Prepare your store for Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2023

Get ready for the biggest online shopping events of the year: Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Last year, about 6 out of 10 shoppers said they shopped during the Black Friday period to buy Christmas gifts for their loved ones. For a quarter of them, it was just for impulsive bargain hunting!*

No matter what kind of business you have, you can join the shopping frenzy and use some strategies to boost your store’s sales and shipping performance for the expected sales season.

What is Black Friday?

Black Friday started in the U.S. as the day after Thanksgiving and traditionally marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. The famous shopping day happens every year in-store and online and offers retailers and eCommerce brands the opportunity to sell their products at lower prices and with special deals. This year, Black Friday is on Friday, 24th November.

What is Cyber Monday?

The discounts don’t stop there. The next week, there is Cyber Monday. Unlike Black Friday, Cyber Monday focuses mainly on online sales for electronic items and gadgets. Some online stores will reduce their prices even more or have other exclusive offers like free shipping. This year, Cyber Monday is on Monday, 27th November.

Why are they both important for eCommerce?

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are two of the most significant shopping events of the year. Retail giants like Amazon even have Black Friday discounts before the actual day. However, many smaller companies also participate. It’s crucial to plan your sales and shipping strategies in advance because it also helps you prepare for the upcoming Christmas sales. If customers have a good experience with you, they will be more likely to buy from you again and recommend your services or products.

How can I get ready for Cyber sales?

Here are some useful tips and tricks to stay ahead of the shopping season:

Deals and discounts

The main attraction of Black Friday and Cyber Monday is the discount! Customers expect to get a good deal and happily compare prices to find the best one. Promotions based on order value are also a great way to encourage customers to spend more. Be competitive and introduce product-specific sales, online discount codes and flash sales.

Look out for our Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions!

Offer free shipping over a threshold

You might wonder if offering free shipping will make you lose money. Well, free shipping is a big incentive in the eCommerce industry. Not only do customers not mind spending a bit more if it means free postage, but it also helps to prevent cart abandonment, increase average order value and give you an advantage over your competitors!

If you’re worried about how offering free shipping can be profitable, find out more here.

Be clear about your store policies

Sometimes, people go a bit crazy during sales and often buy things they don’t need. This can result in a surge in returns, so make sure your return policies are up-to-date. Also, if you don’t offer returns, make it clear before checkout. If you do offer returns, our quick ‘Return Parcel’ tool in Shipping Manager allows you generate a return booking without having to manually enter your parcel details.

Sort out fast and reliable courier delivery

During the busy sale periods, customers like to have a choice of shipping services. With Interparcel, you can do just that!

We work with domestic and international couriers, so you can send your parcels to customers near and far. Our cheapest shipping service in the UK is the Evri ParcelShop Postable service from only £2.15 + VAT.

How can I improve my shipping strategy with Interparcel?

Interparcel can help you improve your shipping strategy for the upcoming Cyber sales. When you sign up for a free Interparcel account, you’ll get access to amazing shipping tools and features to grow your business. Here are some of the useful features you can use before the game:

Connect your eCommerce platforms

You can link all your eCommerce platforms and marketplaces with Interparcel to manage your orders in one easy dashboard. It’s simple to connect, and you can even link multiple stores within the same platform.

Set up Auto PrePay

The period before Black Friday will be busy, so save your admin time by automating simple tasks. Our Auto PrePay top-up feature makes sure your Interparcel account always has funds ready if it falls below your chosen threshold. That means you won’t have to worry about entering your card details each time you book, and you can keep track of your business spending.

Smart Boxing

When Smart Boxing is enabled, imported shipments will be packed into as few boxes as possible. You can upload your regular box measurements and product inventory to make multi-packing items faster and easier.

Turn on Live Shipping Rates

Enabling live shipping rates allows customers to see exact shipping costs at checkout. It provides better transparency for buyers and means you won’t be overcharging or undercharging for delivery. You can activate cart quoting in minutes if you sell on Shopify or WooCommerce.

Personalise your Branded Tracking Portal

Our Branded Tracking feature lets you showcase your brand after the sale. Add your business logo and personalise the portal with your brand colours and promotional banner to turn your parcel tracking page into a unique space. You could include a discount code in the banner to motivate customers to shop from your store again.

Install Print Manager

The Interparcel Print Manager™ allows direct label printing and A4 document printing from our platform to your printer. It will help to save time when handling multiple orders because you won’t have to download and print from PDF files. You can install our printing plugin to your Windows, Mac, Debian or Red Hat system in a few easy steps.

What else do you need to know? With the above strategies in place, you can relax knowing you’ve helped prepare your store that little bit more for Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. In the meantime, start using our services and see how much you can save.

Set up a free account today and start improving your online store. You can also get a quote today and benefit from low-cost delivery services.

*Sources:

Black Friday in the United Kingdom, Statista.

Leading consumer reasons for shopping during the Black Friday period in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2021, Statista.