10 Essential Tips to Make Your E-Commerce Store Stand Out This Black Friday

by Marielle Reussink

Have you noticed that “Black Friday sales” rarely start on Black Friday these days?

In recent years, many brands have begun their Black Friday promotions more than a week before the official day and continued well beyond Cyber Monday.

This means you should rethink your Black Friday strategy as well.

In this blog, we’ll cover why and what you can do to set yourself up for success this peak shopping season.

Why Black Friday Changed

When everyone runs their promotions at the same time, the competition for ads and attention intensifies. That means it gets much more expensive! When you have to offer a steep discount and buy ads at a premium, your profit margins can erode quickly.

To succeed, you don’t have to follow traditional timelines and methods for your promotions. Instead, you can carve out your own path and find an approach that works for your brand.

Use these 10 strategies to boost your Black Friday sales this year:

1. Segment Your Communications

Target the right people with the right message at the right time. Make your loyal customers a priority by offering them something special that they truly want. Personalized communication can cut through the Black Friday noise and make a significant impact.

2. Set Your Own Timing

Who says you need to follow the traditional Black Friday schedule? Consider running your promotion over an extended period or choose a different sales period to avoid the intense competition. Brands like Everlane, Glossier, and REI have successfully carved out their own paths by aligning their promotional strategies with their brand values. Everlane, for instance, donates profits to environmental causes instead of offering discounts, while Glossier offers exclusive limited-edition sets, and REI encourages customers to spend the day outdoors with their #OptOutside campaign.

3. Use All Of Your Marketing Channels

This is not the time to rely solely on one channel. Diversify your marketing efforts across all platforms, including email, social media, and direct messaging. You may be surprised which channels deliver the best ROI, especially as ad costs rise.

4. Start Nurturing Your Email List Early

Email marketing is a powerhouse during the holidays, but it requires preparation. If you haven't been nurturing your email list throughout the year, start now. Let your subscribers know about upcoming promotions well in advance, so they can plan their purchases.

5. Add A Pop-up To Your Website

Your website is a valuable marketing asset. Use it to capture leads by adding a pop-up that invites visitors to subscribe to your email list for early access to your holiday sale. This tactic helps build anticipation and gives you a direct line to potential customers. (More tips to build your email list here).

6. Craft An Irresistible Offer

Think creatively about your promotions. While discounts are always popular, consider other angles like gift-with-purchase or early access to exclusive items. Test different offers to see what resonates most with your audience, and make your final promotion both enticing and time-sensitive. Create scarcity by limiting timeframes or quantities to encourage quick action.

Make sure to build in some time to test your offer and ads set up in the lead up to the sales holiday season to ensure you will have the best approach to succeed.

As you test and refine your offer, don’t be afraid to take risks and experiment with your approach. You might just find that your customers are more interested in getting access to a limited edition colourway than a discount on your best seller. You’ll never know until you try!

7. Use Creative Content To Build Hype On Social Media

Standing out on social media is challenging, but creative content can help. Share behind the scenes videos of your brand, showcase what makes your products unique, and engage with your audience in fun and unexpected ways. Enlisting the right influencers or partners for your content production and/or campaign could boost results as well.

8. Engage Your Audience with DMs, SMS or WhatsApp

Direct messaging through Direct Messaging (DMs) on Instagram or Facebook, SMS or WhatsApp can be a powerful tool for reaching your customers personally. If this approach fits your brand, use it to offer exclusive deals to your most loyal followers. Make sure to test this in small batches before you deploy this tactic full-scale to your entire database.

9. Plan Your Content In Advance

High-quality content is crucial during the competitive holiday season. Start planning your content calendar well ahead of time to ensure you have everything ready when the promotional period arrives.

10. Get Started Now

Black Friday is fast approaching, and there’s no time to waste. Start implementing these strategies today to ensure your Black Friday—or whichever promotional day you choose—is your best sales day of the year.