You promised it would be different, you vowed to start preparing in January, you were meant to have it all together months ago – and now Black Friday starts tomorrow, and you’ve done nothing. Welcome to our last-minute guide to Black Friday and Cyber Monday – we’re all friends here. 

Last-minute recap

We know you know, but let’s just quickly recap to get you in the mood. 

Black Friday – taking place on Friday 29 November 2019, Black Friday is a retail day marked by big discounts, sales and bargains. 

Cyber Monday – taking place on Monday 2 December 2019, Cyber Monday is an eCommerce day, also marked by big discounts, sales and bargains. 

Over the years, they’ve merged into the biggest shopping weekend of the year and certainly one to not miss out on. 

Is it too late to take part in Black Friday and Cyber Monday?

Never. While it’s preferential to have your BFCM ducks in a row by October, there’s no reason why you can’t take part in the mayhem and gather some extra sales while you’re at it. 

How to still get involved in BFCM

So, with only one day to go, what can you do now to take part in this weekend’s festivities?

1. Plan

Yes, you read that right. Jumping in without a brief plan can lead to mistakes, overselling and unhappy customers. Specifically, you want to set out:

? What products are you going to discount?

? How much discount can you afford to offer?

? How are you going to market your offers?

? How are you going to manage a surge in orders (multi-channel management software is excellent for this)? 

2. Do

Next, you need to execute your Black Friday and Cyber Monday participation. This involves:

? Preparing your store and social media with banners (Canva is a great tool for this)

? Sending out an email campaign about your BFCM deals

? Scheduling social media posts about your BFCM discounts

? Updating your listings (our listing tool is a great way to do this in bulk.)

3. Manage

Black Friday and Cyber Monday don’t finish as soon as the clock strikes 12. Ensure that you manage the extra sales you’ve created by:

? Processing orders quickly

? Meeting your advertised shipping speeds

? Following up sales with a thank you email

? Making a mental note to start preparing a little earlier next year. 

About Expandly

While Expandly can’t force you to start preparing for Black Friday and Cyber Monday earlier next year, we can help to save you time, giving you more capacity to prepare for retail events like these. 

If you’d like to see how Expandly’s multi-channel management tool can streamline your eCommerce business, book in for a free demo now.