When we get back from summer vacation, Black Friday usually still feels a long way off.
“End of November? That’s ages away, I’ve got time!”
Nothing could be further from the truth. You have less than 2 months to prepare for the 5 weeks in which a large part of your annual revenue is at stake, since Black Friday is simply the starting gun for the entire Christmas season.
You need to plan ahead.
- Which promotions we’ll run, and checking whether our platform can technically support them.
- Decide which adjustments, improvements and features you can implement in your eCommerce to maximize results.
- Prepare the communication plan for the promotions you’ll run and the campaigns you’ll launch
- Define copy and creatives
Define your promotions and discounts strategy
This is a very personal and strategic decision for each business. Everyone has to decide on the best promotions based on 2 factors:
- They must interest users and grab their attention.
- They must serve the seller’s interests (for example, clearing stock or end-of-line items).
Ideally, combine both: without promotions that attract users you’re unlikely to succeed, but you shouldn’t give up on clearing the products you need to move.
Most common types of promotions
By product. Applying a direct discount to specific products for a period of time.
By order. Applying some kind of discount to the entire order, either across the board or when certain conditions are met, e.g. a minimum purchase amount or products from a specific category… We can use discount code tools, although for a good UX it’s always better if discounts are applied automatically.
Free shipping. Setting a period during which no shipping costs apply. It’s usually a very simple hook that works really well.
Other types of promotions.
- A free gift with purchase
- 2×1, 3×2…
- A very aggressive discount voucher for a second purchase
- Flash sales
Review and prepare your eCommerce
Once you’ve decided which promotions to run, make sure your platform allows the settings needed for them to work properly.
At this point you may run into limitations. You might need to make small programming or store-behavior tweaks, or even purchase a plug-in or implement a specific feature.
That’s why it’s essential to work and test well in advance, so we can take the necessary steps and even adapt the promotion to what the system allows if needed.
At this point, it’s also very important to evaluate other potential improvements for your store that won’t just help during the Black Friday and Christmas campaign, but will be permanent improvements to your eCommerce. We’re talking about features aimed at improving user experience and conversion, increasing average order value, boosting our SEO…
Some examples:
- Smart search engines.
- Abandoned cart recovery systems.
- Trust seals.
- Verified user reviews.
- Adding a blog.
- Encouraging larger baskets in exchange for free shipping, in an active, visual and dynamic way.
- Loyalty programs such as ePoints.
- Online purchase financing systems.
- Out-of-stock product alerts…
Communication, communication and more communication
You’ve defined the promotions you’ll run and have everything ready and tested in your online store. You’ve also added some extra features that will help improve the campaign’s results.
Now it’s time to tell your users.
It’s very common for great promotions to fail because they aren’t communicated properly and users never even hear about them.
Having the right know-how to prepare your communication strategy is crucial: your success or failure depends on it. I recommend getting help and advice from an agency specializing in communication and digital marketing. With your agency you can define the best strategy for each channel, prioritizing those with the most impact and return, and set the investment each one may require. This will also shape the copy and creatives for each campaign.
Doesn’t feel like you have so much time now, does it?
There’s a lot at stake. Remember how important the revenue you make during this period is, and consider whether it’s worth leaving everything to the last minute and having to deal with:
- Possible technical and/or functional gaps in your platform.
- Not enough time to implement features, adjustments and/or enhancements in your store.
- Poor planning and/or delays in communicating your campaign.
- Not having the creatives you need due to lack of time.
At TLG Commerce you have a team of eCommerce and digital marketing consultants who can help you throughout this process to maximize the results you can achieve at this time of year. Don’t hesitate to contact us
Images: Pixabay
