Black Friday and Cyber Monday: the last minute plan for your e-commerce business

The double day of discounts and offers, a not inconsiderable lever for the turnover of many companies selling online, is upon us: what tricks can you still make to sell more?

The last weekend of November, for the past few years, has been marked with a red circle on the calendar by thousands of Internet users and, most importantly, by the e-commerce owners. Also this year, punctually, Black Friday and Cyber Monday will accompany us on the path that kicks off the Christmas shopping session.

A godsend for those looking for the perfect gift to put under the tree, taking advantage of the discounts offered by what has become a true law of the market. It is no coincidence that over the years the number of e-commerce portals adhering to the promotions has multiplied, with a significant payoff in economic terms: in certain sectors, including hi-tech, there is evidence that 15% of the annual volume of sales are recorded during this period.

The numbers in past years were very often a trauma for many companies, which found themselves unprepared for the impact of Black Friday. Indeed, in some cases, demand for physical products exceeded supply forecasts, with warehouses empty after only a few hours. In others, however, the opposite phenomenon occurred: high expectations, low returns.

There are several factors that determine the success or failure of a sales strategy. If you own an ecommerce business, are reading this article at the date of publication and have not yet implemented your plan for this year's Black Friday... get ready to act immediately! We offer you some simple tips to prepare and optimize your business: there is still time to make up for it and offer your customers your best deals for the end of the month, enjoy all the benefits and - last but not least - sell more.

 

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#1 Optimize logistics and shipping

The year 2020 has changed, perhaps forever, the buying habits of Italians. More and more people have been buying online and doing so with greater frequency, forcing ecommerce businesses to equip themselves with a more robust structure to cope with the increased business. Those who have been ready for change, as we advised in an article a few months ago, have not only been able to cope with the impact resulting from lockdowns, but have even increased their business volume.

In light of the past few months, therefore, one of the atavistic problems of past years-that related to the difficulty of handling the largest number of orders during the Black Friday period-will probably be overcome by greater attention paid to the logistics component.

At the same time, however, it is not necessarily the case that thefulfillment of orders can be equally guaranteed: you will remember how in March and April a giant like Amazon found itself having to prioritize basic necessities, disproportionately extending the delivery time for those products not deemed as such. It is no coincidence that Amazon itself decided to extend Black Friday to the entire month of November, in an attempt to avoid saturation of its market.

The first piece of advice we feel like giving you, therefore, is to optimize-if you haven't already done so-the logistical structure and highlight any advantages related to shipping . For example, reduced delivery times, the possibility of enjoying virtual file cutters subject to certain conditions or other peculiarities should be highlighted so that they are attractive conditions for the user, exerting a consistent leverage to an Inbound Marketing strategy.

 

#2 Bring an Inbound strategy to life

Precisely Inbound Marketing can be a not inconsiderable lever in seeking interested user consent. Using a strategy that leverages the company blog, with targeted articles directed at search engine rankings in the long term, is definitely the best choice.

Content writing, following fruitful content marketing logic, should take place at least a couple of months before the event to get the best results: but how to do it if the editorial strategy has not yet started?

It is possible to make up for it with a plan that involves the use of email marketing campaigns aimed at those who have already bought on your e-commerce or at any rate have already given their consent to the sending of commercial communications. Thus, by taking advantage of marketing automation mechanisms, it will be possible to give life to a communication flow made up of eye-catching, exhaustive and goal-directed emails, in which to highlight discounts and benefits put in place by the company in view of Black Friday, with the use of effective call-to-actions to close the message.

In case you already have a Corporate CRM, you will also have ready-to-use contact lists already segmented based on specific needs. In case, on the other hand, you don't have a CRM ... it's time to equip yourself with an efficient lead management system. Why not go for HubSpot's free solution?

Learn everything, but everything, about Hubspot CRM

 

#3 Take advantage of social media

Closely related to the concept of Inbound Marketing is a wise use of social networks. With a view related to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the most lending platforms are Facebook and Instagram, with a dutiful glance of interest to new trends such as TikTok and Digital PR strategies in case the identified buyer persona can be reached on these channels and the push of influencer marketing can give the brand a boost.

Understanding the target audience and the tone of voice to be used is crucial for a successful strategy that will lead the visitor to buy on our e-commerce through quality content directed to the target. In a last-minute perspective, all the more so, knowing what our ideal customer is is most important for a plan touse Ads on Facebook and Instagram targeted to that segment of potential customers we intend to target, without wasting money on generic, underperforming campaigns.

It should be considered, however, that the week of Black Friday triggershigh competition on paid space, such that the cost of individual advertising spikes upward. In case you do not have a moderately high budget, a profitable strategy based on a two-step approach is still pursuable:

• Anticipate the timing and try to attract target customers in the earlier period, so as to act at a pricing stage that is not overly exorbitant.
• Leverage, in the days that follow, remarketing campaigns for those visitors who have already logged onto our site and/or placed products in the shopping cart, with personalized messages that drive the user to purchase by leveraging the principles of acquiescence typical of neuromarketing.

 

#4 Persuasion as an incentive to purchase.

Scientific research proves how the human brain acts by looking for reasoning shortcuts, called cognitive biases. These are routinely exploited in marketing and can be the winning key to achieving the hoped-for conversions on your e-commerce, even in a last-minute plan.

In terms of Black Friday, in addition to remarketing logic, one of the most winning principles is that of scarcity: communicating to the customer that a discount will not last forever is a decidedly strong lever to convince them to buy. In this regard, combining social communication of a forward offer with the use of countdowns within the site can bring interesting results, as can emphasizing the amount of products left in stock and launching flash promotions that last only a few hours or even a few minutes.

Closely related to the concept of stimulating purchase typical of persuasion principles are upselling and cross-selling activities. In the first case, goods and services of greater value than the one chosen can be proposed to the user who has already placed products in the shopping cart, and consequently is on his way to the conclusion of the sale, by leveraging the best features. In the second case, on the other hand, products similar or complementary to the one already chosen can be proposed, both at the stage of concluding the sale and in the post-sale phase , through the mail tool.