As an e-tailer, you hear about it everywhere: on TV, on billboards, on blogs, on social networks...
“Black Friday”: what is it?
And above all, why should you prepare your online store for Black Friday?
In this article, you’ll find EVERYTHING you need to know about this ecommerce event, plus all the Black Friday marketing tips you need to prepare your shop for the biggest day of sales on the internet. Follow our handy guide!
Table of contents
- 1. Test and prepare your website for peak traffic
- 2. Make sure that you can handle the increase in demand
- 3. M-commerce: Think of everything that happens on mobile devices
- 4. Base your marketing strategy on reliable research
- 5. Create excitement before the start of Black Friday week
- 6. Contact influencers to share your promotions
- 7. Highlight your promotions
- 8. Implement a newsletter strategy
- 9. Set up automatic communication reminders
- 10. Use retargeting ads in your target countries
- 11. Play on the urgency of the best bargains
- 12. Optimize conversions with exit-intent popups
- 13. Reward your loyal customers
- 14. Ensure quality customer service for an optimal shopping experience
- 15. Simplify product returns
- 16. Track promotions as they take place but also before and after
- 17. Build customer loyalty and encourage customers to buy from you outside of Black Friday
- 18. Keep an eye on your competitors for inspiration
Why should you organize your ecommerce store for Black Friday?
In the United States, Black Friday is an institution. Since its creation, this event has taken place every year on the day after Thanksgiving. It marks the start of the Christmas shopping season.
As you can imagine, it’s a big day of promotions, a sort of giant clearance sale. Retailers take advantage of this event to offer major sales; consumers, on the other hand, to save money and find the best deals so as not to blow their budget for the festive season.
In 2024, U.S. Black Friday sales are predicted to reach $10.8 billion, representing an increase of 9.9% compared to 2023.
Demandsage
In fact, Black Friday has become one of the most important days of the year for commerce, and particularly for online shopping.
It’s THE time to increase online sales.
And the figures keep rising every year.
So what are the most popular product categories for Black Friday?
According to Statista, the top product categories in terms of percentage of U.S. survey respondents stating they planned to purchase something in the category on Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2023 were as follows:
- Clothing (48%)
- Consumer electronics (36%)
- Shoes (32%)
- Accessories (27%)
Source: Statista
So, if your digital business falls into one of these areas, it is in your best interest to take advantage of Black Friday. However, of course, during Black Friday, consumers are looking for good deals on all sectors of activity.
Now let’s see what you need to do to prepare your website for Black Friday with 18 tips listed in the form of a to-do list.
Here we go!
Black Friday checklist: 18 Tips for your online store
1. Test and prepare your website for peak traffic
The very first thing you need to do is make sure that your ecommerce website can handle the peak of visits and orders.
Often, large numbers of visitors can cause server errors or crashes.
Admittedly, you’ll probably need a very high volume of traffic for this to happen. However, I’d still advise you to contact your hosting solution to verify that your website will stand up to this eventuality.
Entrepreneurs who have created their online stores with WiziShop can rest easy in this respect. They don’t have to worry about this problem.
In fact, as a SaaS solution, we take care of all the technical aspects of their online stores, including hosting. In the run-up to Black Friday, we’ve already taken the necessary steps to ensure that the sites can handle the load when the promotions kick off.
You can never have too much foresight! What’s more, it’s already a good step towards preparing your website for holiday sales.
If you too would like to benefit from the peace of mind offered by WiziShop, you can register free of charge, directly via the form below...
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2. Make sure that you can handle the increase in demand
Naturally, an increase in visits to your web store means an increase in orders. So the second step in your preparation is to check to see if you can handle the increased demand.
In other words, you need to answer these two questions:
Do you have sufficient stock?
If you’re buying from a supplier, talk to them to verify that they can handle the volume of sales you expect to handle. Just like if you were hoping to scale your ecommerce business during any time of the year, it would be very unfortunate if you quickly ran out of stock and couldn’t meet buyer demand.
Above all, after such a negative experience as an out-of-stock situation, it will be difficult to get your customers to return to your store afterwards.
If you produce your own products, ensure that you have enough production capacity to cope with this surge in demand.
Can your logistics handle a peak in orders?
Inevitably, you’ll have to manage a large number of parcel preparations and shipments. Will your logistics keep pace?
It’s not uncommon for e-tailers to hire temporary staff at the end of the year to handle the logistics of increased orders.
💡 For example, for the 2024 holiday season, Amazon plans to create 250,000 jobs in the US.
3. M-commerce: Think of everything that happens on mobile devices
Need we say it again?
Every year, mobile devices are getting closer and closer to the computer as the medium used to make purchases on the internet during Black Friday.
That’s why it’s now ESSENTIAL to optimize your online store for mobile devices.
Now more than ever, test your site’s navigation on mobile devices. Do the images, text, and navigation settings adapt to different screen types? Can you place an order easily? Generally speaking, how would you rate your store’s mobile experience?
Once again, WiziShop users don’t have to worry about this strategic factor at all. In fact, whatever design they’ve chosen, it’s already automatically optimized for mobile devices, via mobile adaptation for older templates, or via responsive design for newer ones.
What’s more, they enjoy a considerable advantage over their competitors.
Knowing that the search engine gives more visibility to the fastest sites, and that internet users will leave a website that takes more than 3 seconds to display, this is a major advantage for WiziShoppers.
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4. Base your marketing strategy on reliable research
When it comes to determining your Black Friday offers, you won’t want to set the amount of your promotions at random.
💡 3 main criteria must be taken into account when working out your pricing strategy and selecting the items that will be on sale:
- Black Friday marks the launch of the end-of-year gift-buying race. Find out which star products will be the most popular for this year’s festivities.
- Based on your store’s order statistics, determine which items sell best on your website. They’ll be more likely to interest consumers looking for a Black Friday bargain.
- Finally, select the items on which you have the highest margins so that you can run promotions without losing too much money.
On your WiziShop store, use in-house statistics to determine the best sellers to promote to the max during this period!
5. Create excitement before the start of Black Friday week
If there’s one thing you need to remember about both Black Friday and the holiday season, it’s that internet users prepare their purchases and look for bargains several weeks in advance.
For the holiday season, gift-buying begins as early as October.
So you’re already late if you’re just starting after Thanksgiving!
The bottom line is that you need to communicate about your offers, even before the operation begins. Aim to organize your promotions several days in advance and plan your posts using a marketing calendar and social network scheduling tools.
Don’t wait until the last minute!
💡 As I just told you, the competition is going to be tough. So stand out from the crowd with eye-catching visuals. Even if the “Black Friday” concept may not appeal to everyone, the interest in deals always attracts consumers! Go all out to generate your best sales for Black Friday.
Source: Best Buy
As soon as the beginning of November arrives, don’t be shy about offering an overview of your future offers.
The idea is to give your prospects an idea of what’s in store, pique their interest with a preview of upcoming deals, and incite their curiosity.
In addition to social networks and your presence on marketplaces, think about communicating in-store (if you have a physical store) with flyers, for example.
And don’t forget to publicize your operation on your store’s homepage.
Of course, there are other communication levers, which I’ll cover in the following points.
6. Contact influencers to share your promotions
Still ahead of the operation, here’s a communication lever your competitors may not have thought of.
Rely on the power of bloggers to spread the word about your Black Friday promotions.
For example, ask them to select one (or more) product(s), which they can then present to members of their community. They’ll focus their message on your store and the upcoming Black Friday discounts.
💡 The double benefit:
- If the blogger posts a blog article, you’ll get a qualified link to your online store.
- If the blogger posts Instagram Stories, you’ll get qualified visitors directly.
Of course, you’ll need to find bloggers who fit into your business sector.
Note that it can take weeks between the initial exchange and the posting of the content by the blogger. It takes time to set up the collaboration, produce the content, post it, etc. You’ll therefore want to be sure to plan ahead.
7. Highlight your promotions
On-site communication is important.
As soon as visitors arrive on your store’s homepage, visitors should be informed that you’re offering Black Friday promotions. That’s why it’s a good idea to feature a suitable visual, in the drop-down banner, for example.
You can also group your promotional items in a new category dedicated to Black Friday. This would, of course, be an ephemeral, event-driven category. In terms of design, you might opt to distinguish it with a different color.
Finally, remember to distinguish each promotional item with a “Sale,” “Promotion,” or “Black Friday” badge, highlighting the base price, the amount of the discount, and the new price.
Source: Zara
In addition, add your delivery terms in full view of customers and be honest with your delivery times during this period.
8. Implement a newsletter strategy
The effectiveness of email marketing has been proven. To this day, it remains the #1 conversion lever for online sales.
For Black Friday, you’ll need to take a serious look at this and put in place an email strategy that’s well thought out.
To do this, you’ll need to verify that your email doesn’t get lost in the mass of emails sent out on the occasion of the event. On the morning of Black Friday, mailboxes are flooded, and your email is likely to go unnoticed.
Of course, I could advise you to take care with your subject line, using catchy words that are going to pique the recipient’s interest. But you already know that. And yes, of course, you’ve got to do it!
To take it a step further, though, I’d suggest that you create a complete scenario and plan, create, and schedule your emails in advance. This way, you start to inform your subscribers that you’ll be offering promotions several days in advance. You’ll create anticipation, which can help increase your campaign’s chances of success.
Here are some ideas for different email scenarios to use:
- Announce upcoming promotions: Send a preview of your promotions so that your subscribers are on the lookout for the kick-off.
- Countdown to Black Friday to build anticipation
- Reminder when promotions officially start
- Final reminder before the end of Black Friday/Cyber Monday promotions, to be able to create, this time, a sense of urgency (depending on the duration of your operation)
- Exclusive offer for subscribers: An excellent way to grab attention in a saturated mailbox is to send a special offer exclusively reserved for members of your list. This is a supplementary offer to those aimed at the general public. It will make them feel privileged. Don’t forget to inform as many people as possible via other media, such as social networks. This is undoubtedly going to add new subscribers to your email database.
In terms of the message, focus on the most attractive promotion and don’t try to present all the products on sale. Instead, use a statement like “And many more offers to discover on the site!”
Newsletter example by Chewy
9. Set up automatic communication reminders
What’s the biggest scourge of online sales?
You can see it coming, can’t you?
Shopping cart abandonment is indeed the pet peeve of online merchants. There’s nothing more frustrating than an internet user who adds one (or more) product(s) to their shopping cart and then leaves the website without finalizing their order. On average, 7 out of 10 visitors do just that. That’s a lot!
But did you know there’s a great way to help get those lost buyers back?
💡 Automatic marketing reminders recover around 9% of abandoned shopping carts. This can rise to 30% depending on the sector!
So don’t wait any longer! All you have to do is program your email once, and it’ll be sent automatically to encourage a web surfer to return to your online store to complete their purchase.
WiziShop’s Auto-Mail Booster is free and easy to use. It offers a number of automatic email scenarios to follow up with prospects or buyers and build loyalty.
10. Use retargeting ads in your target countries
More than ever, intensify retargeting advertising to highlight your discounts during a special campaign with a particular ad, especially on social networks and the Google Display network. Internet users who have visited your online store will be re-targeted as they browse the web, and may be tempted to come back and order.
According to Forrester Research, retargeting campaigns generate 4 times more revenue and 18 times more net profit than traditional campaigns. A major guide towards purchasing for qualified prospects!
11. Play on the urgency of the best bargains
We’ve already mentioned this above, but it’s important to make it clear.
Black Friday is a very limited-time operation. It’s therefore very easy for you to play on the urgency and scarcity of discounts, notably through a holiday marketing campaign focused on this precise period. Mention it in your emails and on your website with a “Flash Sales” tagline. You can also add a countdown timer announcing the end of the offer, or notifications of remaining stock.
There’s nothing better to help convince a visitor who’s afraid of missing out on an exceptional offer.
💡 Also note that internet users can expect last-minute offers on Black Friday.
You should therefore use the scarcity effect to your advantage to maximize your sales!
12. Optimize conversions with exit-intent popups
An exit-intent popup is a window that appears automatically when the visitor is about to leave the site. It’s another chance to win over your visitors by creating personalized, real-time interaction.
You get the idea. Exit intent is an excellent lever to play, more than ever, on the sense of urgency and scarcity.
To achieve this effect successfully, you can create a surprise with a tailor-made popup that meets objectives linked to your needs, notably through different formats adapted to boost your ecommerce conversion rate.
💡 Coupon code, invitation to sign up for a newsletter, lucky wheel... Some tools are integrated directly into your WiziShop store, while others can be easily set up using the BDOW! tool.
Source: BDOW!
13. Reward your loyal customers
Once again, pamper your loyal customers to strengthen your relationship with them and encourage them to become even more active on your online store, especially for Black Friday.
Offer them access to special previews, private sales, free express shipping, or additional discounts reserved exclusively for them, to thank them for their loyalty.
Don’t forget that this can also lead to new subscribers to your newsletter.
To easily identify your loyal customers or those who need to be recontacted, you can use the RFM method, which segments your customer base according to three factors: the recency, frequency, and monetary value of their purchases. RFM analysis is available on WiziShop!
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14. Ensure quality customer service for an optimal shopping experience
For Black Friday, your customer service department is likely to be overheated by the multiple requests you’re likely to receive. Promotional periods are, quite naturally, when merchants receive the most questions from customers.
💡 During peak periods, you need to reinforce two aspects of your customer service that remain valid all year round:
- accessibility
- responsiveness
First of all, make it easy to get in touch. It’s important that your visitors can contact you easily. You don’t want your customers and prospects to find the answers to their questions too quickly, and end up leaving your ecommerce site.
Make sure that you provide as much information as possible on your various pages, as well as in your frequently asked questions (FAQ) on a separate page or under your product descriptions, as with Zara.
Source: Zara
Integrate live chat into your online store, too, so that people can write to you with just one click.
💡 You can now very easily offer chat via Facebook Messenger or via a chatbot like Intercom, directly on your site. It’s so convenient!
Respond quickly and courteously.
Think about preparing response scenarios that you can copy/paste directly into an email to save time.
And promotional periods are usually when you’ll be dealing with more impatient and disrespectful customers. In spite of this, remain courteous.
How do you avoid problems? Here’s my stellar community manager technique! Write your response as you mean it. Insult the person, tell them what you have to say.
But don’t send it.
Delete it all.
Then start again.
You’ll see that, as if by magic, you’ll be much more courteous in the second version of your reply.
And, of course, that’s good for your business.
Avoid being too spontaneous. Take your time... And train your teams to treat customers with empathy.
Another helpful method is to wait 5 minutes to an hour to calm down... But you still need to ensure a certain reactivity, so be careful with this tactic.
15. Simplify product returns
A high volume of orders means a high risk of returns.
Wherever possible, make the task of returning orders as simple as possible. Consider your customers and try to satisfy them as much as possible with the best possible service. Offer them an optimized experience and reassure them by advertising easy product returns.
💡 Enclosing a prepaid label for free returns is a real plus that’s going to convince web users to buy from you.
16. Track promotions as they take place but also before and after
Once Black Friday is over, you can’t rest on your laurels. Quite the contrary!
First of all, you’ll need to analyze your results to learn from them and make further improvements, optimize your site, succeed in your next operation... This data and information is also going to serve as a reference for your next Black Friday.
For example, did traffic from referral sites convert better than traffic from SEO? Very well... Invest more in blogger operations next year.
To help you in your mission, of course, Google Analytics is your friend.
💡 You can also install Hotjar on your ecommerce site. This is a tool that allows you to analyze heat maps and track visitor navigation on your site. In this way, you’ll be able to see what you need to improve to optimize user experience and conversion with a view to fine-tuning your marketing strategies for the festive season.
Source: Hotjar
17. Build customer loyalty and encourage customers to buy from you outside of Black Friday
Customers acquired during Black Friday don’t have to remain occasional buyers.
On the contrary, the holiday season is just around the corner. For your campaign, capitalize on what you’ve achieved during Black Friday, keep in touch with them so they’ll think about coming back to your website to make their Christmas gift purchases.
Also note that if you’ve been memorable this year and delivered a truly qualitative shopping experience, your buyers will remember you—for Christmas, for next year’s Black Friday, but for the rest of the year too...
If your Black Friday shoppers are simply bargain hunters, continue to send them your promotional offers and an advertising campaign that reflects their image. Keep them engaged throughout the year with an active presence on social networks or through emailing.
If these buyers don’t subscribe to either your social networks or your newsletter, then retargeting is the best way to reach them.
18. Keep an eye on your competitors for inspiration
Finally, competitive intelligence can help you stay one step ahead of your competitors. It's a year-round marketing action. Get inspired, but don’t copy. Find new and innovative ideas for your next Black Friday discounts, as well as for the advertising you’ll offer your ecommerce business.
💡 Here are the two best ways to keep up with your competitors:
- Subscribe to their newsletter and social networks.
- Create a Google Alert with their name to identify websites that mention them.
You now have everything you need to make your Black Friday a success thanks to this complete marketing guide for this pivotal period in ecommerce!
FAQ: Black Friday and ecommerce
When is Black Friday this year?
Black Friday 2024 takes place on Friday, November 29, just after Thanksgiving.
How long? How many days should retailers run promotions?
It’s worth paying attention to the dates. Black Friday is one day, always on a Friday (of course!), the day after Thanksgiving.
However, it is now followed by Cyber Monday, which is based on the same principle of major promotions, on the Monday following Black Friday.
This means that retailers often extend the promotional period over 4 days, from Friday to Monday inclusive, or even 5 days, from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday, with what’s often referred to as the “Cyber Five.”
On the other hand, some retailers often take more liberties and extend their promotions throughout the week! The operation then takes on all sorts of names: “Crazy Week,” “Black Friday Week,” etc.
Granted, it’s all a bit nonsensical.
But you still have to take it into account!
In fact, if your direct competitors are advertising such a promotion, it’s in your best interest to align yourself with them and offer a reduced price on your offerings too, so as not to give them the upper hand and also succeed with your Black Friday sales.
What Black Friday deals and promotions should be practiced during these dates to make money?
Promotion averages range from 40% to 70% off, depending on the possibilities of online stores.
Everything is relative since, for example, ASOS offers a reduction code to benefit from 20% off everything on the entire site.
Big brands, such as Apple, can afford to only offer gift cards for iTunes or even not offer Black Friday discounts at all in their physical stores.
Well, let’s be clear… You’re not Apple!
You should therefore take a significant interest in Black Friday and take advantage of this period that's highly favorable for online purchases, especially if your competitors exploit this communication and marketing lever.
When should you start preparing and planning for Black Friday?
To prepare for Black Friday, start planning early, ideally in September or October. This ensures adequate time to plan promotions, secure inventory, and optimize marketing strategies.
Begin by analyzing past sales data to identify trends and best-selling items, then stock up on these products to meet demand. Next, develop a detailed marketing plan, including email campaigns, social media teasers, and exclusive previews, to build anticipation among customers.
Update your website for seamless navigation, test the checkout process, and ensure it can handle high traffic. Consider offering early-bird deals to capture attention ahead of competitors.
Early preparation helps maximize sales and creates a positive customer experience!
What products sell the most on Black Friday?
According to the trends of recent years and the top sales of online sales giants, here’s a list of best sellers to consider:
- Smartphones and accessories: The latest models from Samsung, Apple, and Xiaomi are essential for high-tech enthusiasts. Matching cases and accessories offer customization and protection options.
- Game consoles: Playstation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch still captivate gaming fans, as do their accessories, ideal for online game enthusiasts.
- Kids’ toys: From educational robots to interactive games, high-tech and classic toys are popular for providing children with educational and fun experiences.
- Surveillance cameras: Accessible and practical, these cameras allow users to secure their home in real time via their smartphone, highly sought-after security gadgets.
- Bluetooth earbuds: With high demand for AirPods and Galaxy Buds, these wireless earbuds come with customizable accessories, a must-have for music fans.
- Bluetooth and connected speakers: Amazon Echo, Google Home, and other smart speakers make everyday life easier and appeal to fans of connected technology.
- Heated and blow-dry brushes: Styling brushes like those from Revlon allow you to achieve professional blow-drying at home, very popular with hair care enthusiasts.
- Dyson products: Whether vacuum cleaners or hairstyling accessories, Dyson continues to entice consumers with its innovative and robust products, always in high demand.
- Adult ready-to-wear: Black Friday is a key moment for consumers wishing to renew their wardrobe with discounts on the latest fashion trends.
- Christmas decorations and items: From garlands to lights, festive decorations are snapped up to create a warm atmosphere from the start of the holidays.
