Most Common Black Friday Mistakes: 10 Top Tips for a Smooth Black Friday
Whether you are a retail or service-based business, Black Friday is one of the biggest sales opportunities of the year for small businesses. However, it’s easy to get caught up in a rush and make the most common Black Friday mistakes that could cost you sales or not do anything at all. To help you stay ahead, we’ve compiled a list of the most common Black Friday mistakes and 10 tips for a smooth Black Friday:
1. Leaving it Too Late
One of the most common Black Friday mistakes businesses make is waiting until the last minute to prepare for Black Friday. A successful campaign requires planning weeks (or even months) in advance.
Small Business Black Friday Tip: Don’t make this common Black Friday mistake, and Start now! Create a timeline for promotions, email campaigns, and website updates early so you’re not scrambling at the last minute.
2. Slow Website Load Times
With an increase in traffic expected, a slow website can mean lost customers. Shoppers won’t wait for a sluggish page to load—they’ll move on to a competitor.
Small Business Black Friday Tip: Use tools like Google Page Speed Insights to ensure your site is running smoothly. Compress images, leverage browser caching, and consider upgrading your hosting if needed. If you need help, take us up on our FREE WEBSITE AUDIT to ensure your website is ready for Black Friday!
3. Not a Good Enough Offer
Black Friday is so competitive that your discounts and offers really need to stand out. A common Black Friday mistake is offering too small a discount! Let’s be honest: 10 per cent off is not a Black Friday offer, is it?
Small Business Black Friday Tip: Consider giving bigger discounts, bundling products and offering limited-time deals. Make sure your offer is attractive enough to create excitement.
4. No Sense of Urgency
Running an offer for weeks before or after Black Friday is one of the most common Black Friday mistakes! The offer should be a great offer that’s only available for ‘x’ amount of time. Creating urgency is critical to pushing customers to buy now rather than later. Without it, shoppers may leave your site and forget to come back.
Small Business Black Friday Tip: Use countdown timers on your site, highlighting “limited stock” or “sale ends soon” messages to create a sense of urgency and drive sales.
5. Not Making Your Offer Easy to Find
Another common Black Friday mistakes is not having a dedicated webpage, making it hard for shoppers to find what they want. A good Black Friday webpage will be mobile-friendly, have a countdown to emphasise the urgency, and make the offer clear and easy to buy.
Small Business Black Friday Tip: Ensure your Black Friday offers have their own webpage and links to them are prominently displayed on your homepage. Use banners, pop-ups, and headers to make your offers impossible to miss. Need help setting up a Black Friday Webpage? No problem! We actually have our own Black Friday offer for precisely this reason!
6. Not Having a Mobile-Friendly Website
With over 50 per cent of shoppers browsing on mobile, your site must be responsive and easy to navigate on smaller screens. A bad mobile experience can frustrate customers and lead to lost sales.
Small Business Black Friday Tip: Test your site’s mobile functionality beforehand. Ensure images, buttons, and checkout processes are smooth and user-friendly.
7. Poor Email Marketing Campaigns
One email on Black Friday isn’t enough. Build up anticipation with a series of emails leading up to the big day. Highlight sneak peeks of offers, limited-time deals, and exclusive discounts for email subscribers.
Small Business Black Friday Tip: Use strong subject lines, clear messaging, and eye-catching visuals. Segment your email list to send targeted deals to different customer groups.
8. Ignoring Social Media
Don’t underestimate the power of social media during the Black Friday lead-up. It’s an excellent way to build momentum and excitement and is such a simple common Black Friday mistake to avoid.
Small Business Black Friday Tip: Schedule engaging posts with countdowns, sneak peeks, or teaser videos. Use Instagram Stories or Facebook Ads to amplify your reach and talk about your offers every day. Need help with creating some Black Friday themed Social Media templates that are going to grab attention, CONTACT US to find out more
9. Complicated Checkout Process
Nothing frustrates customers more than a lengthy or confusing checkout. High cart abandonment rates often stem from too many required fields or a lack of payment options.
Small Business Black Friday Tip: Simplify the checkout process as much as possible. Reduce the number of steps, offer guest checkout options, and make sure you accept a variety of payment methods.
10. No Follow-Up After the Sale
Black Friday doesn’t end when the sale does! It’s also about the experience! If someone buys from you or shows an interest, they are a warm lead, and we should make the most of them. If you run an online shop, this is especially important. Following up with customers after their purchase is crucial for long-term loyalty.
Small Business Black Friday Tip: Send a thank-you email after the sale, offer exclusive post-Black Friday deals, or ask for reviews. Keep the conversation going to turn one-time buyers into repeat customers.
Black Friday can be a game-changer for your small business, but only if you avoid these common Black Friday mistakes. By preparing your website, streamlining your customer journey, and delivering irresistible offers, you’ll be well-positioned for a successful Black Friday.
Need help getting your website and marketing ready for Black Friday? Contact us today for a Free Website Audit or check out our Black Friday Offer (and banish those most common Black Friday mistakes!)