Get ready for Black Friday 2022! The biggest shopping event of the year is almost upon us, and if you want to make the most of it, you need to be prepared. In this blog post, we’ll give our tips on how to survive and thrive during Black Friday season. So, pen and paper at the ready?Let’s dive in!
Plan Ahead
We’ve said it already, but we’ll say it again. Be prepared. It’s crucial for success of your small business this Black Friday that you plan ahead. As you’ve probably heard many times before: fail to prepare, prepare to fail. This is especially true when it comes to Black Friday. Last minute flash sale emails, rushed social media content and ads with no strategic planning will cost you money and cause you to lose out to your competitors who have well thought out and perfectly executed content. Black Friday is the busiest shopping day of the year, and for many businesses, it can be a great opportunity to boost sales and grow their customer base. However, as a small business owner, planning ahead is essential to making the most of Black Friday and ensuring that your store remains competitive. To enjoy Black Friday success, it’s crucial that you develop a strategy and implement ahead of time. We recommend the following:
- To get started, you will need to take some time to research Black Friday trends in your industry, including which products or services are likely to be in high demand.
- Once you’ve carried out your research, decide on your goals and pricing strategy around the items you want to discount (more on these later)
- Begin to craft your marketing materials. We recommend making use of all of your available digital channels: Organic social media, Paid Ads, Email Marketing, Website Banners etc
When planning out your marketing content, take the time to craft your imagery, copy, colour scheme, font, budget… everything. Make sure the messaging is clear and the offers are consistent across all channels both paid and organic. The more time you spend really getting into the mindset of your ideal customer and refining your content, the more chance your eCommerce business will stand out from the sea of Black Friday content and really grab your audience’s attention.
Have a Clear Goal in Mind
As we mentioned above, as small business owner, it is important to have a clear goal in mind this Black Friday. Whether you’re gearing up for a big sales push or simply looking to generate awareness among potential customers, Black Friday presents an excellent opportunity to boost your business. Once you have identified what you want to get out of Black Friday, you can start to plan carefully, and utilise the latest ecommerce tools and strategies to ensure success.
One key consideration is choosing the right products to promote. Since Black Friday is all about great deals, you should focus on items that are deeply discounted, exclusive offers that your customers can’t find anywhere else, or an offer that really adds value for the customer. You might also consider different pricing strategies, such as flash sales or time-limited discounts, which can help create a sense of urgency and get people excited about making purchases. Black Friday can be a great time to clear old stock before you kick off the holiday season – could this be a goal for your business?
Price Your Items Correctly
As a small business owner looking to attract customers this Black Friday, it is crucial that you price your items appropriately. There are a number of key factors to keep in mind when setting your prices.
Firstly, start by researching what your competitors are charging for similar products. It is also important to consider ecommerce trends and site traffic when setting your prices, as these can directly influence how much consumers are willing to pay. In addition, you should take into account any seasonal factors that may affect the demand for particular items. For example, winter coats are likely to be in much higher demand than beach gear during these colder months. By considering all these factors ahead of time, you can ensure that you are pricing your items appropriately as a small business this Black Friday.
Once you have decided on the deals you want to offer, make sure there is an easy way to clearly communicate these offers with you customers. What wording will you use? How will you communicate that only selected items from selected brands are on offer? If you have various deals running, how will you summarise these deals and describe them to customers?
Set Up Your Sale Properly
If a web developer, or someone else in your team, looks after the running of your ecommerce store, make sure you inform them in good time of your strategy for Black Friday. If you manage your store yourself, take the time to ensure that you are comfortable with all of the things you will need to do to make the sale live. Write out a step by step guide for yourself to ensure nothing is missed when the pressure is on, before you hit that ‘publish’ button.
It’s important to make sure that your website is well-organized and easy to navigate, with clear categories and descriptions for each item. Additionally, it’s important to focus on providing excellent customer service. This means promptly responding to enquiries from potential customers, offering shipping options that meet their needs, and providing them with detailed information about their purchase once it has been completed.
Finally, make sure your offers are easy to avail of. If you can, opt for auto-apply discounts where possible and if that isn’t possible, avoid hard to remember discount codes and make sure users are clear on exactly what items the discount code will work for.
Get Ready for the Crowds
In addition to setting up your Black Friday sale effectively, you should also consider investing in ecommerce tools that will help streamline your Black Friday operations and optimise your website for high traffic levels. By preparing carefully and taking advantage of the many resources available to help small businesses thrive this Black Friday, you can maximise sales and position your business for success well into the future. Black Friday can be an incredibly busy time for online retailers, so make sure that your website is optimised to handle high volumes of traffic.
Additionally, pay close attention to your inventory; too much or too little stock can have a big impact on your sales performance on Black Friday.
Promote, Promote, Promote!
As we’ve touched on throughout this blog, effectively marketing your Black Friday deals is essential. This might include creating eye-catching ads and social media posts that highlight the best deals of the day or using email marketing to let existing customers know about your Black Friday promotions ahead of time.
Want more advice on promoting your Black Friday sale? Stay tuned for next week’s blog where we dive into 5 tips to make your Black Friday Campaigns stand out from the competition this year!
Whatever tactics you choose, the key is to be strategic and make sure that your Black Friday efforts align with your overall business goals. With careful planning and strong execution, you can ensure that this Black Friday will be hugely profitable for your small business!