What is Black Friday?

If you love a bargain, Black Friday is the day for you. 

Black Friday originated in the USA, but has today spread across the world. It officially begins the day after Thanksgiving and is a day for retailers to offer big discounts and for shoppers to get great bargains. 

Many US retailers prepare themselves for this to be the biggest day of sales of the year. And they spend a long time working towards achieving success for this day. For many, Black Friday is the start of the Christmas shopping season. 

As well as traveling across the globe, the day of discounts now also often lasts several days, if not weeks. It is now often seen online as well as in bricks and mortar stores, too. 

Why is Black Friday Good for eCommerce Retailers? 

Whether your business is in novelty socks or selling the latest cloud phone system, if you sell online, you should take part in Black Friday. Although the day used to be focused on in-store sales, it has now largely moved onto the net. That means if you aren’t part of the event, you could miss out on big money. 

According to Oberlo, 2018 saw a 23.6% rise in online sales compared to the previous year. And many stores report a huge influx of trade during this time. All of which makes Black Friday the perfect day to attract new buyers and increase sales. It’s also a great chance to clear any old stock. 

Consider, too, that more people now use their mobile phones to shop with. As such, it’s a good idea to make sure you are prepared for a potential influx of online shoppers via mobile devices on Black Friday. Bit that’s not all you can do to prepare. 

How to Prepare for the Big Day

There are several things to do to make sure that you aren’t overwhelmed when it comes to Black Friday. Being prepared will ensure that staff are ready, products are prepped, and sites won’t be overloaded. It also reduces the risk of angry callers complaining about bad customer service or website crashes. 

If you are planning on starting an online store in time for Black Friday, you may need to do an extra bit of planning, but it won’t be an impossible task. Just be aware that it may be a lot to handle as a first-timer. 

Once you are ready, there are a few ways in which you can drive more sales to your site to make sure shoppers are aware of any offers you may have. 

1. Making the most of online merchandising.

This basically means displaying offers in a way that makes that most sales. Use imaginative ways to capture people’s attention and show them what you can offer. Remember, you need to do what you can to beat the competition. 

2. Optimizing social media.

A great place for people to find out about your offers is on social media. You can use the top video collaboration tools to create an out of the box ad about the crazy Black Friday deals you have online. Then share it on social media and let your customers know about your offers. You can even offer coupons to customers when they share the video or ‘tag a friend’ in the comments. 

3. Email them your offers.

Sometimes the old ways are still the best. If you already have the email addresses of people who have visited your site, then send them a message to tell them about your Black Friday deals. Use a catchy subject line and pop in some images to really catch their eye. Make the most of the marketing automation tools out there and send personalized emails to customers as you get closer to the day. 

Conclusion

Black Friday can be a very exciting time. But it can also be a bit hectic. Being prepared will stop you from being overwhelmed. However, at the same time, consider that this day is a really great opportunity to make a lot of income for your eCommerce company. If you get the chance, you might even be able to bag yourself a bargain from your own favorite retailers, too.