Will Black Friday become Cyber Friday? 6 tips on how you can best prepare for what’s to come
Black Friday is synonymous with deal-hunting crowds hitting the highstreet in order to snap up the biggest discounts of the year. It’s also an opportunity as retailers to boost sales revenues right at the end of the year. Then there’s Cyber Monday that’s set to take place a few days later on November the 30th - traditionally the online version of Black Monday
But as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the UK and many cities now in localised lockdown, Black Friday and Cyber Monday will have to run a little differently this year. The most notable difference being that most consumers will be searching for their bargains online, making Black Friday more of a Cyber shopping event.
So how can you give consumers the best shopping experience this year while increasing those all-important EOY sales? See our tips below.
Even before the pandemic, more and more shoppers were choosing to make more of their purchases online. Modern Retail reported in the summer that research strongly indicates that the effects of lockdown will permanently change UK consumer behaviour. Not only has there been a 74% growth in online shopping since Covid-19 began, but 45% of UK adults have received more parcel deliveries during coronavirus lockdown than before. Two-thirds of adults say they will continue both current levels of spend (66%) and the frequency (68%) they shop online post-lockdown, while 26% said they will increase their digital spend after restrictions are lifted.
This digital-first mindset means that retailers need to be prepared to scale their online shopping offering in order to be able to handle an increase in traffic and sales. As such, retailers may need to consider upgrading to a more flexible platform that can handle the demands of Black Friday weekend and Christmas. Modern Retail also recommends installing Malware blockers, firewalls, and security certificates that are critical to protecting customer data.
- Your online shopping experience should also stay as close to your in-store experience as possible, meaning that information should be easy to obtain. Make sure your products have clear product descriptions, prices and imagery so that consumers aren’t left with any unanswered questions that could lead them to a competitor.
- It’s also a good idea to let your customers know how you plan to run Black Friday safely this year – from safety measures in your bricks-and-mortar stores and distribution centres and terms of socially distanced etiquette expected if customers are planning to visit to find a bargain. To avoid any problems, communicate that your best bargains will be online this year.
- Naturally, customer queries will increase over Black Friday weekend so make sure you’re prepared with extra customer service staff. Whether you opt to speak to your customers via phone, instant messaging, WhatsApp or email, make sure that you’re offering first-class personal service and are responding to customers quickly. This will help to smooth the transition for customers who usually shop with you in store.
- Delivery is another important aspect of Black Friday that needs to be considered and planned for. Speak to your delivery couriers in advance and see if they can increase their service over Black Friday weekend, collecting on Saturday and Sunday. Distribution centres and warehouses can also start to pre-pack the items they expect to sell particularly well.
- Finally, make your prices and discounts fair and transparent so that customers know exactly when your sales will start and for how long. Send personalised emails to loyal customers with pre-sale information and countdowns in order to create excitement about products they love and make them feel special. Targeted discounts such as this will be more effective than a blanket 40% off on a wide range of products. You can also the option of signing up for price alerts on certain products that they have their eye on.
If you’re a smaller, independent retailer and unable to offer big changes in prices between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, make it clear and be honest with your customers about the reasons why. Consumers, especially Gen Z and Millennials, favour authenticity and socially conscious behaviour over anything else.
Find out how Clearpay can help to simplify your online shopping experience by scheduling a meeting with one of our Retailer Team Members today at [email protected]
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