Everything you need to prepare your e-commerce business for an outstanding BFCM 2024.
Limited time to prep, but we’ve got everything you need!
Going about BFCM preparation without planning and structuring can lead to some crucial tasks being left for the last minute. Follow our BFCM 2024 Calendar to ensure you complete all the crucial tasks before time runs out!
Feeling overwhelmed with the long to-do list? Don’t worry! Here’s a quick checklist for you to follow:
Nailing the Black Friday and Cyber Monday marketing campaigns is perhaps the biggest challenge for an e-commerce store during festive sales. While earlier, people would just walk into their preferred stores on a Black Friday and shop their hearts out, customers now have a huge variety of options to choose from during Cyber Week sales, and they also can shop fewer products from multiple stores more easily than ever before. Making people aware of your offers, bringing them to your platform, and then cross-selling them relevant items can make or break your Black Friday & Cyber Monday sales. Here’s how you can market your online store the best.
Using Whatmore Studio, you can create video ads for top social media platforms in minutes!
BFCM is one of the biggest sales events of the year, both offline and online. Falling on the weekend after Thanksgiving, it is a crucial period for businesses to boost revenue, attract new customers, and kick off the holiday shopping season with a bang.
But what does it actually mean? Simply put, it’s a combination of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, wherein Black Friday is when the offline retail stores generally run the biggest discounts, and Cyber Monday is its online counterpart, seeing the biggest price slashes on e-commerce stores. The five days starting from Thanksgiving going up to Cyber Monday is called Cyber Week, and while the best and biggest discounts are usually reserved for the final day, there are always great deals running all through the duration. In 2024, Black Friday will occur on November 29, and Cyber Monday will be on December 2.
While Black Friday originated in the US, over the years, BFCM has evolved into a global phenomenon. And with the rise of online shopping, BFCM has become more about e-commerce dominance, making it a golden opportunity for businesses to maximise sales. For 2024, trends indicate that mobile optimization and video marketing will play a big role besides traditional forms of marketing. And if you're in the e-commerce game, understanding how to leverage these factors during BFCM is critical to success.
BFCM is more than just an opportunity to boost your sales — it’s a great time to attract new customers and have them shopping from you throughout the shopping season and beyond. Over the years, BFCM sales have grown exponentially, creating a great landscape for you to attract brand-new customers. Let’s break down why it should be on your radar.
According to a report by Adobe, BFCM sales continue to soar year after year, with U.S. consumers spending over $222.1 billion online during the festive season in 2023 alone, with $38 billion of that spent during Cyber Week. Black Friday and Cyber Monday lead the charts with $9.8 billion and $12.1 billion spent on the two days respectively, highlighting the massive potential it holds for online retailers.
Consumers spent a staggering $32.5 billion online during BFCM 2023, and a further $5.6 billion on Thanksgiving in the U.S.
Several key trends are picking up in 2024, which are guiding e-commerce stores to capture more customers. Of these, one major trend is the continued dominance of mobile shopping. With more consumers shopping on their smartphones, ensuring that your website is mobile-optimized is super important. an attractive layout for your m-site, faster loading times, and mobile-friendly checkouts will go a long way in reducing drop-offs.
Additionally, social commerce is also on the rise, with more and more brands using platforms like Instagram and TikTok to sell directly through shoppable posts and livestreams. Engaging your audience on these platforms with real-time product demos and flash sales can drive traffic and conversions.
You can also include your TikToks / Reels right onto your website in the form of Shoppable Videos. As video content continues to play a key role in engagement, having shoppable videos built onto your website can not only help in reducing drop-offs, but also increase the discoverability of certain products on your website and, in turn, conversions! Using Whatmore, you can integrate shoppable videos right onto your website, and with a direct add-to-cart button within the product videos, and ZERO page speed impact, you can ensure that there are minimal customer drop-offs in the journey.
When it comes to preparing for festive sales, the earlier you start, the merrier. And especially for SMEs, starting preparations beforehand is all the more important, since you will have multiple tasks to take care of. While the tasks at hand may feel overwhelming at first, pulling off a great BFCM campaign can make a huge difference for e-commerce businesses. Not only will the sales boost revenue for the quarter, but it can also give you loyal returning customers who will keep shopping from you throughout the festive season and beyond. By planning your marketing campaigns, optimizing your website, and preparing your inventory well ahead of time, you’ll be in a much better position to handle the surge in traffic and capitalize on the sales opportunities.
If your e-commerce store is powered by Shopify, you are already set up with a powerful tool to make the most of BFCM 2024. Here are some marketing tips to enhance your store’s performance this festive season, and Shopify Apps that will help you put things in place.
Shopify offers a wide array of apps that can enhance the functionality of your store and help you maximize your Cyber Monday sales. Here’s how you can harness them to improve your store’s performance.
By making the most of Shopify’s tools and apps, you’ll be ready to handle the BFCM rush and maximize your sales potential.
There are always a variety of different ways to run a successful marketing campaigns for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But while your e-commerce store will require its own unique way of marketing, there are some things to keep in mind. Here are some best practices for e-commerce businesses.
Discounts and offers should be the first thing customers see when they land on a product page on your website. Use bold banners and countdown timers where necessary to catch their attention.
Ensure your website and product pages are optimized for mobile, as mobile commerce plays a huge role.
When writing a product description, highlight the unique value of each product while focusing on how it enhances a customer’s life. Use clear and concise language, and make sure the description is easily readable.
Product videos help shoppers visualize the product after seeing it in action. Record informative and visually appealing product videos for your website and social media, and also encourage customers to share their purchases. Feature the user-generated content (UGC) and video content on your website in the form of Shoppable videos to increase engagement and conversions.
Carry out enough A/B tests to experiment with your ideas on different layouts, copy, and call-to-action buttons, to see what converts best. Ensure your checkout process is fast, easy, and secure to minimize cart abandonment.
Play with different urgency and scarcity tactics like countdown timers on offers and limited stock alerts to create a sense of urgency in shoppers.
Use customer data to offer personalized product recommendations based on their browsing or purchase history. Also send personalized emails with product suggestions, exclusive discounts, or BFCM reminders.
One of the most important aspects of outstanding BFCM sales is website optimization. Not only does your website need to be technically ready to handle the traffic surge, but you also need to adapt it to convert the oncoming traffic into returning customers. Here’s how you can go about it.
To avoid visitor drop-offs and enable a seamless and positive experience for your potential customers, your website needs to be ready to handle the traffic surge that BFCM will bring with it. Start by conducting load testing to simulate high-traffic scenarios and identify potential bottlenecks. This will help you understand how your website performs under pressure and where you need to make improvements.
Install apps that automate key processes like email marketing, inventory management, and customer support. This will help you stay on top of operations during the BFCM 2024 rush. Apps like Klaviyo can be used for email marketing, Stock Sync for inventory management, ShipStation for order fulfilment, and Gorgias for customer support automation. More on these in our Resources & Tools section below.
Shoppable videos can dramatically increase engagement, and in-turn drive more sales. By integrating shoppable videos directly into your product pages, you can help people visualize your products and provide an immersive shopping experience.
With Whatmore Shoppable Videos, you can showcase your products in engaging video formats without impacting page speed at all! Interactive content can help keep your customers on your site longer and encourage them to complete their purchases. E-commerce stores using Whatmore Shoppable Videos saw a 250% increase in conversion and a 4x growth in time spent on website, enabling up to 20x increase in ROI.
Additionally, also add video banners on your website to promote latest and upcoming deals in an attention-grabbing window. You can use Shopify Apps like Whatmore to integrate Video Banners onto your website seamlessly, without impacting site speed.
Having the right tools at your disposal goes a long way in executing a successful BFCM strategy. To help you pick the right tools, we have curated a special BFCM toolkit that includes everything you need to prepare for this festive season. Here are some apps and online tools you should be looking at
BFCM sales provide a massive opportunity for e-commerce businesses to boost revenue, attract new customers, and set the stage for an outstanding holiday season. By following the strategies outlined in this guide — from optimizing your product pages and personalizing your marketing efforts to ensuring your website is fully prepared to handle traffic loads and boost conversions — you’ll be in a strong position to maximize your results.
While doing so, beginning early is key. Start acting early — whether it’s setting your sales goals, organizing your marketing campaigns, or testing your website’s performance. Remember, BFCM is not just about offering great deals; it’s about providing a seamless shopping experience that keeps customers coming back even after the big weekend.
With tools like Whatmore Shoppable Videos and Whatmore Studio, you can bring your product offerings to life, creating engaging, shoppable content that drives conversions. Whether you’re looking to enhance your marketing efforts with trending video formats or enhance your website’s appearance and engagement using short-form videos, Whatmore offers the solutions you need to make BFCM 2024 your best one yet.
It’s best to start planning as early as September. This allows ample time to analyze last year’s performance, set goals, optimize your website, and finalize your marketing strategy. Early preparation helps avoid last-minute stress and ensures everything runs smoothly during Black Friday, Cyber Monday.
Key areas to focus on include website optimization (ensuring fast loading times and a seamless checkout process), marketing strategy (email, social media, and influencer marketing), and inventory management. Personalizing your customer’s experience and using urgency tactics can also help drive conversions.
Optimize your Shopify store by using Shopify’s built-in tools for discounts, email marketing, and analytics. Ensure your product pages are mobile-friendly, and your checkout process is smooth, and consider integrating third-party apps to boost performance and automation.
Utilize email campaigns, paid social media ads, and influencer partnerships to spread the word. Content marketing, such as guides or product feature videos, can also drive organic traffic to your store. Additionally, consider using Whatmore’s Shoppable Videos to engage customers and increase conversion rates.
Use urgency tactics such as countdown timers, limited stock alerts, and flash sales. Offering exclusive discounts to your email list or creating product bundles can also encourage higher cart values. Personalized product recommendations and shoppable videos can further enhance the shopping experience and drive more sales.
Offer something unique, such as exclusive bundles, free shipping, or limited-time flash sales. Additionally, using shoppable videos and interactive content can create a more engaging and immersive shopping experience, setting you apart from the competition.
Ensure a smooth checkout process with multiple payment options and minimal form fields. Offering free shipping, providing clear shipping times, and sending cart abandonment emails with a discount code can help recover lost sales.
Focus on email marketing, social media ads, influencer partnerships, and content marketing. Personalization is key—segment your audience and create targeted messages to maximize engagement. Additionally, use video content, such as product demos and how-to videos, to captivate your audience
Whatmore’s Shoppable Videos allow you to showcase your products in an engaging, interactive format that can drive conversions without slowing down your site. Whatmore Studio enables you to create high-quality quickly, trending videos that capture attention, perfect for social media and product pages.
The best way to prepare for high traffic is to perform load testing ahead of time. You should also consider upgrading your hosting plan or implementing a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to ensure your website remains fast and responsive under heavy traffic. Optimizing your site’s speed, especially for mobile users, is key to reducing bounce rates.
Set up abandoned cart emails that trigger within an hour of a customer leaving your site. Include a direct link back to their cart, and consider offering a limited-time discount to encourage them to complete the purchase. Additionally, retargeting ads can be an effective way to remind customers of items they’ve left behind.
It depends on your business strategy. Sitewide discounts are great for attracting a large number of customers, but focusing on specific products—like best-sellers or exclusive items—can help you maintain higher margins. A balanced approach, where you offer a smaller sitewide discount but deeper discounts on select products, can be effective.
During Black Friday and Cyber Monday, inboxes are flooded with promotional emails, so personalization is key. Use segmentation to target specific groups with personalized offers based on their past purchases or browsing behavior. Also, use compelling subject lines and engaging visuals in your emails to grab attention.
The most effective urgency tactics include countdown timers on product pages, limited-time flash sales, low-stock alerts, and displaying how many people are currently viewing or buying a product. These methods create FOMO (fear of missing out) and can drive faster conversions.
Focus on the value your products bring to your customers. Instead of only pushing discounts, create content that highlights how your products solve problems, improve lifestyles, or bring joy. You can also weave in user-generated content, reviews, or stories about how other customers have benefited from your products.
Follow up with new customers through personalized email campaigns, offering them exclusive deals for the holiday season. You can also create loyalty programs that reward repeat purchases or referrals. Engaging with them on social media and through targeted ads will also help keep them coming back.
