Election Week Blues: 25% Drop in Ecommerce Sales as US Brands Compete with Political Noise

With the 2024 US Presidential election week concluded, Omnisend analyzed email marketing activity from 45,000 US-based ecommerce brands. The results revealed that during the election week, sales dropped by 25% compared to the same week in 2023, and conversion rates plummeted by an even more significant 43%.

During this politically charged week, consumer attention shifted heavily toward election coverage, leaving little room for ecommerce engagement.

“While brands are fully focused on the holiday sprint, election week feels like a marketing black hole. Our data reveals a noticeable pause in campaigns, as many brands chose to avoid competing with the political noise and because consumers were too distracted to engage meaningfully. Those who pushed forward with marketing activities often faced diminished returns,” says Greg Zakowicz, Sr. Ecommerce Expert at Omnisend.

October sales fall by 10% year-over-year

The impact of elections extends beyond last week, with Omnisend’s analysis of ecommerce marketing activity revealing that October 2024 sales fell by 10.1% compared to the same period last year, while the number of orders declined by a substantial 23.4%.

“Decreased engagement due to the election, combined with the fact that one-third of U.S. shoppers plan to cut back spending this holiday period has brought a lot of uncertainty to this year’s shopping season,” says Omnisend’s Greg Zakowicz.

“Also, Amazon’s ‘biggest ever’ October Prime Day, as well as Walmart’s and Target’s corresponding sales events likely pulled a significant share of consumer spending, which led to a thinner spread for smaller brands in the lead-up to BFCM.”

How can brands maximize the 3 weeks until Black Friday?

With the year’s biggest shopping event just around the corner, Greg Zakowicz shares his top recommendations to help brands make the most of the holiday shopping sprint:

1. Emphasize Value with Every Order. Highlight product quality, satisfaction guarantees, gift-wrapping, shipping and return policies, and social proof such as customer testimonials. Consider offering bundles or category-specific discounts to increase perceived value while maintaining healthy margins.
2. Leverage High-ROI Channels Like Email and SMS. Focus on building and maintaining customer relationships through targeted email and SMS campaigns. Utilize automations like cart abandonment and welcome messages, and sync this data with paid retargeting campaigns to reduce costs and boost conversion rates.
3. Create a Sense of Urgency. Start promotions early and emphasize limited stock availability to encourage early purchases. Highlight that waiting could result in missing out on popular products. Gradually build up to bigger promotions as Black Friday approaches.
4. Start Early and Lean into Black Friday Week. Avoid waiting until Thanksgiving to offer significant deals. Consider starting your major sales events in the days leading up to Black Friday, starting from Sunday or Monday of that week, to stay ahead of competitors.
5. Offer Flexible Pricing Strategies: Provide incentives like free gifts, loyalty points, or exclusive samples to boost value perception. Offering flexible pricing options while maintaining an emphasis on value can effectively compete in this critical shopping period.