Businesses look forward to the Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) sale events because they offer an excellent opportunity to increase sales. eCommerce stores, such as Amazon, Shopify and Adidas, participate in BFCM sale every year and drive high conversion rates. Statistics reveal that Shopify sellers earned $9.3 billion during the BFCM Shopify weekend in the year 2023, witnessing an increase of 24% from the previous year. However, it is not that easy to achieve such high revenue just by putting up products on sale during this season. Thorough planning and effective BFCM marketing must be done to attract a large consumer base.
In this article, we have shared useful tips to prepare the BFCM Checklist and follow the same to make the most of this event.
What Is BFCM?
BFCM is a four-day shopping event that starts on the Friday following Thanksgiving. A major event for eCommerce stores, it usually takes place towards the end of November. This is the beginning of the holiday season in the United States and people love shopping around this time. Thus, brands offer huge discounts and launch various BFCM deals to attract more customers and drive sales. If you sell in the international market, then this can especially be a good opportunity for you. Reports suggest that during BFCM 2023, Indian exporters on Amazon Global Selling witnessed 80% greater sales in comparison to the usual days. This was 25% greater in comparison to the preceding year.
Shoppers show a keen interest in home decor items, apparels, and electronics during the Black Friday sales. Brands offer amazing deals on such items. Contrarily, lucrative tech deals are offered during Cyber Monday, resulting in huge sale of electronic goods, such as laptops, TVs, mobile phones, gaming systems, and tablets. It is a great opportunity for businesses to boost their revenue and expand their customer base.
Essential Tips to Prepare for BFCM
Do you know when is BFCM 2024? The event will start on November 29 and end on December 29. Some platforms may continue offering discounted products for a week or more. As a seller, you must prepare for this event in advance to ensure maximum returns. Here is an extensive BFCM strategies to help you prepare for the biggest sales event of the year.
- Create Targeted Marketing Campaigns
Crafting targeted marketing campaigns is crucial to generate interest in your BFCM deals. Running the campaigns on the right platform is equally important to reach your target audience. You must also employ different marketing tools, such as email marketing, video marketing, and search engine optimisation, to promote your products and attract potential buyers. Using psychological triggers in your campaigns can increase their effectiveness and push sales.
- Use Data Insights to Choose BFCM Promotions
Deciding different BFCM deals is crucial for the success of the event. You can’t just offer any scheme without checking its potential to perform. To come up with lucrative deals that can attract shoppers, eCommerce stores go through previous data. This helps identify popular products and deals that work for your target audience. By understanding past trends, you can create offers your potential customers are looking for, increasing your chances of sales.
- Ensure Efficient Inventory Management
Most businesses are so engrossed in preparing BFCM marketing strategies that they overlook the importance of timely and efficient inventory planning. If you do not order inventory early, you may not have access to it, or it may not reach you timely, thereby delaying the order fulfillment process. This can happen due to the unavailability of adequate products and port congestion during the holiday season. Thus, it is suggested to start preparing ahead of time and prevent last-minute shortages. You can plan and manage your inventory better with the latest demand forecast tools and inventory management software.
- Extend Your Sales Period
Many businesses offer BFCM deals for a more extended time period rather than sticking to the four-day Black Friday-Cyber Monday weekend. You can try this strategy by extending your BFCM deals a few days before and after the popular sales weekend. This helps you capture a broader audience and increase your chances of sales. As you employ this strategy, ensure you prepare your inventory and shipping for early buyers.
- Get Your Shipping Plan Ready
Shipping the goods timely and efficiently is an important part of closing a sale. You must prepare your shipping plan for the BFCM Week by coordinating with your shipping providers to handle this step effectively. It is essential to offer multiple shipping options for your customer’s convenience and be ready with an efficient plan to fulfill the same. Do not forget to communicate any delivery delays. Timely communication helps in building trust and averting dissatisfaction among customers. Besides, offer free or expedited shipping wherever possible to attract more customers.
- Optimise Your Storefront for Mobile Users
Most shoppers shop from their mobile phones. As per recent reports, mobile devices account for 66% of the total eCommerce sales. Thus, it is imperative to adopt mobile-friendly designs to ensure a smooth user experience. This is necessary to encourage the customers to browse your product categories and complete the checkout process smoothly.
- Reconnect with Previous Visitors and Buyers
By retargeting your existing customers, you can increase your chances of sales. It is recommended to use multiple channels to further this task. Sending personalised emails and running SMS campaigns to share various ongoing BFCM offers is ideal. It is recommended to highlight the offers they may be interested in based on past purchases. As they are already familiar with your brand, they are more likely to buy your products.
- Streamline Your Checkout Process
It is important to ensure a smooth checkout experience to increase the number of conversions. This should be a priority on your BFCM checklist. You must work towards streamlining the procedure by lowering the number of form fields to simplify and quicken the form-filling process. Providing multiple payment and shipping options, adopting one-click checkout, displaying security badges, and offering live chat support can enhance the process further. Ensure good page load speed to enable hassle-free checkout and lower cart abandonment rate.
- Revamp Your Homepage with Festive Elements
To capture the attention of your potential buyers, you must add some eye-catching festive elements to your homepage. In addition to creating a festive feel with your design elements, you should also highlight your BFCM deals to add to the celebratory times. Do not forget to make your CTAs stand out.
- Prepare for Traffic Surges
If you offer excellent deals and market them effectively, then the traffic on your platform is bound to surge. It is imperative to test your site’s capacity to handle this load. It should function smoothly and enable quick browsing and checkout processes even as the traffic increases. A slow browsing experience can lead to a loss of revenue.
Gear Up for the Sale Season with ShiprocketX
As you gear up to increase your conversion rate during the BFCM week, choose ShiprocketX as your reliable shipping partner. The renowned shipping company has a track record of ensuring secure and timely deliveries to more than 220 international locations. ShiprocketX takes care of all your logistic needs as you prepare for the mega sales event. It enables you to manage your orders effortlessly by allowing seamless integration with your eCommerce platform. The best part is that it offers services at a competitive price even as it ensures excellent service quality.
Conclusion
Preparing for BFCM requires adequate research and careful planning. By following the points in the aforementioned BFCM strategies, you can be well-prepared for the biggest sales event of the year. Opting for a reliable shipping partner, ensuring a mobile-friendly design, creating targeted marketing campaigns, preparing for traffic surges and adding festive elements to your homepage are among some of the ways you can prepare for this event. You may even consider extending your BFCM deals beyond that 4-day period to attract more customers. Remember, planning and preparing ahead of the event can help achieve better results.
