Are Your Online Store Ready for Black Friday and Cyber Monday? -
You've built your online store, mapped out a marketing strategy, and designed your social media posts and emails. What could go wrong?
Talk to any customer support rep. We've seen the chaos and can share just the blue Black Friday can be for those who don't have a plan for their online store.
It's early enough and easy enough to learn from others' mistakes So, read further for the most common pitfalls encountered throughout the year by our support team in the course of how Black Friday and Cyber Monday tactics are put into place.
Prepare for a Surge in the Demand
This is the fourth Thursday in November. Your product has been set up for months. You have tested repeatedly, and you know it is working. How can you make it work? Make a transition to the holiday season. Your sitting on the couch more stuffed than the turkey. There is a game playing at the same time, you are beginning to feel tired and restful, and you believe that you'll grab a share of those money you've earned during the holidays. You check social media and the countdown for your event is over and customers are in a buying frenzy. Check at your shop and verify that demand far exceeds your expectations!
Time to pop the lid on that beer? If you've not planned ahead, it could result in a decline in demand. An increase in customer numbers will result in a rise in demand on other resources. For example, if your site crashes due to the pressure of a cyber stampede, today's customer will be happy to use their credit card elsewhere. The slowdown itself can affect your conversion. Prepare now for the right infrastructure in place in order to prevent a mismatch between the amount of traffic and infrastructure capacity.
Test Your Fulfillment
Have you given thought to your satisfaction? What's worse than underestimating demand for your product and leaving customers unable to purchase? These are sales you may never recoup. Check your inventory to make sure that you have enough licenses in stock and have a strategy for what steps the support team must follow if the demand is higher than your expectations.
It is time to plan out your communication procedures and processes. With a plan in place in case of problem, everyone knows what steps they must take to restore the system and running.
Beware of Coupon Frauds
The smartest buyers are trying to stretch their holiday budget and frequently rely on coupons. They know that and you are delighted to see that customers are knocking down your virtual doors, coupons in hand. You navigate over to reporting and expect to see a positive upward arrow, only to see a slide in sales.
When you look deeper, you realize each sale that you have made in the past few hours were discounted since you did not limit the coupon condition to a specific product. Make sure you plan in advance in order to avoid this calamity. Check your coupon in the manner an individual customer might utilize it.
Customers can use the coupon to purchase products that weren't intended to be discounted? Can the coupon be used multiple times or be combined with other offers? Did the coupon set-up in a way to be able to commence at the appropriate moment and at the right time?
Get Support Prepared
It's still playing and the game is in halftime. You've checked on your store and you have managed to stay clear of major catastrophes. What about the smaller ones? This is not the time to begin to question how much support you've got in place for the holiday season?
The number of complaints from buyers is increasing along with the sale. Are you prepared to support the customer who can't pay, or the person who has changed their mind, or bought an incorrect product? Knowing the buyer's issues is just as critical as making sure you have a plan in place to deal with these issues, and having the right staff to handle these issues.
Planned Planning is the Key to Success
In our experience, the most common issues vendors face on Black Friday and Cyber Monday come from a insufficient planning. In the end our best recommendation from our team is that planning the process, testing it, and implementing are key.
By implementing these strategies to handle the increased demand and get the most from your Black Friday and Cyber Monday. After that don your sweatpants and turn on the TV and take a slice of pie. You've earned it.