Black Friday is the biggest shopping event of the year, which benefits both B2C (business-to-consumer) and B2B (business-to-business) ecommerce businesses. It offers businesses an opportunity to attract large orders, expand customer bases, and increase their revenues.
In this blog, we will discuss the top trends, strategies, and tips to get your store ready for Black Friday 2024, helping you boost sales and avoid common mistakes.
Top Strategies to Get Your eCommerce Store Ready for Black Friday 2024
1. Optimize Your Website for High Traffic
Black Friday brings increased traffic to your website, which can cause it to slow down or even crash if it’s not ready. Check your hosting plan ahead of time to make sure it can handle this surge. Consider upgrading it before this big day if necessary to optimize your store completely.
Tip: Compress large images, reduce redirects, and use caching can help your site load quickly.
2. Mobile Optimization
B2B customers have started using mobile devices to place orders. Make sure that your website is fully responsive and functions well on phones and tablets. The buying process should be easy and simple for all devices.
3. Offer Free Shipping During Season
Free shipping can be a great offer that can help you attract more buyers. Offer free shipping during the holiday season or for orders over a certain amount. This can help increase order size and reduce cart abandonment.
Tip: Highlight that there are no shipping fees for orders during this season on your website, emails, and landing pages. This can help you boost customer interest and increase sales.
4. Offer Time-Limited Discounts on Bulk Purchases
Offer time-limited discounts on bulk orders during the Black Friday sale, as B2B customers always want to find ways to make the most of their budget. This strategy can help you encourage them to buy more and increase your sales.
Tip: Make these deals easy to find on your website and promote them through targeted email campaigns to encourage fast decisions.
5. Create a Holiday Promotions Page
Create a separate landing page for your Black Friday deals with all your holiday offers and extra inventory in one place. This will help customers easily find and shop your best Black Friday deals. It’s a simple way to boost sales and make shopping easier. First-time visitors will also get a clear, welcoming look at your holiday specials.
6. Clear Overstock Inventory with Your Holiday Landing Page
The holiday season is a great time to clear out overstock. Use your dedicated landing page to feature extra items during Black Friday or Cyber Monday. This turns a challenge into an opportunity to sell more and make room for new products.
Tip: Offer special discounts or bundle deals on overstock products. This makes them more attractive to customers looking for a bargain.
7. Prepare Customer Support Team
B2B transactions often have higher stakes and more complex questions. Make sure your customer support team is ready to handle these inquiries. Provide support through live chat, phone, or email to assist business buyers.
Tip: Extend your support hours throughout the Black Friday sale. This helps cover different time zones and urgent requests. It also makes it easier for customers to get help when they need it.
8. Use Targeted Digital Advertising
Paid ads help you spend your ad budget wisely and reach decision-makers who are more likely to buy. Use targeting options to focus on specific industries, company sizes, or job titles that match your ideal customers.
Tip: Use platforms such as LinkedIn and Google Ads and reach the right B2B audience effectively.
Top 3 Black Friday Trends You Should Know
The way people shop is always changing, so it’s important to stay updated. Here are some key trends to watch this Black Friday.
Mobile-first shopping
In 2023, over half of Black Friday purchases (51.1%) were made on smartphones. This data shows how important mobile shopping is for success. Shoppers browse deals during their commute or lunch break, so your website must be ready for them. Fast-loading pages, easy navigation, simple checkout, and mobile-friendly images are now a must for any ecommerce site. This shift to mobile shopping has made major retailers rethink their strategies.
Tip: Mobile push notifications, SMS marketing, and app-only deals can help you boost engagement and sales on Black Friday.
Guest checkout
The customer has selected a product and added it to their cart/ wish list. Now comes the crucial step: checking out. With shoppers rushing to grab the best deals, any delay can lead to abandoned carts. A major reason for cart abandonment is being forced to create an account.
In fact, 34% of shoppers said they abandoned their purchase because the site required account creation. This is particularly true on smartphones, where typing in details can be a difficult task for customers. To reduce abandoned carts, make the checkout process as simple and quick as possible.
Tip: Offer a quick guest checkout and suggest creating an account after the purchase. This will allow customers to complete their Black Friday purchases fast, and retailers can later try to turn them into registered users.
Buy Now Pay Later Option
Buy Now, Pay Later options are becoming a big part of shopping decisions, especially during Black Friday and the holiday seasons. This payment method lets shoppers split their payments (no-cost EMI) over time without paying extra interest. It can even encourage people who were just browsing to purchase the spot.
Tip: Include messages about the buy now pay later service in your marketing and campaigns. Make sure the payment options are visible early. This will help you encourage customers to buy and increase your sales.
Common Mistakes to Avoid on Black Friday 2024
Overlooking Website Traffic and Performance
Your website is the base of your Black Friday sales. If it crashes or slows down, your sales will suffer. Many store owners don’t pay attention to how much traffic they’ll get or how many resources are needed to handle it. To avoid this issue, get a head start planning a few months before Black Friday.
Here are some factors you must check ahead of time:
Website Performance Factors to Review:
- Website Loading Speed: Make sure your site loads quickly, even with lots of visitors.
- Daily Resource Usage: Check how much server power your site uses on a normal day.
- Past Black Friday Traffic: Look at the traffic your site handled last Black Friday to spot any issues.
These checks will help you understand if your site is ready for the increased traffic. You can make changes to improve speed and performance.
Underestimating Mobile Optimization
Sinch’s 2024 Consumer Black Friday/Cyber Monday Survey has revealed that 51.2% of people prefer to engage with campaigns through messaging apps on their phones. This means if your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re missing out on what customers want. It can also result in lost sales, a damaged brand image, missed opportunities, and even hurt your SEO. To avoid this issue, make sure your website is mobile-friendly by following key best practices.
Tip: Follow the given steps and make your website mobile-optimized.
- Loading Speed: Make sure your site loads quickly and works well on mobile.
- Image Size and Compression: Optimize images so they don’t slow down the site.
- Headings and Structure: Use clear headings and organize content well.
- White Space: Keep enough space between elements for easy reading.
- Font Size: Use large, easy-to-read text.
These simple steps will help make your site better for mobile users.
Offering Discounts That Impact Your Profits
Black Friday is all about big discounts, but some retailers go too far and end up hurting their profits. They also often forget to factor in the cost of returns, which happens a lot due to buyer’s remorse. These mistakes usually happen because of a poor discount strategy, not intentional decisions.
The best discount strategy for your business depends on things like the products you’re selling, your profit margins, delivery costs, marketing expenses, and how well certain products are selling. For example, you would handle slow-selling items differently from your top sellers.
Here are some common pricing strategies you can follow during this Black Friday sale:
- Percent-based Discounts: Offer a set percentage off the price.
- Bundle Deals: Discounted prices when customers buy multiple items together. Bundling items together helps you make a good deal that attracts customers and increases sales.
- Personalized Offers: Special discounts based on what customers prefer.
- Dynamic Pricing: Adjust prices based on demand or timing.
Tip: A product with low sales and the lowest price is a good candidate for a percent-based discount. If a product has low sales but often changes price, a discount alone might not help. In this case, you can try bundling it with other popular products. This strategy will help you make great offers and boost sales.
Poor Inventory Management
A common mistake ecommerce business owners make during Black Friday is inaccurate sales forecasting, which can result in either overstocking or stock shortages. Overstocking can tie up money and lower profit margins, while not having enough inventory can frustrate customers and cause lost sales.
Here are a few strategies to help avoid overstocking or running out of stock.
- Review your sales and inventory data from previous years. Look for patterns or trends that can give you insights into what to expect this year. Consider current market trends and economic conditions, and gather information on demand using surveys, Statista, Google Trends, or other sources.
- Offering early Black Friday deals can be a game-changing strategy for your store. This allows customers to reserve or pay for a product before your Black Friday campaign officially begins. Pre-orders can give you a better idea of demand and give you time to adjust your inventory if needed.
- Consider using an inventory system that updates stock levels in real-time. While this may require a larger investment and take time to implement, it’s a smart long-term strategy to avoid inventory issues.
Best Practices to Turn Browsers Into Buyers During Black Friday 2024
eCommerce retailers need to adopt a strategic approach to converting visitors into paying customers, particularly during the high-traffic Black Friday period.
Here are the best practices that can help you effectively turn browsers into buyers:
Monetize Gift Cards & Product Bundles
Use gift cards to attract shoppers looking for holiday gifts. Ensure to highlight them clearly on your product pages. You can also create product bundles for different types of customers, offering discounts to encourage more purchases and boost the average order value.
Capture Abandoned Carts
Set up campaigns to recover sales from abandoned carts. Send follow-up emails to customers who left items in their cart, offering a discount or a free item to encourage them to finish their purchase.
Clear Order & Shipping Timelines
Be clear about shipping deadlines and product availability. Mark items that are in stock and ready to ship, and show how much time is left for faster shipping. This helps reduce customer frustration and builds trust.
Optimize Your Online Store For Black Friday 2024 with Klizer
At Klizer, our experienced team can guide you through these new B2B industry features, and strategies and ensure that your online store is fully optimized for success during the holiday season. We provide custom ecommerce development solutions to improve your website, marketing, and promotions and help prepare online stores for the Black Friday sale this season!
If you need expert consultation, contact us today!
FAQs
How does Black Friday work?
Black Friday works by creating a sense of urgency and scarcity. When we see words like “sale” or “discount,” it grabs our attention because we fear missing out on a good deal. These offers seem special, making us want to buy quickly. Even though the deals may not always be better than other sales during the year, the fear of missing out (FOMO) pushes us to take action and shop fast. This is what makes Black Friday so successful.
Why Should B2B businesses take part in Black Friday?
B2B businesses can benefit from participating in Black Friday especially if they sell products that are frequently ordered and easy to purchase. If your customers are B2C retailers or businesses that run their own Black Friday campaigns, offering discounts on items like office equipment, consumables, fashion, or furniture could lead to strong sales growth. Many B2B buyers prefer quick, self-service purchases, and Black Friday is a great opportunity to cater to this need with attractive offers.
How Long will Black Friday last?
Black Friday sales usually last four days, from Friday to midnight on Cyber Monday. However, many stores start offering discounts earlier in November, with “early Black Friday” deals. This gives shoppers more time to find good bargains, especially on tech, fashion, and home goods. The biggest sales happen from Black Friday to Cyber Monday.
What products are sold on Black Friday?
On Black Friday, you can find big discounts on a variety of products. Popular deals include home goods, furniture, and gardening items that retailers need to clear out, as well as tech products like laptops, TVs, and smartphones. Apple products, especially AirPods Pro and Apple MacBook Air, often see great deals, and KitchenAid mixers are heavily discounted too. Toys are usually marked down, with savings up to 85%, and TVs, particularly 4K models, are a major focus. With so many items on sale, Black Friday is the perfect time to score big savings on everything from electronics to home appliances.
