Introduction 

The busiest shopping day of the year is around the corner. Are you ready? Due to the pandemic, more and more people are shopping online rather than in physical stores, translating to an increase in online Black Friday sales. To help you prepare for Black Friday, I will be providing you with marketing strategies that you can use to generate more sales. 

Site Management 

When customers visit your website, they should have a seamless experience navigating your various pages. You must ensure that your website can handle the increased traffic rate, as slow site speeds give customers a negative shopping experience, and they will be less likely to revisit your website.  

Your black Friday-themed discounts should be appropriately displayed in a way that easily attracts your customers' attention. Some ideal placements for these discounts are; the navigation bar, the sidebar, or even your main banner. The visual aspect of the discount should not blend in with the rest of the page. Pick a color theme that stands out and grabs the user's attention.  

Feature a countdown timer on your landing page that builds anticipation for your customers; this is particularly helpful if your store specializes in exclusive or limited supply products. This gives customers a sense of urgency to buy your products. 

Mitigate Costs 

Customers are preparing to spend a lot of money on Black Friday, and some have even been saving up all year long. However, one thing that discourages customers from completing the checkout process is extra fees such as shipping and handling. By offering customers free shipping or a reduced shipping rate, you are directly improving their shopping experience, which increases the chances of repeat purchases and encourages them to return even after Black Friday. 

Another strategy you can implement is to present customers with a discounted combo deal where they get a lower price if they purchase upsell and cross-sell related products. During Black Friday, an average customer is already on the lookout for deals; providing them with this opportunity makes them more likely to make several purchases on your website. In addition, you can implement a loyalty program where you reward returning customers and customers who successfully refer other people to purchase from your website. 

Communication  

Getting more customers is a prerequisite to generating more sales. Offering great discounts and having an excellent website is all for naught if nobody comes to visit your website. Promote your business by running an email marketing campaign to highlight the benefits you have to offer. Social media advertising is another great way to increase your online presence; interacting with your potential customers gives a personalized touch to your marketing campaign, leading to more visitors to your website. 

Send follow-up emails to customers who made a purchase, inviting them to check out some of your other deals. Furthermore, you can implement tracking features on your website to check for customers who are likely to make a purchase but have not yet completed the checkout process. This allows you to create a custom email template that incentivizes them to complete the purchase.  

Cyber Monday 

Do not restrict yourself to Black Friday alone; take advantage of the increased amount of site traffic and extend your sale to Cyber Monday as well. This gives you the opportunity to launch and test out new products. Over the weekend, you can also analyze your Black Friday sales performance and incorporate the successful elements into your Cyber Monday sales. Furthermore, you can see the aspects where your sales did not meet your expectations and pivot around them on Cyber Monday to improve your sales. 

Paid Campaigns 

This four-day period is the perfect opportunity to utilize paid marketing campaigns. To maximize your return on investment, you should test out different marketing channels before Black Friday starts, so you know which channels are best suited to your products. Another avenue is paying influencers to review and promote your products.  

You can also collaborate with other vendors who are not in competition with you. Your network of vendors simultaneously promotes each other's e-commerce website to their customers as a form of cross-selling. You can implement the use of gift cards to entice customers to make purchases. Furthermore, you can set up a gift offer system where customers can buy products as gifts for their friends and family.  

 Review  

 Black Friday is the season where customers are ready to make a purchase. It’s up to business owners to ensure that their store can meet the customers' demands. A few things to remember, so everything goes smoothly: 

-Ensure you conduct an inventory check to keep your stock up to date. 

-Simulate a run-through of a customer's shopping experience to test for any issues such as a faulty checkout process 

-Avoid asking customers for too much unnecessary information as this discourages them from completing the sale 

-Have a guest checkout option for customers who choose not to create an account 

-If needed, migrate to a server that will be able to handle the increased amount of traffic 

-Prioritize your email's subject line as this is the first point of contact between you and the customer 

Conclusion 

Customizing your website, offering discounts and reaching out via emails and social media are great ways to prepare for Black Friday. To improve your chances of success, make sure to test your marketing strategies ahead of time. 

Your season of sales shouldn’t stop on Black Friday, if you want to learn more about making sales year-round; join our community and get the latest marketing trends and tips delivered straight to your inbox.