Like it or hate it – this year’s biggest shopping weekend is just around the corner. Now is the time to start planning. Black Friday – Cyber Monday (BFCM) is a tremendous opportunity for eCommerce businesses. The ultimate goal is pretty clear – more sales, happy customers and fewer headaches. BFCM need not be as stressful if planning is done in advance. Here are a few tips to get you started:

Prepare early and create an irresistible offer

Plan for the weekend well in advance. Craft jaw-dropping sales on your most popular items. This works like a doorbuster. Once the customer is in the store, they will pick up a few other things before they checkout.

Plan and organize your upcoming sales

Review your margins and inventory to find suitable products to be included in the BFCM sale. Also, decide on the discounts and set them up in your eCommerce backend, instead of cramming them in last minute. Further, make sure that you have a contingency plan too. Do you have backup resources  – just in case? What if the shipping company gets too busy and it impacts your order fulfillment? What if you run out of stock? How fast can you restock your inventory? Planning all this is much easier now than later!

Can your website handle BFCM?

Too many simultaneous requests could bog down your website. It either gets sluggish or completely crashes. That’s the end of your sales! Further, also confirm whether your store can handle the increased demand during BFCM. Relying on existing inventory and suppliers may get you into trouble in case there is a spike. Use forecasting tools to help you better predict sales. Order enough – before the sales begin.

Ready your campaigns and creatives

Create your ads and creatives early. Begin running your ads sooner too. Remember that the bids get more expensive and more competitive during the holiday season. If you are planning paid advertising, it’s also a good idea to plan your budget for the same.

Optimize for conversions

The biggest threat to conversions is cart-abandonment. In 2018, the shopping cart abandonment in the US was 82%. Keeping this percentage as low as possible is the ultimate aim. Setting-up abandoned cart mail is the key. Many eCommerce platforms have this as an in-built feature. Simply configure your mails with compelling content to make your customers re-think their purchases.

Mobile first

Mobile stores saw more purchases than web stores last year. This essentially means that you need to check your store’s user experience on a mobile phone first.

Begin marketing soon

Create email campaigns, paid ads and push gifting blogs as early as possible. Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales need to be announced and repeatedly reminded for customers to take action. Sometimes FOMO (Fear of missing out) also works like magic.

What after BFCM?

Well, it’s time to turn the seasonal shoppers to year-round customers. Keep your customers engaged with your brand all year round. Promotional offers and emails at regular intervals will definitely help.

This year plan your Black Fridays’ and Cyber Mondays thoroughly and make the most out of this holiday season!

If you’re wondering what exactly you should focus on and how you should prepare your store, then contact Elinsys. Our expert team provide end to end solution for eCommerce store development