In 2023, the Spring French Days take place from 03 have 09 May.
What are the French Days?
The French Days are promotional operations organized in France, twice a year for about a week. One edition is held in the spring, the second takes place at the start of the school year. Many e-commerce brands from various sectors of activity participate: high-tech, culture, fashion and household appliances.
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The first edition of the French Days, initially the “Unbeatable Days of French e-commerce”, took place in April 2018. The event was then created by Rue du Commerce, Boulanger, Cdiscount, Fnac Darty, La Redoute and Showroomprivé. Originally, these e-commerce players wanted to organize a French version of Black Friday, to promote French brands, while launching an operation capable of boosting commercial activity at a relatively slow period. The initiative is a success: the event is becoming a recurring event, and many brands are joining.
What is the point of developing a French Days marketing campaign?
Like the sales, the French Days allow companies to increase their sales, while allowing customers to benefit from reduced prices: companies maintain their volume of activity at a strategic period, while customers are delighted to take advantage of discounts. By offering attractive promotions, participating companies also offer themselves the opportunity to capture new customers.
Developing a French Days marketing campaign is essential to inform consumers of the company’s participation in the event, but also to communicate about the existence of the French Days. Their fame indeed can still grow:
- The commercial event is recent, its notoriety is lower in comparison with the sales and Black Friday. To take advantage of the benefits of the operation, it is therefore necessary to help publicize it: a marketing campaign carried out upstream is essential for this purpose.
- The results of the French Days of 2022 were mixed: a survey finds a drop in online orders of up to 12 % compared to the previous year. In this context, a marketing campaign is an effective lever to generate renewed interest.
Like other commercial highlights, holiday periods for example, the French Days can be considered by companies as a pretext to communicate. Improving their notoriety, gaining visibility or even promoting a new product: whatever the objective, the brands use the French Days as an opportunity to launch a marketing campaign.
In any case, the participating companies develop a French Days marketing campaign to define an effective strategy, set the results to be achieved and measure the success of their actions.
5 elements to prepare your French Days 2023 campaign
1 – Build an attractive promotional offer
The promotional operation may relate to all or part of the products or services marketed. Various techniques can be put in place: a percentage reduction or a free item in exchange for a purchase, for example. Whatever the case, the offer must be particularly attractive. Two main reasons for this:
- The French Days are an exceptional operation, so you have to offer really interesting reductions. Simply offering delivery costs, for example, is not up to the task.
- It is necessary to be all the more attentive as consumers do not fail to assess the reality of promotional offers in general. Selling off an old collection to sell off stock, for example, is a practice to be avoided: this is not the purpose of the French Days, consumers risk considering the offer as a false reduction.
It is also necessary to adapt to the societal context: the public is unfavorable to overconsumption, the French Days must be part of an eco-responsible approach. Example of good practice: offering the latest version of a high-tech product in exchange for taking back an old model, which will be reconditioned or recycled by the company.
2 – Choose multiple distribution media
Preparing for your French Days 2023 campaign also means massively publicizing this promotional operation. It is necessary to explain the event and communicate the dates to the public, via a maximum of media. The marketing team sends its marketing campaign to all the contacts in its customer file, using in particular SMS and e-mail. The campaign is also relayed on social networks, to engage consumers.
The website is also an essential medium for communicating about the French Days. In collaboration with the web designer, the marketing team “dresses up” the site to draw the attention of Internet users to the upcoming event. Display a countdown, add a banner to the home page or even create a tab dedicated to French Days offers: the Internet user must immediately understand that a special operation is being prepared.
3 – Develop a relevant message
The marketing message is developed with regard to the brand’s target clientele: the marketing team addresses its persona. Beyond this fundamental aspect, the campaign message of the French Days requires special attention in various respects.
- Sales, Black Friday, “exceptional” discounts and discounts: promotional operations follow one another throughout the year, to the point that some consumers get lost and bored. To focus attention on the French Days, the campaign message emphasizes their raison d’être: the operation promotes French e-commerce. In form, the message uses immediately recognizable visual elements: the rooster emblem, the tricolor flag and the blue white red color code, in particular. Basically, the message highlights French know-how or draws attention to the local production method, for example.
- The French Days involve a large number of e-commerce brands. To capture the public’s attention in this competitive environment, you have to stand out. The campaign must be impactful and arouse emotions. The tone, in any case, remains adapted to the profile of the persona.
- Marketing pressure, misleading promotions or even false promises of “made in France”: some consumers are unfavorable or skeptical about promotional operations such as the French Days. Especially since in some years, Amazon’s participation in the event has raised questions about its French specificity. The marketing team must therefore make additional efforts to reassure about the virtues of the French Days.
4 – Set the marketing calendar
Sending newsletters and marketing SMS, publications on social networks and updating the website: the marketing team plans its actions over time. To prepare for your French Days 2023 campaign, it is important to start early enough. This year, the event starts on May 3rd. Launching the marketing campaign two to three weeks in advance is a good idea: this allows information to be disclosed little by little, to arouse curiosity and gradually increase enthusiasm.
5 – Define measurable objectives
Last key element of a successful French Days 2023 campaign: the marketing team, in collaboration with the sales team, defines precise and measurable objectives. The campaign deployed on the occasion of the French Days, as well as the discounts granted on prices, indeed represent significant costs. But the operation must be profitable. To ensure this, one must be able to verify that the objectives have been achieved.
The objectives concern the volume of sales, the turnover generated but also customer satisfaction and the rate of loyalty. If the results are good, the company can calmly prepare its participation in the French Days back to school.
For further, download this guide and learn how to build an effective marketing strategy for your brand.
