Between Black Friday and Christmas, 30% of all retail sales are made. It is important to prepare your e-commerce website for this busy time. It's possible to make small adjustments that will increase your revenue. It pays to prepare now for the fierce competition in Black Friday ecommerce sales.
Here are the 15 steps to prepare your e-commerce website for Black Friday or holiday shopping.
1. 1. Start planning early
Time moves quickly! After a hectic summer, it takes a few weeks for your body to heal. Then, Black Friday arrives.
It takes time to create exceptional digital marketing. You want the big holidays to run smoothly, so it's important to plan ahead.
Holiday shoppers start to plan ahead and you as a seller should be available to assist them. Plan your advertising and decide on the deals you will offer. Make sure your site is fully functional.
2. 2. Create comparison guides and other content
Every step in your buyer journey is influenced by good content.
Your reach will be expanded by sharing quality content. It is easy to find on social media or in search engines and people love it.
Once you have your audience on board, you can then give them valuable information to establish your authority and help them make a purchase decision. This creates trust and confidence, which will help people make their purchases.
This step is about quality. You should create content that is of real value, not just for entertainment. While it may take more effort and time, it will significantly improve the impact.
If you are writing a piece about the Best hot tubs for the winter season, you should not just write 250 words on the product. Give people a detailed comparison guide to help them make informed decisions. You can make the one you're selling sound even better.
3. 3.Organize Your Featured Sales
A good sale is something we all love. Many people love featured sales, which are why they shop on Cyber Monday and Black Friday. This makes these days great for retailers.
It can be difficult to stand out in a sea of similar sites that offer sales.
Sales promotions don't only focus on savings. These promotions are about creating excitement around the holidays and building buzz about your company, as well as strategically selling stock. You need to balance your business goals and your customers' needs when selling the right products.
Your featured sales should be viewed from a marketing perspective. How can you get people's attention and guide them through your buyer journey? Your featured sales will have a huge impact on your revenue if they can do this.
This could include the use of loss leaders to drive customers to your store.
4. Optimize and Test Your Site Speed
People are in a hurry when they line up to get in on Black Friday. It's not unreasonable to assume that Black Friday shopping online will be any different.
Black Friday and holiday shopping revolve around capitalizing on excitement. A slow website is not the enemy of excitement.
You can check the speed of your website now to ensure you have enough time to make necessary changes. This can be done quickly by running your website through Google Lighthouse and Google PageSpeed Insights.
These are actionable steps that you can take in order to increase your site's speed. These are just a few of the tips that can help you increase your site speed.
5. 5.
Virtually every holiday ad that you see plays on the festive theme is intentional.
It's a great opportunity to show that you care about the same issues everyone else cares about. Holidays are joyful times. People are eager for Christmas, happy about Thanksgiving, and excited about holiday sales.
Demonstrate that you are also excited.
You don't have to offer a discount; embrace the holiday spirit and ensure that your website's copy and visuals reflect this excitement.
eBay's banner is simple, but you can update hero images or product images to bring out the holiday spirit.
It doesn't have to be excessive, but images and copy that reflect the period are a good idea.
6. Social Media Platforms: Take advantage
Social media can be a great way for you to reach your target audience, whether it's via organic posts or paid advertisements. Your ability to reach your target audience is even more important during the holiday season.
You must reach your target audience if you want to spread holiday cheer and offer amazing deals.
Following step 2, you've already made investments in quality content. Now, it's time to engage your target audience and followers.
Best Buy shares content such as gift guides.
This time of year, everyone is spending money on ads. Your cost per click may be higher than usual. You can lower your costs by creating amazing content for your ads. This will increase your conversions.
7. Reveal and improve product pages
Sales don't happen by accident. Even if your offer is amazing, buyers must still make a decision before they commit to buying.
Each interaction potential customers have to your brand will impact their purchase decision. They will question their purchase decision if they find certain parts not up to standards.
Your product page is one of the most important assets you have in Black Friday ecommerce. Your product page is what people rely on. They can't touch your products or see them with their eyes.
Do not focus on cramming features into product pages. Instead, put your focus on the benefits and tell a story with them. High-quality multimedia is a great way to give people the information they need in order to make an informed decision.
8. Make gift idea guides
Gift-giving is a big part of holiday celebrations. Some people enjoy coming up with elaborate plans and creating new ideas to surprise their loved ones. Some people find it difficult to think of gift ideas.
Black Friday ecommerce is a great time to sell gift ideas because people are starting to think about Christmas presents.
Google Trends quickly shows that gift guide searches increase dramatically in December.
Another opportunity to create useful, engaging content that appeals to your target audience. Your expert knowledge can help you find the perfect gift for your customers.
9. Segment your emails to receive personalized offers
Email marketing is one the most powerful digital marketing strategies.
This is especially true when holiday shopping is concerned, as 75 percent of shoppers search their email for discounts. Adidas capitalizes on this interest by sending discount emails such as this one.
Black Friday ecommerce is more than just discounts. It's all about engagement, as I said earlier. To get your discount in front of the right people, it's important to establish a relationship with your target audience.
Segmenting your email list is the best way to achieve this. This will allow you to send personalized content. If you sell equipment and apparel for sports, for example, you could segment your email list into two categories based on where they signed up.
Segmentation can also be based on existing customers or new members, such as those who are interested in beauty products and bath items.
This will allow you to create more targeted content that engages your audience and, most importantly, it will help you reach the right people with the right offers.
10. 10.
E-commerce businesses need a good return policy. People can try on products and touch them in a physical shop. We don't have this ability with e-commerce, although AR and other technologies are a step forward.
A good return policy is a key factor in influencing people's buying decisions. This allows buyers to “take a chance” on your product, knowing that they can return it if they don't like it.
Your return policy should not be updated. Use it to sell your products. Use it to convince the buyer that you offer hassle-free returns with pre-paid shipping.
You might consider offering extended returns policies during holiday season to allow gift recipients to return any gifts that are not perfect.
11. Make sure you have a backup plan
There are many ways to reach your target audience and engage them.
Marketing can be a volatile business with so many businesses trying to reach customers. You might have set a CPC for $1.00, but the cost of your ads will rise as you compete with other advertisements.
You must be flexible in this area and use your entire digital marketing arsenal.
If your paid ads cost more than you expected or don't bring in the desired returns, it is a good idea to have an email marketing campaign that works.
Planning and preparation are key to maximizing your opportunities for pivoting.
12. Follow up on abandoned carts
It is frustrating to abandon carts. It would be a huge boost to your sales if you could convert half of these people.
Some people leave items in their shopping cart because they have a reason. They might use it to create a wishlist or because they weren't satisfied with your offer. Perhaps they intended to buy but forgot.
You can change the equation by having their email address. This will allow you to recover any abandoned carts. It can all be automated, which is the best thing about it.
People have the right to express their concerns. You can offer them a discount, ask for help, or simply remind them.
13. Prepare Your Customer Service
Increased traffic and sales mean more customer service inquiries. People shopping online does not mean that they aren't asking questions.
Your customer service must be ready to meet the increased demand.
Use the right tools such as live chats and ensure you have enough staff to deal with the high volume of inquiries. It's worth the investment to answer simple questions and turn abandoned carts into sales.
You might consider adding a chatbot on your website to automate certain processes. The human touch is key to making a difference.
14. Retargeting can be used to increase brand awareness
Your site may not be visited by everyone who makes a purchase.
Black Friday ecommerce offers a great opportunity to increase brand awareness and plant the seeds for future sales. Every visitor to your site is an opportunity. Even if they don't buy anything, it's still an opportunity.
Retargeting can be used to engage website visitors and get them back.
Retargeting increases conversion rates by up to 150 percent and makes consumers 70 percent more likely.
It's a great time of year to bring people into your retargeting channel, such as Black Friday or the holiday shopping season.
15. Optimize your Checkout Processes
If your checkout process is slow and clumsy, it will frustrate your customers. After all the work you did to create excitement and convince people to buy, it's time to make it easy for them to complete their purchase.
Take a look at your checkout process and see if there are any improvements. Make changes if the answer is “yes”. Do not let a faulty or confusing check-out process ruin your sales.
Commonly Asked Questions about Black Friday E-Commerce Marketing
What is ecommerce Black Friday?
Black Friday is the largest online shopping day in the UK and the US. This is a great opportunity for ecommerce businesses to increase their sales, and it's a great way for shoppers to find amazing deals.
What is Black Friday's marketing strategy?
Black Friday is a great time to market your business and increase revenue.
How can I prepare for Black Friday ecommerce sales?
Start preparing for Black Friday e-commerce ahead of time. Create targeted content, optimize your product pages and checkout, check your site speed, and build your email marketing strategy.
What is the best time to start marketing for Black Friday
You can start preparing for Black Friday in the summer. Once you’ve got everything in order, Halloween is a good time to start implementing your Black Friday e-commerce marketing efforts.
BlackFriday Checklist Conclusion
E-commerce websites are dependent on holiday shopping and Black Friday, so it is important to prepare early.
Make sure everything is in order and then you can embrace the season by focusing your attention on the steps.
Black Friday ecommerce is more than just selling deals. Instead, focus on the value you can provide to your target audience. You can maximize your sales with great outreach, engaging content and personalized offers.
Are You Ready for Black Friday?
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By: Neil Patel
Title: A 15 Step Checklist to Prepare Your E-Commerce Site for Black Friday and Holiday Shopping
Sourced From: neilpatel.com/blog/black-friday/
Published Date: Mon, 04 Oct 2021 13:00:00 +0000