You need to know Black Friday’s winner and what that should mean for your church. First, for those who are not paying attention, Black Friday, is the day after Thanksgiving when traditionally retailers push out deep discounted merchandise and shoppers line up for hours to get the deal. This year we reached a tipping point as more people shopped online than in physical stores during the Thanksgiving weekend. The winner is e-commerce!
Consider these early reports on early holiday spending…
- 103 million people shopped online over the weekend compared to 102 million who shopped in stores.
- Consumers spent an estimated $4.45 billion online with Black Friday sales rising 14% from a year ago.
- 57% of all online shopping was done on mobile devices up 15% from last year.
- Americans are stretching out their shopping for Christmas starting sooner than before with online purchases.
What this meant was empty malls and parking lots across America as more and more people stayed at home to shop. Here is an interesting quote from the Wall Street Journal about the new trends,
“The shifting landscape means retailers that rely mostly on selling from physical stores face fundamental changes with how holiday shopping will play out in the coming weeks and future years.”
When the retail landscape has shifted on Main Street you need to know that it has also shifted in the pews!
So, what does this mean for your church? First and foremost you MUST have online giving in place in order to be fully funded. Commerce in America has shifted as the above statistics reveal. If you are only passing a plate in front of people their ability to give is limited due to the fact that they have little cash upon them. Who carries a checkbook these days? Americans pay their bills online and now they shop for Junior online. They will give online IF you provide them with that platform.
Check out Charis Giving Solutions for all your online giving needs http://charisgivingsolutions.com/
Text giving is a must if you expect to be fully funded in the future! If 57% of all online shopping was done on a mobile device what does that tell you about the importance of providing mobile giving for your church? Text giving is one of the fastest growing segments of charitable giving. Yet few churches offer this simply and easy way for people to give. At Charis Giving Solutions we can set up text giving in less than 48 hours! Again to find out more go to http://charisgivingsolutions.com/
Americans want options so to get their gift you have to have multiple giving options. I still believe in passing the plate. However studies have shown that Americans love options. Now retailers start their Black Friday deals earlier and keep them later to meet the demands of the market. We in the church must provide multiple options by which people can and will give.
The picture at the left illustrates the various platforms you need to give people the choices they want and need. We believe that the easier you make it for people to give the more likely they will give. We must realize how people do commerce in America and rise to meet that need.
How many ways can people give at your church? Do you know how to utilize those tools effectively? It is not enough to simply have the right platforms you need to know how to use them. This is one aspect of what Giving365 members receive weekly from me. Try Giving365 for 14 days for only $1 at https://thestewardshipcoach.org/2015/06/15/giving-365-introductory-special-14-days-for-1-00/
We now live in a digital world and if you want to be fully funded in the coming year you need online giving and multiple ways to use that tool! Let me coach you through how to make this work for your church.
Mark Brooks – The Stewardship Coach