The most awaited day for all online and physical stores is just a few weeks away! Not making the most of the opportunity for more sales and new customers is tantamount to a crime. First: Your competitors will surely do it and second: you will have to wait a whole year to get a chance to correct your mistake. Here are some tips that will help you with the wave of discounts and deals that is about to hit us very soon.

Don't forget about Cyber ​​Monday

Known worldwide as Black Friday, the last Friday of November is a real event for both retailers and their customers. No less important as a platform for expression is the Monday after the heavy weekend - Cyber ​​Monday, which owes its name precisely to the fact that after the big market in physical stores, consumers turn to online discounts. In a nutshell: it is traditionally assumed that Black Friday refers to large chains of physical stores, and Cyber ​​Monday is for profitable online shopping. Over the years, these differences have become less obvious, but it will be beneficial for you to create a separate campaign specifically for Cyber ​​Monday. You can extend the time of the same promotions, put reduced prices on last year's products, or strengthen the relationship with consumers who bought something during Black Friday with a special offer just for them. This campaign will bring you even more revenue, especially considering the fact that Cyber ​​Monday is still gaining momentum in our country and you will not have to deal with much competition.

Preparation and products

Black Friday is an event of unparalleled size, and to begin with, you need to be convinced that you are technically ready to handle the influx of customers. If your website has problems with the user journey, visual layout, or loading speed, now is the time to fix them. How much traffic can your server handle and how quickly can you fix the problem if the system stops working? You need to have answers to all of these questions, because once faced with a bad customer experience on that day, customers are unlikely to come back again.

As for products: you are probably considering the well-known strategy of reducing those items that are already gathering dust in the warehouse in order to make some money from them. There is nothing wrong with this approach, but our advice is not to miss the chance to get the most out of the best-selling products in your store and offer them at discounted prices. Speaking of discounts – you should carefully consider what % you can afford so that at the end of the campaign the revenue exceeds the costs. The latter, of course, is not mandatory – you can rely on a strategy to attract new customers that will justify the current losses for the sake of future profit.

Digital Marketing

Look around – Black Friday campaigns start as early as the last days of October. Some large chains announce a promotion regime that covers the entire month of November, but usually most businesses focus on the last Friday of the month and the following weekend or the week before. If you choose this course of action, it is a good idea to draw attention to future discounts a week in advance. Bet on creative publications and “Coming Soon” type drop-down pages and send an email with similar content. No – mailing campaigns are not an outdated practice, in fact, it is on Black Friday that they prove their timeless effectiveness. Our advice is to offer special discounts for loyal customers, because now is the time to remind them that they will not find the same attitude and discounts from the competition. If you decide to use the entire week before the big weekend, you can promote a different product (or series of products) every day. If you decide to use only the last three days, bet on an active marketing campaign across all social media channels and consider a drop-down page with a timer.

Black Friday Live

The idea of ​​a live shopping event is not new, but at this stage it is still gaining popularity and is a “trademark” of large online stores. Regardless of what format you choose (podcast, interview, live broadcast with just one influencer, etc.), users will receive a bonus social experience that they will associate with your brand from now on. Live events lead to increased conversions, reduce the number of returned products and create a strong connection with the audience. Yes – they require a serious investment of money and time (equipment, paid collaboration with experienced presenters, preparation of a marketing campaign, etc.), but in the long run they are worth the effort. You can do a short event for just one product, which is offered for promotion only within the framework of this specific event. Or you can direct all your efforts to a longer Black Friday live broadcast, which you can promote in advance on all possible channels and is timed to meet the needs of users.

And a few more tips

Don’t underestimate the potential benefits of free shipping – many online customers admit that this simple discount is one of the main factors determining their loyalty to a brand. Limit your losses to a specific amount per order with such a bonus, but don’t make it too high – it’s Black Friday after all. Consider a gift option or a promo code with a discount only for loyal customers. Add drop-down pages with recommended products. Remember that hashtags are one of the most effective ways to attract attention to your posts, especially on Instagram. After the madness is over, analyze the right and wrong decisions and come up with a few ideas for next year. Don’t forget that the professionals from SFC digital advertising agency will make every promotion of your business a real Black Friday!