale. 

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2 - They reduce cart abandonment

Cart abandonment is a big challenge during BFCM, with shoppers often coming across obstacles that prevent them from completing their purchases. Some of the common roadblocks include high shipping fees, lengthy checkout processes, website crashes, or a site not having their preferred payment method. 

During Shopify Black Friday Cyber Monday, cart abandonment rates jump to between 77% and 82%, which is 7-12% higher than usual. In other words, for every 10 customers who add items to their cart, 8 will end up leaving before finishing their purchase.

Mobile apps are much more effective at limiting abandoned carts compared to websites. An app’s goal is to make sure that once a customer adds something to their cart, they’re much more likely to finish their purchase - no delays, no distractions. 

One way mobile apps tackle cart abandonment is by offering a simplified or one-click checkout. Since 22% of shoppers will abandon their carts if the checkout process takes too long or feels too complicated, cutting out unnecessary steps and friction points like extra forms or fields to fill out makes a big difference. It helps to get rid of the impatience and frustration that usually leads to abandoned carts.

By using a no-code Shopify mobile app builder, you’ll also be able to send push notifications to remind customers about the items they’ve left behind in their cart. A personalised nudge can be just what they need to be convinced to come back and finish their purchase. 

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3 - You can send push notifications

Sending push notifications through your Shopify mobile app is a great way to instantly connect with customers about sales, deals, flash events, and cart reminders during BFCM. Since these promotions are time-sensitive, keeping your customers in the loop as soon as they go live is super important.

Without push notifications, it can be tough to grab shoppers' attention during the hectic BFCM period. Emails can easily get buried in crowded inboxes, and customers might not check your website often enough to catch new deals or flash sales. In fact, push notifications have a delivery rate of 90%, which is 50% higher than email open rates. The click rate is 7x higher, too.

The goal of push notifications is to drive immediate action by sending timely and relevant alerts from your Shopify mobile app, with 40% of users interacting with push notifications within an hour of receiving them. This captures customer attention even when they’re not actively browsing your store. 

These messages can include direct links to products or collections, so shoppers can quickly find exactly what they’re looking for. You can also add discount codes right in the notification, such as “Use code EXTRA10 for an extra 10% off your Black Friday shop.”

The ability to personalise push notifications based on user behaviour makes them even more effective, as 66% of UK shoppers expect a tailored experience from brands during Black Friday. 

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4 - Provides faster loading times

When shoppers visit your Store during the BFCM sale, their main goal is to find the best deals and the products they want - fast. With the rush of such a time-sensitive shopping event, that urgency to grab those limited-time offers is even stronger.

However, Shopify stores often experience slower loading times during Black Friday due to heavy traffic. With more customers than usual flooding your site at once, its speed can drop, causing frustrating delays that lead to cart abandonment. Just a one second delay in loading times can cause a 7% loss in conversions and an 11% decrease in page views. So in a world where every second counts, those extra moments of waiting can seriously hurt sales. 

On the other hand, Shopify mobile apps are simple, and designed to be both fast and responsive, meaning they load far quicker than mobile websites do. They provide the best user experience, smoother transitions between screens, and instant response to user actions, which is particularly important for mobile shoppers who may have slower internet connections.

Providing fast load times through a mobile app for your Shopify store gives your customers a smoother, more enjoyable shopping experience. This means happier shoppers, fewer users bouncing off your store, and higher conversion rates. A speedy shopping journey will also increase customer retention, as customers are 74% more likely to return to a mobile-friendly store that performs well.

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5 - Creates a more personalised customer experience

During the Black Friday weekend, 72% of purchases are quick, impulse buys. So shoppers are looking for products they like, but they don’t want to spend time sifting through pages of items. 

This is where Shopify mobile apps come to the rescue. Mobile apps can analyse each individual customer’s behaviour, preferences, and past purchases to place the most relevant product recommendations directly in front of them. 

This way, shoppers can easily discover products during your Shopify Black Friday Cyber Monday sale that match their needs and interests, making them much more likely to make a quick purchase.

Also, your store’s shopping experience across the BFCM weekend will feel more intuitive, making your customers’ shopping experience faster and more enjoyable. And 63% of shoppers want personalised recommendations and offers from retailers as it makes them feel valued and understood. 

When these personalised recommendations are presented in a timely manner, such as a ‘you might also like these’ section at checkout, it will also help to boost average order value (AOV).

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6 - Opportunity to run app-exclusive deals & early-access sales

By offering app-exclusive deals and early access to promotions through a mobile app for your Shopify store, you create a powerful incentive for customers to shop with you this BFCM. 

These offers can include…

• Limited-time discounts
• Special promotions
• Early-access to your Black Friday sale 
• App-specific products or loyalty rewards 

Your website's generic promotions might not be exciting enough to really grab attention, and customers could miss out on early access if they're not regularly checking in on your online store.

App-exclusive deals and early-access sales are a great way to boost engagement, interaction, and sales on your Shopify store this BFCM. With mobile push notifications, you can easily keep customers in the loop about these offers. Plus, shoppers love the idea of getting first dibs on deals, and that sense of exclusivity keeps them coming back. 

It’s also a great way to stand out from the competition during this busy shopping weekend, as customers are made to feel valued and appreciated. In fact, 79% of shoppers say that unlocking exclusive perks makes them loyal to a brand.

I mean it’s no secret - we all love an incentive. That allure of a little extra perk is irresistible, especially when we’re already searching for the best deals during Shopify Black Friday Cyber Monday. 

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If you’re looking to boost your sales this Shopify Black Friday Cyber Monday, then StoreLab can help. 

Both of our plans include using our no-code Shopify mobile app builder to create a fully designed, personalised, and customisable iOS & Android mobile app for your Shopify store. 

To find out which plan is right for you, book a call with one of our Shopify growth experts.