10 eCommerce Tips For A Successful Black Friday

Black Friday is just around the corner so it’s time to start focusing on your plans for what will probably be the busiest period your eCommerce store has ever seen.

With the global pandemic leaving the high street in tatters, this is the year for eCommerce to shine with more and more consumers turning to the internet for their gift shopping this year. Online shopping is about to become the new norm and now is the time to capitalise!

With that in mind, we’ve put together 10 top tips for a successful Black Friday:

1. Start Planning Now

Black Friday is something you should start thinking about today. If you leave things too late, there is a big chance that you could miss out entirely on the boosted business available – and that extra revenue is likely to head to the pockets of your direct competitors. We’ve seen this happen before, so don’t be the business that misses out!

2. Select Your Deals

You are going to need a headline hot product or two at a rock bottom prices to drive demand. Now is the time to do your research – dive into your Google Analytics account, check out which of your products have been doing well (or maybe not so well!) and make your decisions based on the data rather than guesswork. It will pay off when the extra traffic hits your store!

3. Ensure You Can Handle The Traffic

With more visitors expected this year than ever before, you don’t want to your store to be inaccessible over this key period. Check your hosting plan for an option to increase capacity over the Black Friday weekend, or whenever you plan to run your promotions. Customers won’t hang around on a site that isn’t loading, so investing here if needed is critical.

4. Maximise Your Sales Channels

If you are not selling on multiple channels already, now is the time to start! If you are, understand which channels are best and focus on them. Have you enjoyed success through paid ads on Google? Perhaps a recent social post did better than expected on your Instagram account? Or maybe your email list could be your main target this time? For a sale season like Black Friday, having your fingers in as many pies as possible can only be beneficial.

5. Prepare For Mobile

Most eCommerce stores get the majority of their visitors from mobile devices now, so make sure you are catering fully for these visitors to capitalise. Set aside the time to visit your site on your own mobile phone and take the journey a new user might undergo – are there any display issues? Any broken links? Is the whole process quick and easy? Take the appropriate action now ahead of time!

6. Be Ready To Scale Up Fulfilment

An increase in orders will require an increase in delivery capacity, so be sure you have what it takes to deliver the goods. You need to be ready for the ‘best case scenario’, where sales skyrocket and you’re struggling to keep up with demand – trust us, this is a nice problem to have! Get prepped now so you’re not caught short next month.

7. Plan Your Marketing

There is a LOT of noise around Black Friday and it’s highly unlikely that you’ll be the only eCommerce store in your sector pushing a promotion or two. You need to think differently about how to attract customers and direct them to you over your competitors. Unique ideas can make all the difference and it often pays to do something totally unexpected.

8. Begin Promotions Early

This may surprise you somewhat but Black Friday doesn’t actually start on Black Friday. Businesses everywhere will start pushing promotions well before the official holiday to secure customer cash before it can be spent with a competitor. Be ready to launch your promotions at least a few days in advance to steal a march on your rivals and get the attention you deserve! 

9. Get Stock Ready

There is no point in putting all of the above in place if you don’t have enough inventory to satisfy demand, so make sure your store is stocked and ready for a very busy period. Get the wheels turning now to avoid disappointing your customers when the big day rolls around.

10. Aim For Customer Loyalty

It’s highly likely that many customers will purchase from you for the very first time over the Black Friday period, so it pays to maximise this event and do your best to secure their future business. Think about ways you can encourage them to return over the following weeks and months, perhaps by offering a discount or free delivery code on their next purchase for example. Creative ideas here can make a huge difference!

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Do you need help preparing your store for Black Friday? Get in touch today and start a conversation with the Media Lounge team about hitting your objectives for Black Friday and beyond.