It’s never too soon to prepare for the biggest ecommerce weekend of the year. In fact, if you wait until November, it’s already too late to make the most of the online spending spree. This article shares how (and why) you should start your Black Friday and Cyber Monday prep long before the holidays approach.
2022 Will be Bigger Than Ever
While some retailers expected a decline in post-pandemic online shopping for Black Friday 2021, those predictions were decisively proven wrong. Black Friday remains the biggest online shopping day of the year. The never-ending lines and crushing crowds of in-store shopping are behind us, and savvy online shoppers are now fully aware that the best Black Friday bargains are accessible from the comfort of home.
This Black Friday, the demand for seamless ecommerce experiences is sure to continue. However, with more and more retailers turning their focus to online promotions over in-store sales, it’s increasingly difficult to stand out. To compete in a crowded marketplace this Black Friday, you need to prepare your strategy now.
5 Steps to Prepare for Black Friday Success in 2022
Ready to get started? Here are five steps to win Black Friday 2022 with early preparation.
1. Start With Last Year’s Reports
Revisit your Black Friday ecommerce reports from last year to refresh your memory on what performed well, and how your site could have been better prepared. Really take the time to examine how shoppers interacted with your store. What were they searching for? Which categories were they most likely to view? Which promotions resonated more than others? At what point in the journey did they drop off? These data-driven insights should shape your 2022 campaigns.
2. Plan Your Campaign Landing Pages
Once you have determined what your shoppers typically search for, it’s time to review where they land. For high profile events like Black Friday, it’s a good idea to create dedicated campaign or category landing pages that you can direct all relevant search queries to. These campaign landing pages can – and should – be planned, designed, and tested well in advance of Thanksgiving. Then, with campaign scheduling, all you have to do is set the precise timings that these pages will go live to coincide with your sale periods.
3. Create Merchandising Banners and Badges
What kind of promotions will you offer on Black Friday 2022? Do you always run a standard site-wide discount? Will you vary your offers over each day of Cyber Weekend? Whichever approach you choose, you will need a pre-prepared gallery of merchandising banners and badges to showcase your offers. From teaser promotions on your homepage, to specific highlights on each category, get all of your collateral ready now. Not only will you be ready to update your website when the time comes, you’ll also have a wealth of assets prepared for social media, email, and online advertising.
4. Build Loyalty
One of the most common flaws of Black Friday promotions is that they tend to attract one-off, seasonal shoppers that never return. Extreme discounts may generate a single day spike in sales, but how can you boost the customer lifetime value of this year’s shoppers? Nurture your database now with segmented messaging and personalized recommendations. Offer exclusive perks and pre-sale access for members of your loyalty program. Then, when Black Friday is all over, have a retention strategy in place to bring new visitors back again and again.
5. Test, Test, and Test Again
Pressing the launch button on Black Friday campaigns is always nerve-racking. But, there are steps you can take now to prevent unnecessary stress later on. Check in with your tech stack and solution providers to see how they will handle a spike in traffic. Run a full site audit to identify issues like broken links, slow load times, or bugs in your mobile experience. Review and update key pages like your FAQ and delivery and return policies. Do this groundwork now so you have plenty of time to remedy problems that could otherwise crop up when your site (and team) is under heightened pressure.
Win Black Friday 2022
Get ready to #WinBlackFriday 2022 with Searchspring’s hub of expert resources. From ebooks and webinars, to blog posts and checklists, we’ve got you covered to prepare for Black Friday / Cyber Monday.
Register for our monthly webinar series to learn how you can survive and thrive this holiday season! The first episode kicks off on July 13 with Everything You Need to Survive and Thrive on Black Friday!
