This holiday season, more shoppers are opting to shop small. In fact, according to a recent GoDaddy survey, despite 65%* of survey respondents agreeing that inflation will impact their shopping this holiday season, more than 3 in 4 (78%)** people are as or more likely to shop at a small business this Black Friday and throughout the holidays compared to previous years.
Therefore, key shopping dates such as Black Friday and Small Business Saturday present significant opportunities for microbusiness owners who might not be fully utilizing the capabilities of Generative AI (GenAI).
Additional analysis from Venture Forward, GoDaddy’s multi-year international research initiative which analyzes more than 20 million online business with a digital presence (measured by a unique domain and an active website), highlights that small businesses continue to state marketing their business online as the biggest challenge*** when they first start their business, emphasizing the importance of and difficulties surrounding hallmark events like Black Friday for small and microbusiness owners.
At the same time, 17%*** of entrepreneurs don’t feel confident as a user of AI. With tools like Airo, GoDaddy’s latest GenAI experience, microbusiness owners can now harness the capabilities of GenAI quickly and simply to help maximize Black Friday and Small Business Saturday sales.
Help build anticipation and hype on social media
For microbusiness owners who find marketing online challenging, GenAI could provide a potential marketing lifeline for business owners who may feel that they lack the time or resources required to promote their business online without a dedicated marketing team or access to digital marketing platforms.
For consumers, researching the best deals on Black Friday – a weekday when many will have work during the day – may prove tedious. Utilizing social media to highlight upcoming Black Friday deals has the potential to attract consumers who are already set on purchasing a specific product or service and are simply waiting for the first available, appealing discount.
GenAI can help create videos and graphics, key to promoting products on visually-driven platforms like Instagram and TikTok. With built-in shopping features, these platforms enable microbusinesses to sell directly to consumers from a post, making GenAI an attractive tool for enhancing a business’ online presence.
Mastering your product descriptions
Similarly, GenAI can assist with drafting product descriptions to sit on your website or other marketplaces where you might sell, including but not limited to Amazon, eBay, Etsy and many more.
For microbusinesses, product descriptions offer an opportunity to step away from complicated, unengaging industry jargon, which can sometimes be difficult for consumers to understand, and instead tell the story of a brand, emphasize roots to the local community and speak to the real person buying your product or service. Just be careful to keep search engine optimization (SEO) in mind.
Crafting compelling email newsletters
In the buildup to Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, email newsletters can offer a cost-effective method of repeatedly engaging with new or existing customers.
GenAI’s ability to draft text, such as catchy subject lines or compelling calls to action, and create graphics, makes it an attractive tool for enhancing newsletters with the objective to drive customer engagement, including encouraging purchases of products or services.
GoDaddy Airo uses GenAI to create a variety of email templates to match your brand and tone of voice, providing a launching pad for microbusiness owners to get started with email marketing and to help connect with customers in just a few clicks.
Help break through the noise with AI-powered SEO
Search engine marketing can help microbusinesses optimize site ranking, draw traffic and break through the Black Friday noise – and with GoDaddy Airo’s all-inclusive package, it’s all AI-powered.
A large number of online purchases will often begin with a search – meaning if your website ranks higher for relevant searches, customers may be more likely to potentially choose your microbusiness over a lower-ranking competitor. For microbusinesses, finding small edges like these could be crucial to help break through the noise around a hallmark event like Black Friday.
Making your brand sing
In the cutthroat world of social media scrolling, first impressions can often count. A microbusiness’ branding is its first impression, serving as a flagpole to help attract new customers for Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, deepen existing relationships and fuel overall brand growth.
As part of GoDaddy Airo’s experience, entrepreneurs can go from idea to online with ease, using artificial intelligence to search for domain names, create an AI-generated logo and a full AI-generated website in just minutes to make your brand sing.
The stakes are high this holiday season
Despite inflation concerns and rising costs, consumers want to support their local businesses and economies. 71%* of US shoppers are willing to pay more to support small businesses during Black Friday and this year’s holiday season, with 53%* of them willing to spend up to 10 percent more to do so. If small business owners want to unlock more economic opportunities this holiday season, understanding how to leverage GenAI is crucial.
Editor’s Notes
Statistics are taken from two surveys in which U.S. consumers were asked about their holiday shopping habits: one conducted in October 2024 with 1,247 respondents* and one in September 2024 with 1,520 respondents**.
*** Results are taken from a GoDaddy customer survey of more than 3,500 microbusiness owners conducted in February 2024.
Amy Jennette is a marketing leader with a passion for empowering entrepreneurs and transforming brands. She is Senior Director of Marketing at GoDaddy, where she oversees the U.S. integrated marketing go-to-market strategy. Since joining GoDaddy, Amy has launched several impactful campaigns that have boosted GoDaddy’s brand reputation and customer engagement. She was behind GoDaddy’s first-ever brand campaign, Make the World You Want, which showcased the diverse and inspiring stories of GoDaddy customers.
Black Friday stock image by maximmmmum/Shutterstock
