Black Friday is the 1 day of the year where your customers can take you down in a split second – are YOU prepared.
Black Friday 2014 saw $1.505 billion in online sales, making it the season’s heaviest online spending day, representing a 18% increase against Black Friday 2013, this year is not going to be different, you can expect your digital traffic to increase. Are you ready handle this years influx of website visitors?
Underestimating traffic
A US based Retail giant, Best Buy experienced a website outage during one of the busiest shopping days of the year. If it can happen to them, it can surely happen to you. Running an ecommerce business may help you avoid the stress of long lines and crowds, but don’t forget how similar your online business is to that of a brick and mortar store.
Ignoring security.
Cyber threats intensify during the holiday season. From deceptive advertising, to phishing scams and more McAfee have identified “12 Scams of the Holidays” that you should be aware of, and prepared for check them out and prepare your self to deal with those threats.
A total no-go – pricing gimmicks.
Some retailers are guilty of using pricing tricks like misleading original prices and they are fond of making shoppers jump through mail-in rebates hoops. Don’t let this be you. Consumers have access to unprecedented information in the digital age. Serious shoppers compare ads beforehand. Pricing schemes and gimmicks can quickly backfire – demolishing your sales and brand reputation in the process.
Don’t forget Cyber Monday.
Some of your customers simply will not venture out into Black Friday insanity for two primary reasons:
- First, “Black Friday is by design going to make you behave like an idiot.”
- Secondly, savvy customers know that you also promote sales online.
It’s much easier to click and save in lieu of getting trample by herds of shoppers. Black Friday, they know, is just the beginning. They’ll be on the lookout for Cyber Monday deals too – which are often much deeper. If you can’t compete on Black Friday, roll out the red carpet on Cyber Monday.
If you are not prepared and ready you Brand can easily be tarnished after a frenzy Black Friday.
Heidi Kristoffersen 