Black Friday ecommerce planning has a firm deadline: Friday 27 November this year, with Cyber Monday on Monday 30 November (dates). If you sell online, that’s four weeks away. You can’t rebuild a shop in four weeks. You can fix the things that decide whether the visitors you already get turn into orders.
1. Decide whether to take part at all
Not every business should discount. If your margins are thin, or your customers buy because they like you, a big discount can teach them to wait for the next one. If you do join in, choose the products and the depth of discount now. Work out what you make on each sale after the discount, delivery and returns.
2. Make the site quick and the checkout easy
Buy something from your own shop on a phone, on mobile data. Count the steps and remove any you don’t need. Show delivery cost and date before checkout, not at the end. Slow pages and surprise costs lose more orders than a good offer wins.
3. Check stock and delivery promises
Selling something you can’t ship is worse than not selling it. Check stock levels, supplier lead times and your courier’s last dates for Christmas delivery, and put them on the site.
4. Tell the people who already know you
Your email list and past customers are your cheapest buyers. Write to them early to say what’s coming, and again when it starts. Paid adverts tend to cost more in the same week as everyone else’s. People who already know you cost far less to convince.
5. Sort your numbers before the day
Check that your tracking records orders correctly, that your ad accounts are connected to your shop, and that you can see sales by source and by day. You can’t learn from a weekend you couldn’t measure.
6. Plan the week after Black Friday ecommerce sales
Customers who bought on a discount are worth keeping if you follow up. A thank you, a useful email about the product, an invitation to order again. Without that, the sale is a one-off.
If you only have time for two Black Friday ecommerce jobs
Do number 2 and number 4: a site that works, and a message to your own customers.
If you’re on Shopify, most of this is housekeeping rather than rebuilding: a fast theme, apps you no longer use removed, and discount codes tested. Place a full test order with your discount code before the day, not during it.
Selling to businesses as well? Read Why enquiries go cold, and what to do in the first hour.
