The end of the year 2023 is getting closer every day. This means that the holidays are coming soon, as well. When somebody mentions holidays, the first thing that comes to mind for most people is the happy family atmosphere, traveling, and holiday movies. To you (ecommerce merchants), however, holidays are an opportunity (not that you don't like drinking some warm tea and watching "Home Alone"...)


Just how big is the opportunity?

It's pretty big. Huge, actually. BFCM is getting bigger and bigger every single year. Last year, Shopify stores earned around $6.3 Billion. The year before, it was $5.1 Billion. Wanna guess what the number was the year before that? 

$2.9 Billion.

This trend is expected to continue this year, so that's good news. The question that remains unanswered is: how do you make sure that YOUR Shopify store does not stay on the margins of the party chatting to the bouncer while everyone else is having a blast? Let's find out.


Customers have a need. A need for speed.


As good as your website might be and as much effort as you have put into it, nobody wants to spend more time on it than they have to. Especially if the reason for additional time spent is because of the loading speed of your website. Deloitte recently published that a 0.1-second improvement in site speed can mean almost 10% more revenue for your business.


Website speed is a complicated topic which takes a lot of time to completely optimize, and you probably don't have the time to do it right now. All you can do now (and this can be really helpful, and most of the companies don't do it) is to contact your hosting provider and let them know that you are expecting an increase in traffic. Basically, do whatever you can so that your website doesn't crash when the consumers come running to your store on BFCM (virtually speaking).


Another thing you can do is to regularly test the speed of your website. Start right now and test it once a week. You can use a tool like this to see if there are any concerns regarding your website. It is better to find out as early as possible so that you have a chance to fix the issues. If there are any, of course.

Loading bar


source:https://www.netology.com.au/website-speed-test/


Define your inventory strategy.

 The biggest challenge on Black Friday/Cyber Monday is the supply chain. We all know the troubles many companies are going through with global issues regarding the supply chain. Your company might or might not be affected by this, but whatever the case is, do everything you can to ensure the supply chain functions properly.


Try to predict the sales volume for this year by analyzing the previous year. Also, do your best to digitalize your products as much as possible. If your products are exclusively tangible, create some content around them, like instructional videos, guides, or other content that could be useful for consumers. You can use apps like this to move digital products.


The second best thing about BFCM (after increasing your revenue and earning a ton of money) is the fact that you get the chance to clean up your inventory.


Analyze your inventory and decide on which items you want to finally get rid of. Create bundle offers by combining less popular items with the ones that are doing well. BFCM is the perfect opportunity for that. 


During BFCM, sometimes it is better to stand out by giving some additional benefits to the buyers rather than pure discounts. For example, free shipping can attract customers to choose your product over someone else's. Think about it: everyone offers discounts on Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Provide some extra value to separate yourself from the crowd.

Businessman in a warehouse

Enable mobile access.

During BFCM 2021, 71% of purchases were made using mobile. This represents an increase from 2020 when "only" 67% of purchases were made from mobile. To get your store ready, it is essential to adapt it for mobile users. 


What can be seen as a new approach that can distinguish you from the competition is having your own mobile app. This used to be pretty expensive and complicated, but with the latest solutions, you can create your own mobile app without any coding.    

Spruce things up a bit for BFCM.

It's holiday time which means that you should tidy everything up, and make it shine. Start with the landing and the product pages. You already know that apps like this enable you to modify the customer experience without coding. Add some bundles, gift-wrapping options, and other details that make the customer experience more enjoyable.

We suggest that you really put some time and effort into this. Remove the unnecessary and outdated animations, designs, images, and everything else you haven't touched in a while. Try asking someone who has never seen your website to give an opinion, because sometimes your eyes just get so used to these things being there that you simply don't notice that they don't actually belong on your website. And, probably on any other website as well, to be honest.


Don't take it personally; every website has these. Just try your best to clean up your website as much as possible from unnecessary clutter.

It is important to mention that the Lighthouse test by Google enables you to see unused codes from JS, HTML, and CSS. This can improve your store speed as well.


You can add some video backgrounds to make your site look more modern and professional. Add product demonstrations, guides, or whatever is eye-catching and could make your customers want to share it on social media or mention it to their friends and family during the holiday small talk with their family.


Don't forget about the post-purchase experience. 

This part of the purchase process sometimes doesn't get the exposure and attention it deserves, even though it is essential. Look at it from your own experience. How does it feel when a company cares about you and the product they sold you AFTER taking your money? This can create a strong bond between the consumer and the company. 


As far as BFCM is concerned, the best thing you can do is to get more information from consumers about your service. Since this is the time your website is the busiest, you can get a lot of information with a proper post-purchase survey. Get the information you need, and adjust your service accordingly.

Vector woman pointing at a tablet

Conclusion


Every Black Friday/Cyber Monday is a new opportunity. But, it is also a test. How good are you? Can you handle the traffic increase and use it to your advantage? If you try hard and implement some of the advice you find here, you will have a head start over your competition. We wish you good luck and many, many satisfied customers.


  • Make sure your website is fast enough. Nobody likes waiting.
  • Create and implement an inventory strategy for holidays.
  • Get rid of the unnecessary content on your website.
  • Pay extra attention on post-purchase experience.

If you want more details or some additional general information, you will find it HERE and HERE.

For more advice about SMS strategies for the upcoming BFCM, click HERE.          


Additional resources you can follow to do more during this years BFCM:
     1. Black Friday Checklist: 27 Tips to Prepare for BFCM 2022

  1. 12 Essential Tips to Get Your Site and App Ready for Black Friday Cyber Monday
  2. The Future of Commerce: Industry Report (2022) | Shopify
  3. Black Friday Cyber Monday BFCM 2022 by Privy
  4. Your 2022 'Black Friday Cyber Monday' Playbook by Gatsby
  5. BFCM SMS Playbook - Your Winning SMS Strategy by Yotpo
  6. 2022 Black Friday Ecommerce Guide: Maximize Revenue Through Your Customer Experience by Gorgias