Black Friday was previously a day where frantic shoppers queued down the high street to find the best bargains of the year. However, with the pandemic preventing swarms of crowds from gathering during this time, customers will be shifting to online methods to get the most from this discounted day.
As consumers move to rely on e-commerce sites, businesses have a pressure to respond to this demand and ensure they are prepared to capture the attention of shoppers online amidst a sea of competition from industry giants such as Amazon dominating the market.
Since the traffic to the top 100 shopping sites increased by 137% on Black Friday last year, businesses have an opportunity to capitalise on this event and generate a larger portion of revenue than they are used to. However, converting users to make a sale can be challenging, especially for those businesses who do not have a large budget or resources.
To aid businesses in making the most of the Black Friday surge in traffic and converting consumers to make a sale, we have put together five tip tips for e-commerce businesses to capitalise on this day:
- Focus on your unique selling point and maximise this
When attempting to compete with retailing giants like Amazon, your business should focus on the points which really set your brand apart from them. For smaller and more artisan businesses, Black Friday is an opportunity to remind your customers that you directly serve the local community and are in tune with their needs and wants.
Smaller businesses have an ability to meet the local needs of their customers, a factor which can greatly help your business to stand out. During such times of uncertainty, many consumers are looking to help out local firms so businesses should ensure they are on the radar of their local community. Offering discount vouchers to these customers can be a great way to instil loyalty in your company and help convert consumers to make a sale.
- Use the data at your fingertips to make decisions
Before ordering in stock for Black Friday, businesses should be sure to analyse any google analytics data from previous years. This data will give you an insight into which products sold well in previous years and which product categories your customers were particularly interested in.
This data can be used to feed your stock forecasting but also contribute to planning your Black Friday marketing campaigns. Understanding which products your customers were most interested in during previous years will allow you to focus resources into these areas and maximise sales for these categories.
- Engage in targeted email marketing
Although Black Friday itself is the main event, activity and preparation for this day must begin for businesses at least one month in advance. Since consumer inboxes will become crowded in the days leading up to the event, businesses need to successfully capture and maintain the attention of customers with valuable information in order to stand out from the sea of emails they are receiving.
Businesses should be building anticipation with email marketing, offering sneak-peaks, VIP discounts, limited-time offers, all designed to drum up interest and encourage consumers to seek out your emails. These emails should be personalised at every level, rather than simply blasting out generic emails to every subscribing customer. By using data such as browsing and purchasing history information, businesses can target their customers more efficiently and effectively in time for Black Friday.
- Make your user journey as simple as possible
The user should always be at the core of the website design. When businesses prioritise the user journey in their content and design, their website automatically becomes more user-friendly. To ensure your business is in the best position to secure sales on Black Friday, your website must provide an easy user experience for consumers in order to persuade them to convert to a sale.
The website must be simplified with strong calls to action (CTAs) on the relevant pages so customers can check out as efficiently as possible. Businesses should also ensure that customers have a straightforward way to contact them with a phone number, live chat option and email address. These additional features can add credibility to the site and avoid customers terminating their journey from lack of trust and support.
- Focus on utilising trusted payment methods
Consumers also need to feel safe with their online security when shopping on your website, especially if your business is new to them. To ensure customers feel comfortable when using your site, you should ensure you have the latest secure financial technology to help reassure customers that their money will be safe once they have paid.
Businesses should also consider adding a section to the site, perhaps in the header or footer which shows the payment options available to consumers. This can act as a trust signal and help users to feel comfortable proceeding to the checkout to convert to a sale.
“
