Maisie Lloyd
I'm passionate about recording the world, but most of all driven by creativity and collaborative environments. My experience revolves around the production of digital content, pertaining to graphic design, writing copy, and video and audio content.
This week, we’re re-rolling out our handy checklist for Black Friday and Cyber Monday to set your business up for success. These two days mark a significant spike in online shopping, with e-commerce sites experiencing a massive influx of customers and sales. This year alone it has been reporting there is an expected 27% growth in spending, increasing from £3 billion in 2023 to a forecasted additional £800 million.
Our checklist will help you spot and strengthen any weak spots, guaranteeing your customers a smooth and swift shopping experience. This way, you can ensure that buying your product or service is a breeze for current or new customers.
Without further ado, let’s get into how best to prep!
Website Preparation
You’ll first need to check your website’s user experience. This is something you should be on top of anyway, but it’s extra important for Black Friday.
Your website needs to be quick, and it needs to be responsive. For E-commerce businesses, this is extra important, because a slow speed can result in lost traffic. The harder a time a customer has purchasing something, the less likely they’ll convert.
Secondly, check that your website can handle an increased amount of traffic! It would be disastrous if suddenly no one could access it. Here are some ways you can mitigate a crash due to high volumes of traffic:
- Optimisation should always be done, however, if there are media assets or content that can be compressed. We recommend doing it!
- Checking the bandwidth limit of your website, if you think it cannot handle a large number of visitors. Explore using a content delivery network if optimising does not resolve.
- Caching your content can help reduce resource storage on site.
- Pre-emptively acquiring additional server space from your server host, this can be particularly useful or instances like Black Friday.
Finally, ensure that the checkout process is smooth as butter and that users have plenty of options for how they purchase.
Promotions and Discounts
Next up, let’s tackle promotions and discounts for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. You’ve got to ask yourself: are your deals ready to roll out? If you’re shaking your head, it’s time to brainstorm some tempting offers that reward both your loyal customers and your bottom line.
Make sure your discounts stand out. Display them loud and proud on your homepage because, let’s face it, hidden deals are as good as no deals. And why not sweeten the pot for your repeat customers? A little thank you goes a long way, and a loyalty reward could be just the ticket.
Some of the brilliant ways you can entice your customers is by offering incentives, creating product bundles or collaborating with influencers to spread your promo codes far and wide!
Marketing Campaigns
Now, let’s switch gears to marketing campaigns. Kick things off early – think early November – to capture your audience’s attention before the holiday rush. An email campaign that pops in their inbox? Check. Social media buzz that gets them talking? Double-check.
Don’t let past visitors slip through the cracks. Use retargeting ads to remind them what they’re missing. And for the cherry on top, referral codes can turn your customers into your best promoters.
Inventory and Product Management
Moving on to inventory and product management – it is crunch time. Take a good, hard look at your stock levels. You’ll want to have enough to meet the surge without ending up with a surplus gathering dust.
Equally, if your business is tackling surplus, utilising excess stock to incentivise sales is a great way to incentivise spending for the customer.
If your stock’s running low, get those orders in, pronto. Spot products that aren’t moving fast enough? Get creative with promotions to give them a boost. And make sure you’re clear about delivery times – nobody likes a late show.
Product Descriptions
Let’s not forget product descriptions – your secret SEO weapon. Craft them well, and they’ll help your products shine bright in search results. Detailed, clear, and SEO-focused descriptions can elevate your products from good to must-have. The perfect product description includes:
- Product dimensions/ weight
- Features of the product (including the description)
- Any benefits the customer will reap from your product/service.
- A link to any variants
- The price should always be clear to the customer!
Think about creating gift guides too. They are like roadmaps to the perfect purchase, especially when they bundle products for a complete experience.
Visual Branding:
For visual branding, it’s all about making a splash. Design bold, sale-specific graphics that capture the Black Friday vibe. Plaster them on your site, your emails, everywhere. Make sure they scream ‘deal of the year’ to anyone who sees them.
Consider using a bright and contrasting colour for your ‘buy now’ buttons. Studies have consistently found that red buttons garner more success. Make the switch and count the clicks!
Social Media Optimisation:
Don’t just post on social media – own it. Your profiles should be fine-tuned machines, ready to engage and convert. Regular updates with catchy, sale-focused content? That’s one great way to convert sales.
Customer Service and Support:
Finally, customer service can make or break your sales days. Staff up your support team to handle the hustle. Consider a live chat feature – it’s like having a sales assistant right there on the page, ready to close the deal. Customer satisfaction is the goal, reducing negative responses whilst saving time is just one of the many benefits of a chat bot.
Keep your team on their toes, responsive, and ready to turn frowns upside down. Happy customers are repeat customers, after all.
Conclusion
In conclusion, nailing Black Friday and Cyber Monday is about much more than just slashing prices. It’s a full-on strategy that starts with your website and flows through to the final click of the purchase button.
Remember, it’s the details that count – a fast site, standout deals, early-bird marketing, stocked shelves, sharp product descriptions, eye-catching visuals, an engaging social media presence, and top-notch customer service.
Get these elements right, and you’re not just selling – you’re creating an experience that customers will come back for, year after year. So, gear up – it’s time to make this holiday sale season your most successful one yet!
