The busiest holiday season is almost upon us! With Black Friday and Cyber Monday happening this Friday, here are 5 ways to prepare your business.
Last year saw shoppers spend $10.7 billion on Cyber Monday and we can only expect to see similar numbers this year.
If you’re a business owner feeling the wrath of online shoppers then fear not! Take a look at the list we’ve compiled so you can prepare your business for the holiday shopping season, keep up with competitors, and satisfy customers.
5 ways to prepare your business for Black Friday and Cyber Monday
Plan and manage your inventory
Everyone knows the term ‘if you fail to plan, you plan to fail’ and this couldn’t be more relevant when it comes to Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Demand forecasting refers to the process of understanding and anticipating future customer demand. This can be done using historical data and other information used to showcase a business’ potential in the market and make precise decisions regarding costs and growth strategies.
By predicting future sales you can optimize your inventory and improve planning and warehouse preparations.
Not having demand forecasting can result in your business making deficient choices surrounding goods and target markets. These decisions can have a negative influence on your inventory, management of your supply chain, profitability, and customer loyalty.
Early advertising
Cyber Monday promotions!
Black Friday deals!
One of the best things your business can do is get the word out about Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers early and have a solid marketing strategy! The sooner your customers are aware of the deals being offered the better position they’ll be in to take advantage of them. This can prove beneficial to your business as it can increase revenue being brought in.
This can be done via targeted email marketing campaigns sent to existing customers, creating landing pages that provide additional information surrounding products on offer and promotion through social media.
In order to create an effective email campaign you should first gather all relevant and new information that will be useful to your customers. Make sure to keep the theme of your email relevant to your business and don’t be afraid to do your own research to find ideas.
You can use easy-to-use platforms such as Hubspot or Sendinblue to create and automate your email campaigns.
Social media is a great way to promote your sales and target individuals that are more likely to make use of your deals. You can also set up Facebook ads which are paid messages that are built to help reach users. However, if you’re not wanting to spend money on ads then regularly posting across all your social media platforms is a great way to get the message out and even draw in new customers.
Plan your offers
Planning your offers is one of the most important parts of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. After all, these are major sales days!
Discounts, gifts with purchases, and other offers should be planned well in advance with early advertising playing a role in building anticipation for customers.
If a customer has spent a certain amount then gifting them with a free add-on is a great way to maintain loyalty and show you value them.
For a Black Friday Deal you can never go wrong with a Buy One Get One free or the next item 50% off. Nothing strikes a customer’s fancy more than free or heavily discounted products. Say they’re wanting to purchase a gift and the customer see’s something they like for themselves or another person. These discounts work to give customers the best experience and also contribute to increasing your revenue.
Another thing to note is you should always be well-versed in what your competitors are doing, especially when it comes to days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Keep your prices and discounts competitive so customers are more likely to choose your product.
Simplify checkout process
Ever gone through checkout and experienced site lags, too many fields to fill out, or your page constantly losing data?
This experience can be the cause of abandoned carts and loss of potential purchases. There are a lot of competitors out there so any inconvenience experienced will lead them to use other services.
To avoid this for your business, you want to ensure that your checkout process is as seamless as possible. Your checkout page should be simple and easy to navigate, with buttons being visible and easy to find. Fields that need to be filled should only be necessary for the customer to purchase an item.
Showcase shipping options and fees so the customer is fully informed about the online shopping experience, along with an estimate of how long the order will take to arrive.
Invest in a delivery management software
By investing in delivery management software you can prepare for Black Friday sales and Cyber Monday sales, all the while taking your business to the next level.
Keeping your customers happy during these large sale days can be an extremely difficult task where poor experiences can result in a tarnished reputation.
Delivery management software like Locate2u allows you to plan bookings and optimize delivery routes so your drivers are on the most efficient journey. Not to mention the ability to add in last-minute stops without disrupting your schedule.
Locate2u also provides real-time tracking so you can see the location of your drivers and offer accurate ETAs to customers. You can also share a live tracking link with your customers so they can have peace of mind their delivery is on the way.
Conclusion
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are just around the corner and don’t even get us started on Christmas! Customers expect great service when ordering from an online store and to have their items delivered in a timely manner.
The best way to manage your business and online sales is by planning and managing your inventory, early advertising, planning offers, simplifying the checkout process, and delivery management software.