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Whilst most of us are still in shock that we’re nearing the end of September 2021, eCommerce Managers, Digital Marketers and savvy companies alike, are preparing for what could be their most lucrative quarter.
At 9xb, we’ve taken a deep dive into some of this year's Black Friday trends and tips that will deliver results for any eCommerce business.
The impact of Black Friday on eCommerce businesses
The shopping event born in America and adopted by many, is loved by consumers looking to grab a bargain across technology, fashion, toys and more. It is also a growing trend for B2B companies looking to boost loyalty among their customers and nurture potential prospects.
Now, even more so the popular sales event has erupted online, as more and more look to purchase via clicks rather than in store as the pandemic continues to disrupt many brick and mortar businesses.
Let’s begin by looking at how you can maximise sales growth by optimising your eCommerce store.
Optimise your eCommerce store
From homepage to checkout, reevaluating the user experience could be the difference between no sale and lasting loyalty. To make the most of Black Friday, we recommend conducting a website audit to identify potential holes in your conversion funnel.
Start with a technical audit, specifically looking at site speed, responsiveness and visual stability - all which form part of Google’s Core Web Vitals. Not only will improving your site performance delight your customers but it will also benefit your organic growth.
Take the time to visualise the customer journey by looking at how users interact with your website. Using tools such as Hotjar, you can view heatmap reports based on clicks and movements. Alongside tools, get instant feedback from your target audience through user testing methods, including focus groups, surveys and reviews.
The power of Merchandising
If you’re using a flexible platform, you should have the autonomy and power to grow your eCommerce website through effective merchandising. From creating a homepage that directs users to the products they want to product pages that deliver the right information to convert.
Merchandising is one of the top ‘quick wins’ for sales growth, especially during large promotional events. By leveraging personalisation and upselling/cross selling tools, you can guide users to their desired products and even products they didn’t know they needed yet at speed and with ease.
What, when and how to promote
Use your website data to build customer personas to understand what your customers want, when they want it and how they prefer to purchase. By documenting each persona, your insight into customer behaviour will help to identify the best Black Friday strategy to maximise online sales.
Trends over the last couple of years have seen more consumers use Black Friday as an opportunity to get organised for Christmas, with many looking to purchase gifts at lower prices. There is also an expectation that sales last longer than a day, or even the cyber weekend, with many hoping to see the promotional event running for at least the week. This means deals should be fresh and engaging to avoid buyer fatigue.
Personalisation converts
We briefly touched on personalisation above, however as a growing and intensely scrutinised trend, we wanted to expand on the topic. Consumers are more likely to take action to personalised messaging, this is just as important when promoting a sales event. If you take onboard our merchandising, user experience and persona recommendations, your personalisation strategy will already be taking shape.
According to eConsultancy, 44% of consumers are more likely to become repeat buyers after having a personalised online shopping experience. That said, there are definitely some rules that need to be adhered to in order to see results. This includes removing any barriers across channels - if a promotion is offered online, carry this across every potential touch point including your brick and mortar store. And, remember, personalisation is there to delight your customers, to make it easier and more enjoyable to shop with your brand. So, when offering products they may be interested in or showcasing complementary products during checkout, make sure the right products are there - at the right time.
Fast and easy checkout
The days of offering one payment method are long gone. If your eCommerce website is still limited by a singular payment method, you can expect to see many potential customers during Black Friday bounce. Consumers expect to be able to pay quickly, without obstacles in their way. You can speed up the checkout process with:
- More payment methods, including Paypal, Apple Pay and Google Pay
- Add flexible payment options such as Klarna and Afterpay
- Ability to checkout as guest
- Free and fast delivery options
Summary
As you’ll see from many of the trends and tips for Black Friday 2021, it’s all in the planning. Ensure your strategy is in place and define your goals to be able to measure success effectively.
- Optimise your eCommerce website for maximum performance and greater user journeys
- Leverage strong merchandising techniques to promote your offers
- Understand your customers and deliver the right promotions through buyer personas
- Cut through the noise and avoid buyer fatigue through personalisation
- Add more payment methods and delivery options for frictionless buying experience
Need help to master the above, our eCommerce experts are on hand to support you with your Black Friday strategy. But don’t leave it too long, Black Friday takes place on 26th November this year.
