6 tips on how to prepare e-commerce for Black Friday

Black Friday is just around the corner. If you haven't started thinking about your strategy yet, it's time to get to work. As you know, the last days of November are extremely intense in the sales market. More and more online stores are deciding to organize not only Black Friday but also Black Weeks or Full Months. How to prepare an effective ecommerce strategy for Black Friday? Read on to discover our 6 tips!

Black Friday in a nutshell

The last three months of the year, called the Golden Quarter, are the most profitable period for most retailers. Sales peaks begin before Halloween and end after Christmas or New Year's Eve.

Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, when many stores offer great deals and deep discounts. Many customers take advantage of this opportunity to buy electronics, clothing and holiday gifts.

This year, Black Friday is November 25.

What are the best Black Friday marketing ideas for e-commerce businesses and what sales increases can online store owners expect during this time?

How much do sales increase during Black Friday?

As you might guess, sales during Black Friday can vary greatly from year to year and store to store, not to mention industry.

However, Google Trends shows that searches for "Black Friday deals" have steadily increased in recent years, so it's safe to say that this "holiday" is gaining significant popularity.

In addition, by analyzing the graph of interest over time in Google Trends, we can see that the phrase Black Friday is the most popular between November 21 and 27:

According to predictions made by blackfriday.com , spending this year is going to be higher or equal to that of 2021 . There could even be records in October 2022.

However, it is worth noting that due to high inflation, customers are likely to be more cautious about potential purchases. But this also means that many people are hoping to upgrade their electronics, clothing and other items to buy them cheaper and save some money on Black Friday.

Just to put it in the picture, according to Forbes , during Thanksgiving and Black Friday in 2021, total online spending amounted to $14 billion . As you can see, the juice is worth the squeeze.

Check out the volumes of phrases related to Black Friday. Impressive, isn't it?

So how do you prepare for this intense season to make it as profitable as possible? As you know, SEO takes time. If you want to attract potential customers in the coming months, you must design your Black Friday e-commerce strategy today.

How to do it? Discover our tips!

How to prepare e-commerce for Black Friday?

Now that you know that optimizing your website and attracting shoppers during this holiday season can bring you great benefits, it's time to discover the 6 best Black Friday marketing ideas for ecommerce!

1. Prepare your website

A properly optimized website is the cornerstone of all e-commerce, not just in the Golden Quarter. It's worth mentioning that it's best to start with SEO before you start selling. After all, people need to find you.

This is a list of some items to consider:

Responsive and Mobile Web Design

Every year, more of us use mobile devices to shop online.

Therefore, it is essential to ensure that users can comfortably navigate your website, regardless of the device they choose. If a site does not display correctly and does not adapt to mobile devices, visitors are likely to abandon it and choose your competitors.

Website loading time

The recommended page load time should not exceed 2 to 3 seconds. It is one of the most important factors that have an impact on the user experience.

Each subsequent second means a risk of a higher bounce rate. Therefore, it is crucial to minimize this probability.

Key words

There is no successful Black Friday e-commerce strategy without the right keywords.

Optimize your content for relevant phrases such as:

·????"Black Friday"

·????"offers"

·????"discount"

·????"special offer"

·????"the best buy"

Research to match the words to your offer: check what people are looking for and target your message accordingly.

UX (User Experience)

Make surfing your website a pleasure.

Pay attention to both the usability and the visual layer. Check if the page is intuitive and guides users through all stages of the buying process.

Analyze your offer and ask yourself some questions: Is the discount information visible, does your discount code work? Try to put yourself in the prospective buyers' shoes.

Think about what elements are important to them. Maybe you should create a separate landing page or subpage? Make yourself stand out from the crowd.

If a countdown timer helps you do it, go for it! All tricks allowed.

Verify your Hosting and Server

It is better to be safe than sorry.

Checking this element will help you avoid situations where your website collapses due to increased traffic.

Stay aware and minimize potential risks.

2. Offer discounts before

Let customers become familiar with your offer beforehand. Let them know when you plan to start discounting and remind them regularly. Make sure people will wait for your products or services.

Remember that your ecommerce is not the only store preparing for Black Friday. Be as visible as possible. Advertise your range on social networks, benefit from email marketing and include relevant information in a newsletter. The possibilities are endless.

In addition, it can be a good idea to invest in paid ads and campaigns. Knowing your target audience and targeting messages accordingly can be a recipe for success during this time of year. However, remember that Google Ads rates will likely be higher than usual.

Need help advertising your products during Black Friday? Try Google Ads services

Also, if you want to prepare your website, it's a great idea to create dedicated Black Friday landing pages, using fixed URLs. If you had those pages last year and then removed them, you should check if there are backlinks leading to them (maybe people shared your offer?). If so, redirect them to the current landing pages.

When the season and Black Week are over, simply hide these pages in the menu, but don't delete them. They will be ready for next year.

3. Stand out from the crowd

Looking for effective Black Friday ideas for e-commerce? Choose eye-catching calls to action, intriguing keywords, attractive contests and graphics. During Black Friday season, competition is so fierce that your activities can't be run-of-the-mill.

Offer attractive discounts, but make sure your store can afford them. After all, you want to win, not lose, right?

Keep in mind that a 10% discount will not allow you to conquer the online world. Therefore, prepare your game plan well in advance and analyze the offers of your market rivals to make sure you can beat them.

4. Be prepared

You should carefully analyze your Black Friday e-commerce strategy to prepare your business for this hectic period and avoid potential mishaps. Be prepared for more orders, make sure there are enough products in stock and take care of customer service.

Think about your website, employees and suppliers. Is your team large enough to meet the challenge? Are you able to offer efficient delivery? Can your server handle the load?

These and other issues are worth thinking about to avoid unpleasant surprises around Black Friday or Cyber Monday. Take advantage of the upcoming period to create and maintain a positive brand image and it will surely pay off in the future.

Remember that first impressions matter. Make sure that people who visit your website associate you positively.

5. Bet on cross-selling and up-selling

Take the bull by the horns and maximize your profits thanks to cross-selling and up-selling. Believe us, the upcoming holiday season is perfect for that.

Help customers buy products that create a cohesive whole. Inspire them, show them trendy outfits or great home decor. If your store offers everything potential buyers are looking for, they won't have to look elsewhere.

6. Take care of regular customers and acquire new ones.

Don't forget about repeat customers. They are just as important as attracting new ones. Offer them special discounts or additional incentives. Take care of your public relations to ensure that buyers do not choose your rivals in the market.

Show your recipients that you value and appreciate loyal customers.

At the same time, give new customers a reason to return to your store. Inspire their confidence and don't end promotional activities right after Black Friday. Try to attract the same shoppers for longer.

How?

Don't let them forget about you, monitor abandoned shopping carts, expand your remarketing lists, encourage people to subscribe to your newsletter or inform them about upcoming holiday offers. Let users know they can also count on you during the holidays.

If your customer service meets their expectations, they will surely return to your store.

But what if you're not doing Black Friday?

Not planning to fight for customers during the Black Friday season? It's not the end of the world.

There are many tips and practices that can help you boost sales and attract buyers throughout the year.

When planning any promotional activity, you still need to think about your long-term e-commerce strategy. After all, your rivals will probably take advantage next season.

What can you do to keep up with them?

Post-black Friday marketing

When the Golden Quarter finally ends, it's time to move on to the next stage of your e-commerce strategy. The period after Black Friday can be a great opportunity to focus on your regular customers. Why not offer them attractive incentives such as loyalty programs or discounts for the next purchase?

You can also use this time to analyze your online store and check what needs to be improved. This can be useful to prepare your business for the next big challenge: Christmas.

Also, don't forget about potential new customers. If they are interested in your products, they may need a little push. Use effective marketing campaigns to bring them back to your store.

Last but not least, it's a good idea to start preparing for the upcoming Black Friday as early as possible. After all, the success of your e-commerce business also depends on staying one step ahead of the competition.

Remarketing campaigns

As we mentioned before, it is crucial to take care of your potential and regular customers. Therefore, it is worth using remarketing campaigns to encourage them to come back to your store.

You can use Google Ads to create a remarketing list and then target people who have visited your store before. This platform can be used to show relevant ads to people who have visited similar websites.

Remarketing gives you the opportunity to attract potential buyers who are interested in your offer but have not completed transactions for some reason. Running thoughtful and effective campaigns will help you reach your target audience year-round, not just in October or November.

Send a newsletter to people who bought something

If you want to maintain a good relationship with your customers, you need to keep in touch with them on a regular basis. Newsletters can be a great way to do that.

Thanks to this type of campaign, you can inform your recipients about new products and upcoming promotions, or simply share some interesting content.

A carefully planned newsletter strategy will help you build relationships with your customers and keep them coming back for more. In addition, you can use newsletters to win back people who haven't bought anything from you for a long time.

How to encourage people to register?

Why not include a special offer or discount code in your newsletter? You can also organize special promotions for subscribers on a regular basis - the sky's the limit!

Black Friday e-commerce strategy: takeaway food

The crazy time of shopping sprees is just around the corner. Benefit from it and improve your sales. Remember that Black Friday is an event you should start preparing for well in advance.

How to do it?

Our Black Friday e-commerce checklist includes items such as strategic planning, website optimization, financial and logistical preparation, cross-selling, up-selling or remarketing.

In the race for new customers, don't forget the loyal buyers who have been with you for years. Taking care of both groups will help you achieve the best results.

Miguel ángel Povedano