The day after Thanksgiving has become one of the most significant shopping events of the year: Black Friday. Last year, Black Friday online sales increased by almost 24 percent compared to 2017, with online sales totaling over six billion dollars. Whether your business is e-commerce, or your website is just there to drive in-store traffic, it's essential to have your website ready for the Black Friday craze to optimize sales and maximize profits. Is your website ready for this year's shoppers? Here's what you need to know to be prepared for Black Friday.
Start Early
Start driving traffic to your website before Black Friday with social media, email, and search campaigns. Seasonal sales are competitive, with Black Friday being one of the trendiest. Many shoppers use Black Friday sales to jump start their holiday shopping. Nearly half of shoppers begin their shopping before November 1st, so if you're going to have great deals, you need to start marketing for Black Friday in advance.
Triple-Check for Errors
Before Black Friday, your website needs a thorough debugging, and all content needs double-checking. You do not want to miss out on sales because of technical errors like misspelled promo codes or broken links. Plan for the worst and backup your site in case it crashes from the influx of traffic. Before you send out marketing campaigns, check your content, copy, and links, then make sure your checkout process is simple, quick, and functional. Go through your website as a customer would, adding and removing items from your basket, and use checkout to make sure the experience is easy and smooth. If your site takes too long to load, or has broken links, customers may move on to your competitor during the Black Friday frenzy.
Give Discounts
Black Friday shoppers are looking for deals and sales. Now is the time to fill your website with limited time offers. Discounts are also a chance to gain loyal customers by inviting them to sign up for exclusive deals, emails, or loyalty programs in order to access Black Friday specials. Will you offer specials all week long? What coupons will you offer - 20% off or free gifts with a purchase? You can use special promo codes, or run sales on your website, reducing prices while shopping or at checkout.
Smartphone Shoppers
Your website may look beautiful on a laptop, but how does it look on a phone? Is it easy to use? Can customers quickly check out using just their smartphone? Statista predicts that in 2019, 44.7 percent of retail e-commerce sales will be through a mobile phone. An essential part of getting your website ready for Black Friday is making it mobile-friendly so that customers can have the full experience from shopping to checkout on their smartphone.
Each year, Black Friday grows, as eager shoppers hope to get the best deals for their holiday shopping lists. People wait in line for hours to get limited-time offers, and websites crash from the traffic of excited customers not wanting to miss out. Is your website ready for Black Friday? If your website isn't ready for the biggest shopping event of the year, you can end up missing out on sales and new customers. Be prepared for increased traffic and order volume. Your website should be quick and easy to use, both on a computer and a smartphone. Start driving traffic early and pick the right coupons and offers for the event. The Black Friday shopping event is a chance to increase profits and your number of loyal customers. Do you want some expert knowledge on getting your website ready? Contact the experts at Ironmark for a consultation!