The seven steps to Black Friday success | Blog

Sean Sherwin-Smith, Post-Purchase Product Director

Despite ongoing fears that a greater range of discounts during November and December could dent the impact of the day, this year’s Black Friday looks set to break sales records. But the fact that this sales period continues to be popular, does not mean that retailers and ecommerce companies can assume that they will all automatically benefit from it.

Prepare, prepare, prepare

By failing to prepare adequately, many are making mistakes and missing opportunities. Too often these mistakes do not become apparent until it’s too late to fix them. But it is never too early to start planning for next year. That’s why we have developed our latest guide, which explores how ecommerce and multi-channel retailers can make the most of Black Friday.

“Delivering Black Friday success” explains how most mistakes during the big shopping event all tie back to a failure to prepare. However, by focusing on the seven principles of Black Friday success, businesses can build a winning customer experience for periods of heightened demand.

The seven principles

1. Increasing conversions at checkout – by offering, and clearly badging a range of delivery options, ecommerce companies can increase conversions by 20%
2. Aligning with customer values - a staggering 88% of consumers claim to be more loyal to a company that gives back to the world around them.^[1] Retailers can demonstrate shared values by setting up specific deliveries that automatically trigger charitable donations
3. Prioritizing convenience of delivery – offering out-of-home delivery alternatives where the customer collects from a parcel shop or locker could be far more convenient than home deliveries for many
4. Keeping customers up to date – some 78% of online shoppers will change brands or retailers if they don’t receive regular updates on the status of their order.^[2] Sending shoppers regular and relevant updates in their channel of choice can cut WISMO (“where is my order”) calls by 60%  
5. Remarketing and upselling – incorporating marketing messages into delivery updates can help retailers build revenue
6. Converting returns to exchanges –a digital returns process, with a consumer-friendly interface makes it easier to offer people exchange options, which can mean retailers don’t lose their revenue on returned items
7. Analyzing, adapting, improving – running a digital delivery process creates a wealth of data that is easy to analyze. Ecommerce companies should use this to improve marketing, operations and customer-journey personalization

Download our latest guide

nShift’s range of solutions helps retailers scale up during busy delivery periods and offer shoppers a better customer experience.

Read the full guide: “Delivering Black-Friday success - five common mistakes and seven principles of success”.

Or, for more information, get in touch below.

^[1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/solitairetownsend/2018/11/21/consumers-want-you-to-help-them-make-a-difference/

^[2] https://ridewithvia.com/resources/articles/78-of-customers-want-delivery-updates-on-orders-or-they-will-switch-brands/