Shhh! Can you hear that?
It’s the sound of the holiday season rushing towards us in a hot mess of tinsel, tidings, and tantrums. Planning your holiday marketing needs to start now so get out your planners and follow me, the count down is on. Over the next few weeks, we are rolling our or Ecommerce Holiday Planning Strategy for new store owners or for online store owners who feel overwhelmed at the prospect of doing Black Friday / Cyber Monday and Christmas marketing campaigns.

What is Black Friday Cyber Monday? 

For the uninitiated Black Friday, Cyber Monday (BFCM) is THE biggest selling season of the year for most online (and offline) retailers.  Over the past 12 or so years customers have been conditioned to expect mega deals from their favourite retailers that are extra special and way beyond what’s normally offered (in terms of discounts)  Known as the Shopping Holiday

Around 1/3 of Americans shop online during the sales Millennials LOVE Black Friday It has largely changed the online retail landscape and is an anticipated shopping event.

Here’s what you need to know to get started with your Black Friday Cyber Monday Strategy

Most people aren’t buying for themselves (although they often do at the end when everyone else is taken care of) Gift Offers are great as many shoppers are buying Christmas Gifts It’s all about the discount, shoppers EXPECT a deal Decoy Offers can help customers decide Consider using Apps to show offers/mark downs (Zipify and Shogun Landing Pages)

Don’t just offer up stuff that hasn’t sold (shoppers will come for your best sellers) Promote your most profitable items to your customers And NEVER EVER sell anything on backorder (unless you are 10000% guarantee that the order will arrive before Xmas)

Build a Black Friday Cyber Monday Campaign for your online store

Step 1. The Offer. 

Start with an offer. Make it good. Then make it even better.

Knowing your customer Archetype will help you create an irresistible offer for your online store.  You may want to segment your audiences and make different offers. Once you have decided on your offer, you have completed step one of your Black Friday Cyber Monday Planning. No, that wasn’t that hard after all was it?

Here are some popular Black Friday Cyber Monday offers to get you started

• XX% off
• BOGOF
• Extra 50% sale
• 2 for 3
• $$ off after spend (spend $200 and get $50 off)
• Free Shipping
• Upgraded Shipping
• Daily Offers
• Free Gift With Purchase
• Bundles
• Subscriber Only Offers
• Spend x get gift card for yourself

Preparing Your online store for Black Friday and Cyber Monday does require some effort, but seriously, why would you want to miss the biggest shopping/ selling event of the year?

An opportunity to increase your revenue, get customers off the fence and into your checkout and most importantly, into your funnel!