What happens when you take Black Friday and combine it with Cyber Monday? You get BFCM – basically just an easier abbreviation to better encompass how big this weekend has become. No longer are the days of standing in line and potentially missing out on the item you went to the store for. Now, the process is much easier (and less stressful) thanks to the boom in online shopping.
This has become especially important following the pandemic. With more retailers choosing to sell solely online, it opens up the floodgates for sales. However, it’s also necessary to maximize your sales to stay competitive and build a large customer base in the process. Our guide will explain what BFCM really is and how to make this shopping season your first of many more successful ones in years to come!
Replo Reviews: BFCM And Maximizing Your Sales
What Is BFCM?
It stands for Black Friday + Cyber Monday. Black Friday begins the Friday right after Thanksgiving. It traditionally signifies the start of the holiday shopping season. Any sales that continue on usually are referred to as Cyber Week, or as it’s most commonly known, Cyber Monday.
Cyber Monday is fairly new in comparison to Black Friday. The term was first used around 2005 due the rise in online shopping following the Black Friday rush. It provides a more convenient option for shoppers to find sales from anywhere, without having to visit the store.
Is BFCM Observed Around The World?
Black Friday is most commonly observed and seen throughout the U.S. but with the rise in eCommerce and Cyber Monday, it has become quite big around the world. Many brands now push to have an international presence and prioritize international shipping as well.
Does Shopify Do Black Friday Sales?
Yes! Shopify is the go-to stop for many retailers and businesses as they look to streamline their sales and marketing capabilities. You can check out their site for more information on running campaigns and tracking the metrics of said campaigns as well.
The Impact Of BFCM On eCommerce
The rise in BFCM sales and promotions has really had a large impact on eCommerce. Retailers must now plan well in advance for the days, even weeks now, of sales. Many retailers have also had to consider their shipping options and how best to streamline those channels. This year you may want to consider planning this out with vendors to ensure that the process is seamless and there aren’t any long wait times for packages.
Why Do Businesses Do Black Friday?
It’s become a way to usher in the holiday shopping season. Black Friday now signifies the start to a long shopping season. Many retailers choose to get a jump on this time to push inventory and make a large portion of their profit in this last quarter of the year.
It’s a great time to get products out and usher customers into the hectic holiday season. Many even choose to get most of their shopping done in this period of time. Retailers and customers both know the power of a deal, so all usually jump on board to get the best prices possible.
How Do You Attract Customers On Black Friday?
Engagement! While it’s not just as simple as that, a lot of the work that goes into attracting customers has to do with the work you put out on social media and through email communication. You’re going to want to understand your customers and their needs. You can then tailor content that you know will strike a chord for them to ultimately visit your website or at least find some interest in the product being offered.
This year why not focus on how you reach your customers and also how your product will ultimately reach them. You can use this time now to strategize and find any holes in the process. In the end, your work now will help immensely when the big BFCM time arrives.
BFCM Marketing Strategies From eCommerce Experts
Even the experts must adapt to changes in the eCommerce space. And with so much going into online shopping this year (thanks to an influx in inventory following the pandemic) there are countless strategies to consider such as:
- BFCM Deals Well Displayed This means that you will need to show off your deals and sales so that the customer does not have to click through to find it. Consider adding in a “deal” or “code” bar at the top of every page that makes it easy to add to their cart. This will avoid confusion and deter from a high bounce rate.
- Email, Email, Email - The idea of endless emails may seem annoying, but getting out in front of your customer will ultimately keep you top of mind when they are shopping. Start thinking about clever, captivating subject lines and provide clear CTAs with buttons to help the shopper along to your website or app even.
- Test Your Site, And Then Test Again - With the influx of online shoppers during this time, you’re going to want to make sure everything works perfectly. This means testing out CTA buttons, links, correcting copy to be precise, and any other things a shopper would expect to complete the journey without any hiccups. Again, the goal is to avoid cart abandonment.
Send Shoppers Newsletters
A newsletter is an amazing way to develop brand awareness and loyalty while also informing your customer base about particular products. You can push products that need to be pushed or even do a soft-launch for upcoming products as well. The options go on and on, but the key here is to focus on engagement and interacting with your customer base.
Offer “Early Bird” Deals
Think of the “early bird” deal as a little teaser to what is to come. It also has an interesting impact on how the customer views their experience. A preview of what is to come, with a deal, may reinforce them to buy early while the price is low. It is a clever way to boost or test out sales of a product before an official launch.
Test And Prepare Your Website
This is where you will need to beta-test any new functions. Consider adding in a chat box function for customer support or add in product descriptions and other pertinent information like:
- Material - Where is it sourced from? What does the product offer?
- Function - What does your product do or what is the intention?
- Images - This is its own type of information! Consider upping your photo game by adding in quality images (make sure your website can handle any of these additions though)
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Prepare Social Media Campaigns
Ahead of BFCM you’ll want to boost your social media sites. This can include an increase in posts or implementing more hashtags, but you may also want to interact with your customers and respond to any questions or even complaints. It goes without saying that many appreciate a communicative brand, especially ahead of the busy shopping season.
Here a few social media ideas to consider implementing:
- A countdown to Black Friday and/or Cyber Monday with limited sales
- Giveaways to get customers liking, sharing, and commenting on your posts
- Email subscription incentives with promotions included once a customer signs up
- Buying guides to display products and give ideas of what to buy
- Extend your BFCM deals for any customers that didn’t get a chance to shop
Offer Free Shipping
Everyone loves free shipping! And many retailers choose to provide free shipping throughout the BFCM weekend. Some even extend it for the whole week depending on the product or offerings.
Think about if you can afford to do this, or at least consider adding in a deal that if you spend over a certain amount you qualify for free shipping. There are many routes to go with this, so consider your options before just choosing one.
Reward Loyal Customers
Brand loyalty is essential to any successful business. That’s why you may want to consider implementing a loyalty program or at least rewarding loyal customers that continue to shop with you. This will go a long way in showing your customers that you care about them and their support of your brand. Afterall, the goal is always to obtain new customers, while still maintaining the loyal ones you have.
Must-Have Tools For BFCM In 2022
Below are some tools to consider ahead of the BFCM season so that you can stay organized and prepared for any influx of shoppers that may come!
Perhaps you want to showcase your products on a large scale. Google product listings is a great way to get your products in front of millions of shoppers. Aside from listing your products, you can also advertise on Google to promote your inventory or boost traffic to your site, app, or brick-and-mortar store.
This is probably an easy option to start quickly because it is quite intuitive and free to list. The advertising aspect is also free, you only pay when the customer clicks on your listing. Small business owners looking to gain traffic may benefit from further advertising their products this way.
Reviews really are powerful in the eCommerce space. And they can make or break a brand, so it’s critical that you consider how your reviews are showing. Trustpilot is a review platform that is open to everyone to share experiences. This helps customers figure out what brand is worth shopping with, and which ones need to up their game. You can use this as a tool to figure out what’s working and what maybe needs improvement.
And keeping with this theme of transparency, you may want to check out their 2022 Transparency Report for additional practices and tips to make your brand stellar for 2023.
Gorgias is a helpdesk and live chat platform designed specifically for eCommerce stores. This means that there is one platform to enhance your support by placing all requests, or tickets, in one place. This means that you don’t have to go back and forth from Facebook or Instagram to field questions or answer messages.
You can be ahead of the curve and work to personalize your content and offerings before your big launch.
Klaviyo is a marketing automation platform specializing in email marketing and SMS marketing. Their offerings work to maximize revenue, increase repeat sales, and improve retention thanks to their personalized emails with the help of their pre-built behavior-triggered automations. Aside from the personalization functionality, you can also track performance with at-a-glance data visualizations and customizable reports.
This is an option for businesses/retailers looking to scale with the help of a boosted email marketing campaign. It may be especially helpful for brainstorming effective approaches to BFCM email campaigns for 2022 and even as an early start to 2023.
Klaviyo is a marketing automation platform specializing in email marketing and SMS marketing. Their offerings work to maximize revenue, increase repeat sales, and improve retention thanks to their personalized emails with the help of their pre-built behavior-triggered automations. Aside from the personalization functionality, you can also track performance with at-a-glance data visualizations and customizable reports.
This is an option for businesses/retailers looking to scale with the help of a boosted email marketing campaign. It may be especially helpful for brainstorming effective approaches to BFCM email campaigns for 2022 and even as an early start to 2023.
When Should I Start Preparing For BFCM?
Ideally you’ll want to start planning and prepping inventory a few months before BFCM. You may want to consider the initial plan and prep work even in August or September to avoid any unnecessary time crunches or hiccups.
However, that doesn't mean that you have to start promoting at this time. Some retailers start promoting as early as October to get people excited, but generally, most begin the real push in November. This means that social media and other promotional material begins going out at this time to get people thinking or even started with “early bird” promotions.
During this time you’ll want to optimize your website as much as possible, which may even mean changing up your layout, especially if you’re a small business owner just starting out.
Get Ready, Set, Go With Replo This BFCM
To get a head start on your 2022 BFCM, why not consider boosting your shopify store with Replo. Our approach is simple and we’ll walk you through anything from installation to design and even managing your created pages such as:
- Shopify standard pages
- Shopify store homepages
- Shopify blog posts
- Shopify product description page (in beta - please reach out to support@replo.app for more)
If you’re ready to get started and boost your eCommerce offerings this BFCM, why not check out our FAQ Page for even more on the process. You can then Schedule A Demo and we’ll chat about what you need and how we can get there together!