Is your eCommerce ready for Blackfriday and CyberMonday?

It’s that time of the year again where every business, big or small, new or old, targets hitting maximum sales.

Unlike the last few years, due to the current uncertain times, many shoppers plan on taking advantage of the Blackfriday and CyberMonday sale online. Hence, the need for businesses to pull up their socks and gear up for the season.

Blackfriday and CyberMonday

Blackfriday is the day after Thanksgiving wherein frenzied shoppers rush to take advantage of the discounted rates.

This shopping trend has spread from the States to the UK, Australia, and New Zealand too.

CyberMonday, much like the term, mainly refers to shopping online. Excited shoppers can take advantage of prices that further drop because CyberMonday follows Blackfriday. This year, Blackfriday is falling on 26th November and CyberMonday is on 29th November.

This write-up is for eCommerce businesses to gauge whether they are ready to take on millions of online customers this year.

Tips on getting your eCommerce store ready for Blackfriday and CyberMonday.

2020 saw an over 22% increase in online shopping in comparison to 2019. The new normal has made shopping from the comfort of one’s home a reality. Therefore, it is time to be fully prepared before the biggest sale of the year starts.

Following tips and strategies can help eCommerce businesses prepare for the same-

1. Plan Ahead- lay out the groundwork first. Decide on what and how much discounts you want to offer. Stay in touch with your customers so that your brand is always on their mind. Have a full working plan in hand. Work out every single detail or possible glitches.
2. Be Campaign ready- use influencers, provide hefty discounts to VIP or loyal customers, email your customers in advance about the discount deals and send out personalized recommendations. Make sure your sale campaign reaches every customer who has ever shopped at your online store. Start sending out emails with your discount details, create hype around your brand, and keep the shopper engaged with anticipation.
3. Check the speed of your website– the last thing you want is customers abandoning the site due to slow speed. Make sure the interface and performance of your website are optimum. It can handle traffic, remove any heavy content, and make use of speed-optimized widgets to show the products. Also, use Speedflex Technology to load the reviews quickly. You can either gain or lose millions of customers depending on the performance of your website.
4. Don’t forget mobile users– shopping while lounging on the couch with the ease of mobile is the new trend. Many shoppers prefer this. Make sure your mobile app is user-friendly. If your business doesn’t have an app ensure your website is mobile-friendly. Over 54% of sales on Blackfriday and CyberMonday happen on mobile phones. Make searching and shopping on mobile phones a smooth experience. Mobile wallets like PayPal, Android-Pay, Apple-Pay are safe ways of shopping. Mobile wallets store your card information and let you make payments without carrying a card. It can be used via a mobile app.
5. Reviews-based shopping– most customers check reviews before buying any product. Over 88% of online customers read reviews before buying. Some of them read up to 10 or 12 reviews. Ensure you update the best reviews on your website before the big day. Have a well informative review and feedback section. Ask your customers to send feedback and post the same immediately. This gives a sense of importance to the customers.
6. Payment Options– provide as many payment options to the customer as possible at the checkout. In addition, make your checkout experience a smooth process. Over 12% of customers abandon their purchase at the checkout because they aren’t able to pay as they want to. Swish and Klarna are the fastest-growing payment methods in Sweden. PayPal, a globally used method of payment is quite popular. Other options are Shopify Pay, Stripe, etc.
7. Delivery of the product– build an effective and easy to delivery options and returns policy. Many shoppers prefer an uncomplicated delivery of their purchase. Although home delivery is the most preferred method, as quoted by Postnord, store pick up or click and collect are equally favored. Customers do not mind picking up their order from the nearest store a few hours after making the payment. It fans their excitement of seeing the product they have liked and purchased recently. Also, be honest and transparent about your shipping details and cost. No customer wants to be caught unaware of hidden shipping costs. In addition, provide full tracking details right from placing the order to delivering it. This way customers feel they are a part of the whole process.
8. Involve Social Media– take help from social media. As many as 60% of shoppers tend to search social media regarding a product. Social media like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok allow consumers to see a product and buy it immediately. Pinterest on the other hand takes you to the concerned eCommerce site.
9. Customer Support– the idea is not just to entertain old and loyal customers, but to lure and target new ones. Make sure you have strong customer support to answer queries in minimum interactions. New customers are bound to be confused and millions of people are navigating their way onto your website. Therefore, you need to have expert customer support taking on the consumer queries and issues. This will help build your brand and place trust in the mind of the people.
10. Miscellaneous strategies– pay specific attention to the following tips-

• Utilize UGC (user-generated content) widgets to keep updating the website with photos or videos of customers.
• Create a user-friendly search experience. Make sure navigation and searching is an easy process while browsing your website on a mobile or desktop,
• Make sure your checkout process is to carry, especially for new customers.
• Searching and navigating your website should be easy.
• Utilize the strategy of applying the discount codes directly at the checkout. This way you have made the life of the shopper easier.
• Avoid abandonment of carts by offering a discount immediately. This way you do not stand to lose customers and the ones who left your site might return. Make use of Chatbots here. Offer solutions to customer queries immediately.
• Generate a post- Blackfriday-CyberMonday loyalty program. It allows customers who earned loyalty points to return and shop further.
• Provide customized deals to your loyal and VIP customers.
• Carry out a contest on social media. This will further hype the anticipation regarding the sale on your website.
• Stock up on your products. You do not want to lose customers over items just because they are sold out.
• Try collaborating with eCommerce big players like Amazon. If your product can feature on Amazon, then nothing like it. Yes, Amazon is a big fish but getting your brand to feature on their website will skyrocket your sales.
• Advertise on Facebook Ads, Facebook groups, Facebook posts, Google Ads, Instagram stories, etc.
• Promote ‘buy one, get one free’. This sometimes lures a customer to buy an item just because they will get two at the price of one.
• Create a buzz by launching new products. This will keep the loyal customers hooked and lure new ones who want to know what the excitement is all about.
• Be personalized in your approach. A personal email or SMS makes a customer feel special.
• Lastly, carry out a mock drill to check your site speed or any new app features or themes. You do not want to be left high and dry on D-Day.

Concluding words

The above checklist includes maximum if not all things to keep in mind before getting your eCommerce business ready for Blackfriday and CyberMonday sale.

Cross-checking these points will present you with a clear picture as to whether your eCommerce is geared up for the biggest sale of the year or not.

There is no one way of doing things right but you will get only one chance a year. The mantra is to plan, execute, and anticipate any possible issues.

It is the holiday season and most shoppers tend to indulge during this time. So, let’s take advantage of it and start making profit. There isn’t room for glitches.

Blackfriday and CyberMonday are almost here and we wish you all the luck!!

If you want to know if your website is ready for the high season we invite you to get your results in this free online diagnostic for your ecommerce.