We’ve posted before about how Magento developers can prepare for the holiday, and about preparing for Cyber Monday. Today, we’d like to talk a bit about Black Friday ideas for eCommerce businesses. The holiday season represents a huge influx in visitors for eCommerce businesses. It’s important to plan to take advantage of the opportunity and build long-term customer loyalty.

Magento developers work to make sure that websites are ready to handle the influx and streamline the experience of customers and site owners by writing custom code or installing Magento 2 extensions.  The holiday season kicks off on Black Friday, but many shoppers start their research as early as October. So, it’s important that you’re ready to handle a massive increase in traffic by the Friday after Thanksgiving.

The Difference Between Black Friday and Cyber Monday

 

Traffic has increased every year for eCommerce sites on Black Friday.

Holiday deals on this date go back far before anyone was online. Shoppers around the country look forward to these deals and stores are notoriously packed with customers.

As people moved online, Black Friday sales also became more popular for eCommerce. This is the kickoff to the high traffic period for your online business. Cyber Monday was essentially designed because online retailers realized that the increase in traffic continued after Black Friday. The day became an extra way to add value for shoppers and increase engagement online. Now Cyber Monday is as big of a tradition as Black Friday, but retailers online need to prepare for both.

Shoppers today expect to find deals on both days. And they expect your website experience to be seamless. That means taking a proactive approach to prepare for the holiday season.

Black Friday Ideas for eCommerce Businesses

Black Friday planning should start early. Many shoppers are already planning their purchases as early as October. It’s also important that you connect with your audience close to the day and ON Black Friday. You’ll find that many shoppers will still be researching well into the holiday season.

Here are some tips to help get your website and business ready for Black Friday.

• Display Discounts Clearly. Make sure your visitors can easily find discounted items on your site. You might highlight individual listings and include banners on home pages so that they can find sales easily.
• Use Black Friday to Market Cyber Monday. Black Friday is important but make sure your browsers know that there will be more deals available on Cyber Monday. This gives them an incentive to come back if they don’t finish purchases on Black Friday.
• Make Sure You Follow Up. Segment and follow up with all customers on your website on Black Friday. Develop your email campaigns early so that customers who abandon their cart get personalized incentives to come back. At the same time, those who made a purchase should receive personalized thank you messages, links to leave reviews, and other incentives to come back.
• Consider Coupons to Increase Engagement. Coupons in your follow-up messages can help convert sales. If someone left a cart item, getting a coupon that gives them even more off the purchase might sway them to come back. Coupons are also a great way to thank customers for their recent purchases.
• Use Your Referral Program. If you have a referral program, make sure that you’re using it to advertise your Black Friday deals with new banners and links to sales pages.
• Improve Your Checkout Method. If you have a lot of customers leaving carts abandoned, it may be something in your checkout method. Make sure checkout is as easy and seamless as possible. Customers should be able to complete the purchase quickly while still feeling secure.
• Security Should Be Front And Center. Make sure that you have security measures in place. You should also make sure your customers know about your security measures. Include banners and notices that tell them their information is protected on your website.
• Promote Multiple Items Together. One great way to increase sales is by cross-promotions. Include ads for items that are frequently purchased together on the product description page and the checkout page. Give the customer plenty of options to continue shopping.

How Magento Developers Can Improve User Experience

User experience is the most important part of the Black Friday event. Your customers expect that shopping online will be more convenient than going to the store physically. But they still expect the same great deals. In planning your website for the new traffic, Magento developers can add modules that make the site friendlier to customers, easier to navigate and improve the process for your back-end staff.

Providing an organized and efficient way to move through your site means better customer service for your audience. For your staff, these updates will mean better automation and the ability to deal with the influx of customers in a friendly and helpful manner. You’re not just trying to increase one-time sales. Use your holiday season to springboard for future customer loyalty.

This might mean encouraging new browsers to join your mailing list for future deals. It also means making sure that their experience is optimal from start to finish. The more satisfied your customers are, the more likely they are to leave positive reviews and return.

Black Friday is a crucial starting point for your holiday season. But it should also be a great opportunity to increase business throughout the upcoming year.