Maximum Black Friday success in 4 steps

Step 1: Prepare

We might be stating the obvious, but there are lots to think about when preparing the retail days of the year. When the conversions rolls around, you want to be ready for anything and have a plan in place. Make life a little easier by ensuring you and your team are clear on the following:

▢ Analyze last year’s results.

Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Look at what worked well last year and what went wrong. Use previous campaign results and data from your sale to avoid making the same mistakes again, but also discover what your customers really want.

▢ Create a timeline

Your timeline should include your promotion plan and communication dates as well as when you want the sale to begin and when you want the sale to end.

▢ Ensure open communication with your suppliers

Your goal is as many customer conversions as possible, but can your suppliers handle that and can they deliver on time? Wise to check this beforehand! Make a list of your key vendors and cross them off when you have had contact with them.

▢ Offer your customers an irresistible offer

During Black Friday and Cyber Monday, shoppers are looking for extreme discounts. The higher the discount rate the better. Work out for yourself how far you can go and how much discount you can offer on your products and then create an offer that your customers cannot refuse. What about non-profits? Show your loyal contributors your appreciation by making them an exclusive offer during Giving Tuesday.

▢ Make an emergency plan

Prepare for the worst. By that we don’t mean unrealistic fears, but make sure you have a plan in place in case something goes wrong. For example, what happens if a product is sold out? Or if your supplier can’t meet your requirements? Make sure you always have a plan B.

Step 2: Promotion

In a sea of websites and online stores, it is important to promote your online store. How can anyone else know to be with you? The run-up and promotion is the key to success. How do you let potential customers know you’re there and entice them to buy from you.

▢ Do you have a healthy database?

All your efforts are wasted if your campaigns do not reach the right recipient. Be sure to connect with a satisfied, healthy database to ensure your message is received.

▢ Create a multichannel communications plan

Sending an email is great, but have you supported it with messages from your other channels? By using all available channels, you create a seamless customer experience that causes satisfaction scores to skyrocket.

Write down for yourself how satisfied you are with your current communication plan for the channels you use. Focus on the channels you are not yet satisfied with.

▢ Abandoned cart e-mail

60% to 80% of online shopping carts are abandoned before the customer completes their purchase. Emails about abandoned shopping carts ensure that many of those incomplete orders are completed anyway.

▢ Announcement

Send details of the sale in advance to existing subscribers and then send a reminder email when the Black Friday or Cyber Monday sale officially begins.

▢ Interactive emails

Make sure you stand out with interaction in your emails, such as a countdown timer or even something more advanced like Parallax.

▢ Segment your profiles

Every customer should receive a relevant offer, which is why it is important to segment your profiles. By segmenting by location, gender or another variable, for example, you can create personalized messages that guarantee maximum conversion.

▢ Aligning mobile strategy

Think mobile! Year after year, more people are making purchases from their mobile rather than a desktop. Think carefully about whether your website is responsive, the purchase process and about sending push notifications.

▢ Campaigns to drive conversions.

If someone has bought from you in the past, they are more likely to buy from you again in the future. Set up a retargeting campaign via social media, email or mobile messaging to let them know you have a new sale.

Reward your loyal customers with a special offer through a loyalty campaign. Don’t roll these out to your entire database, but keep your repeat customers happy and you’ll end up with more lasting relationships.

Step 3: A great website

Your website is the most important place during Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday where you need to be visible. So make sure your website is in top condition.

▢ Test your website

Since the pandemic, we have been shopping online even more. As a result, traffic to websites has increased dramatically. Is your website calculated for this increase and the additional Black Friday traffic? Test this in advance to make sure you can serve your customers throughout the sales period.

▢ Striking image

Attract attention with a strong image that draws people to your page.

▢ Bold banner design

An eye-catching banner detailing your sale is essential. People, when visiting your site, need to know immediately what to expect.

▢ Use a countdown timer

The great strength of Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday is that the deals and promotions are only available for a limited time. Creating scarcity encourages your audience to make spontaneous purchases. Amplify the tension with a countdown timer.

Step 4: Reflect

Definitely something to remember! Christmas is still coming and that means there are still plenty of opportunities to improve your campaigns, but also to take away what did go well.

Google Analytics has a wealth of information about what’s popular on your website and which email campaigns went well. Start reporting and analyzing statistics to perform even better in the coming months.

Turn the customers you interacted with during Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday into repeat customers throughout the year with the following campaigns:

▢ Thank you campaign

Thank your subscribers for supporting your business and build a good relationship.

▢ Follow-up campaign

It’s important to let people know when your sale has ended. Follow up with customers who have purchased or donated something (and subscribers who haven’t) to see if you can offer them additional value.

Once these hectic days are over, it is important to take notes. Make a list of 4 things that went well, 4 things that did not go according to plan and end with 4 actions for the next few months.

Wrapping up

You succeeded. Another year, another success story. Remember, there is a lot involved in preparing for Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday. Do everything you can to reduce the stress of that day and be ready for an influx of website traffic and conversions. Good luck!

Can we help?

If you still have questions about how to optimize your communication strategies leading up to Black Friday, contact us and we’ll lend a hand!