Surprise your customers on Black Friday 2024 – the biggest shopping event of the year
As cold and miserable as November can be, it is the favourite month for most bargain hunters. Once again this year, a wide range of discount campaigns and special promotions will launch on 11 November, followed by the Black Week Deals on 22 November. The highlight is Black Friday, which traditionally falls on the day after Thanksgiving and therefore on the fourth Friday in November - this year on 29 November 2024. Black Friday also signals the start of the Christmas shopping season.
Find out in our blog how you can surprise your customers and encourage them to shop with you, by means of targeted measures.
5 tips to boost your Black Friday sale
1. It starts with your payment solution
Regardless of whether you are a brick-and-mortar retailer, operate an online shop, or offer cross-selling via multiple sales channels, such as Click & Collect, Click & Reserve or Click & Return: Your customers want a relaxed and stress-free shopping experience, and this requires a reliable, secure payment solution and a smoothly functioning checkout system running in the background. If customers have the feeling there is a fault when making payment or cannot select their preferred payment method on your Saferpay Payment Page, many tend to cancel their purchase. So, to encourage impulse purchases around Black Friday, remove any potential barriers: If necessary, expand your payment method portfolio in your checkout so that your customers can pay quickly and easily using all common payment methods, such as credit and debit cards or via their Wallet, using mobile payment methods such as Apple Pay or Google Pay.
You can also sell online without an online shop, for example via social media, social commerce, WhatsApp, or via email: Simply use Payment Links (Worldline Pay by Link) or pay with QR codes (Worldline QR Payments).
Also be sure to provide an omni-channel service so that customers can order in the shop and collect their goods in-store (Click & Collect) or simply reserve and complete the purchase process when they collect in-store (Click & Reserve). Omni-Channel works in conjunction with Saferpay and Worldline terminals and can be activated free of charge. Simply contact your Account Manager at Worldline.
A smooth shopping experience increases the likelihood that your customers will return after Black Friday. With Worldline as your payment service provider, you also benefit from easily accessible support that can assist you with any questions you may have throughout the year.
2. Plan in advance
Most Black Friday promotions are aimed at increasing sales and transactions. To be successful, it is important that you plan your campaigns well in advance. Make sure you have a strategy regarding the products and services you want to offer in your campaigns. Is it remaining stock from last year or your best-selling items? Always keep an eye on your stock levels and plan your incoming goods so that you can react to rising demand. Also take note of what your competitors are doing and try to draw attention to yourself with unique campaigns.
3. Stand out from the crowd
For companies participating in Black Friday, one of the most important challenges is to stand out from the crowd. You are by no means the only trader trying to profit from this event. With a well thought-out marketing strategy, you will increase your chances of reaching the desired customer target group. Utilise your own channels to reach your existing customer base and increase your conversion rates, e.g. via
- Social Media: Invest in social ads a few weeks in advance and conduct A/B tests on your campaigns to find out which advertising media your customers respond to best. Also plan re-marketing initiatives so that your customers remember you.
- SEO: Make use of the advantages of search engine optimisation (SEO) for your website to get to the top of the Google rankings. Make sure your website texts, offers, and product descriptions are keyword-optimised so that your customers can find your online shop and your product range more easily. There are several free tools you can use to enhance your website, e.g. PageSpeed Insights, Google Search Console, Keyword Planner or the Google Chrome plug-in SEO META in 1 Click. You can also use complex commercial platforms such as Surferseo.com or Majestic SEO. These programmes show how you can improve your website to increase the traffic. To find out how your customers move around your web shop and what they click, you can use Hotjar.
- Newsletter: Offer newsletter subscribers exclusive early access to Black Friday offers. This is an effective way to reach your already engaged customers.
- Email: Create personalised emails with eye-catching subject lines concerning the offers and discounts, so as to appeal directly to bargain hunters.
Also focus on acquiring new customers, e.g. through digital advertising, collaborations, and external platforms.
4. Do you really need to participate?
Some companies choose not to participate in Black Friday at all, and you may well be asking yourself this question. For example, reduced prices and so-called "consumerism" may not be in line with a brand's notion of quality and sustainability. Instead of lowering prices, some companies are even choosing to donate a percentage of their sales to charity. In addition, a lack of time and resources can also be a valid reason to refrain from participating in Black Friday.
5. Measure your results
The best way to find out whether your campaigns have achieved their goal is, of course, to evaluate and measure your results. Which products sold best and which did not? Find out which marketing activities had the biggest impact on your sales and analyse what type of customers generated your sales - existing or new customers? Be sure to include all new customers in a customer retention strategy to ensure they return. With the myPortal customer portal from Worldline, you receive all the information you need regarding your transactions and payments, allowing you to analyse and measure your results. You can see an overview of all your Saferpay payment activities in the Saferpay Backoffice.
We wish you every success and great sales figures on Black Friday!
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