Your Black Friday 2020 Ecommerce Checklist

Summer vacations might be in full swing but the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend is well and truly on the horizon. To get your eCommerce store ready, we’re pleased to announce our new Black Friday Checklist that you can download today and start using immediately.

A New Black Friday for 2020

It’s around this time each year that businesses start planning for Black Friday and devising new strategies to maximise sales. But this year isn’t like any other year. If there’s one thing for certain about 2020, it’s that nothing is certain.

In the context of Black Friday, we can expect this year to be unlike any other Black Friday on record. With COVID-19 restrictions in place, it’s clear that the usual highlight reels of frenzied crowds stuffing their baskets with discounted TVs won’t be happening. High profile retailers in the US have already signalled that they’ll be closing their doors on Thanksgiving—an indication of what’s to come this Black Friday.

The onset of COVID-19 also led to an atypical eCommerce sales spike earlier this spring. The spring peak was even higher than the levels seen in the 2019 holiday season sales. Retailers are understandably concerned as to what impact, if any, this earlier sales spike will have on Black Friday, and how.

Black Friday Ecommerce

One thing we can be sure of is that this Black Friday will play out online.

Due to COVID-19, a greater proportion of customers will be sat at their laptop or phone ready to bag the biggest deals. The pressure is, therefore, on merchants to get their eCommerce sites ready for an onslaught of traffic in terms of reliability and performance. And without the usual buzz of a physical store on Black Friday, it’ll be those that can convey the excitement and drama of Black Friday, digitally, that will see the biggest sales.

To help you succeed this Black Friday, our Strategy and Consulting team has compiled a new checklist of the key things you need to do. We’ve been helping our clients for the last 10+ years on Black Friday to optimise site performance and grow online sales. Last year our clients saw an average YoY order volume growth of 96%.

Our team has now distilled these years of expertise into the Black Friday Checklist which includes a number of hot topics including:

Along with the checklist, we’ll be posting regular Black Friday analysis and tips & tricks right here on our blog. We’ll also be sending these out via social media, so be sure to follow our channels for all the latest insight and advice.

This year—more than ever—will require new ways to entice and delight customers. The challenge will be in replicating the excitement, buzz and spontaneity of a typical Black Friday shop floor on your eCommerce site. And given this year’s uncertainty, success will come in being agile and having the technology to respond to external events at speed. Finally, in the background, you’ll need the sound technical infrastructure to deal with increased traffic while still providing the secure and reliable experience that customers demand.

Now is the time to start planning so that you’re ready to welcome queues of customers to your virtual shopfront come November 27th.

Is your business ready for Black Friday 2020? Download our exclusive checklist today and start planning for what is potentially the largest online shopping season on record. And for any other questions on priming your eCommerce store for success, contact our team today!