Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend is one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year. Black Friday refers to the Friday that falls after American Thanksgiving which is typically the fourth Thursday in November.
While big brands like Amazon take part, Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales can be particularly beneficial for small businesses. Given the increased volume of customers, a Black Friday Cyber Monday sale can introduce your business to new customers and it can also be a chance to reward loyal customers.
Jump to: COMMUNICATION• CUSTOMER SERVICE • TECH TIDY
Black Friday Facts & History
Fun Fact: Origins of the Name
The use of the term “Black Friday” dates back to the 1950’s when police in Philadelphia started using it to describe the massive crowds of holiday shoppers that would descend the day after Thanksgiving. The term gained popularity in the 1980’s, and has now been expanded to include the following Monday, as well as online sales: Black Friday Cyber Monday.
BFCM Stats
In 2021, online shopping sales for Black Friday Cyber Monday reached almost $9 billion, with 88 million customers making purchases online. The average American shopper spent $430 on Black Friday sales. It also appears that shoppers jump on sales as soon as they can because in 2021 Black Friday sales exceeded Cyber Monday sales by 23%.
Communication
The key to communicating BFCM sales to your customers is starting early. Then, you just need to ensure that your messaging is consistent across all of your business platforms.Social Media
Most businesses share content on a variety of social media platforms, and BFCM sales should be shared with your customers across all platforms well ahead of American Thanksgiving. Feel free to have fun with seasonal branding and theming in your social media content!
Email Lists
BFCM sales can and should also be communicated with customers via email as well as social media. Your information and branding can be the same as what you shared on your social media but with email there is an opportunity to reach a customer base who is already familiar with your business.
Website
When you tell your customers about your BFCM sales via social media and email, you will of course want to direct them back to your business’s point of sale, whether that be your website, your in person shop, or both. Your website can be updated with a banner to immediately communicate the sale to a customer who might happen to land on your page and also guide a customer who was directed to your site by an email or social media post.
Customer Service
With an increase in traffic and orders, comes an increased opportunity to impress your customers with the best customer experience possible. But it doesn’t have to be stressful!
Respond
While you’re sharing content promoting your BFCM sales, be responsive with your followers. You want your customers to feel that they are having a genuine interaction with your business on social media, rather than just being advertised to. Like and respond to comments, and use your social media as a platform to answer questions.
Offer Special Deals
When making BFCM sale decisions, consider if you want to offer any special deals to already loyal customers. The same could be considered for customers who abandon a cart of products, or customers who meet a certain spending threshold. Free shipping on orders over a certain amount can also be an incentive for holiday shoppers.
Be Available
BFCM is one of the busiest shopping periods of the year and it can definitely be advantageous to make yourself available to customers in order to provide excellent customer service and support. That being said, be sure to create boundaries for yourself, delegate responsibilities if possible, and don’t exceed normal working hours.
Tidy Your Tech
A last organizational step to take to prepare your business for BFCM sales is to test and tidy your tech. Sometimes over time, elements of emails or website design may change or become redundant. This is a great opportunity to do some digital housekeeping.
Checkouts
Test your website checkout process. Make sure it is clear and not confusing. Be careful to check that any sales or discounts you are offering apply correctly at check out.
Email Notifications
Check that the emails your customers receive upon ordering and shipping are up to date and on brand, as well as sending when they should.
Shipping
Ensure that up to date shipping information is available on your website, in particular in terms of approximate timelines wherever your business ships. Also, make sure that shipping costs are clearly communicated to your customers.
Website
Do a trial run of your website from the point of view of a customer. Make sure your website is easy to navigate. Also check that any links in your social media or email communications that direct customers back to your website work and are up to date.
