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5 ways to increase online sales for BFCM 2022

BeProfit logo - a white letter "b" on a purple background
By Staff Editor
Edited by Hili Jeffery

Published November 3, 2022.

Increase online sales for BFCM 2022

Every Black Friday Cyber Monday (BCFM), brands and retailers come through with generous price slashes and limited-time deals to drive sales. Customers all around the world start queuing up hours in advance to secure the best and most cost-saving deals they can find all year round, while some others may anxiously refresh an e-commerce store page and stay tuned to a limited-time online sale.

With all the buzz generated yearly, BFCM is well-regarded as the most opportune event of the year where customers can expect a variety of deals and discounts. As an e-commerce retailer, how can you turn the adrenaline and rush of BFCM into a profitable sales opportunity?

There are a number of simple and proven sales tactics you can employ to make sure BFCM this year is a huge victory for your business. You should be engaged with these tactics before, during and after the event to maximize sales effectiveness along the way.

Before the Event

1. Ensure Your Site is Able to Handle the Traffic

There could be nothing more disastrous than seeing your store crash and being unable to handle massive amounts of requests on the actual day! This is an entirely avoidable situation, as long as you do the right amount of preparation beforehand to ensure your store can accommodate an increase in traffic. To prevent such an occurrence, make sure you do load testing before the actual event with tools like k6.io, and be sure to optimize loading time.

Along the way, you also want to ensure that your site is optimized for mobile as a large portion of customers will be browsing from their phones. Wherever possible, create a smooth and seamless online experience for customers regardless of their device type. This boils down to being strategic with what Shopify theme you use, the types of graphics you integrate, and even the placement of buttons and banners. Every design element should be well thought out and intentional, building a well-rounded customer journey and experience.

2. Think Ahead and Start Planning Your Digital Marketing Approach

Digital marketing is crucial for every online business, especially with customers’ limited attention span. It’s even more pressing to get eyeballs on your storefront to even stand a chance at getting a sale. With that in mind, you need to ensure your digital strategy is able to meet your sales targets.

Start planning ahead with Koala Inspector, which is a free business intelligence tool you can download to get access to insights on your competitors. Using the Koala Inspector, you can detect which ad campaigns your competitors are running, especially if they are already ahead of the game and have started running BFCM ads. This would be a wise approach to take, which will save you time and resources and immediately inform your approach with data-driven insights.

Another way to start planning your digital marketing approach is to write your ad copy in advance. Whether you’re advertising on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram or writing an email campaign, effective copy will resonate with the right audience and unlock a world of e-commerce opportunities. Start writing witty copy which taps into customers’ fear of missing out, integrating words like “limited time only” to urge quick action. You can read more tips on writing copy for BFCM campaigns here.

During the Event

3. Feature a Doorbuster Deal for a Limited Time

Shopify recommends having a doorbuster deal to attract customers to your store at the start of the BFCM sale, and we couldn’t agree more. This is one of the most-utilized strategies and one that you should already be thinking about to launch your BFCM sale.

What is a doorbuster deal? Think of it as a deal that’s just too good to be true - one that customers will be strongly motivated to visit your store to purchase, which comes in limited quantities.

A doorbuster deal will attract large crowds to your online store and create strong demand, especially if you provide the deal in a limited supply. The best part about a deal that’s too good to be true is that it spurs word-of-mouth marketing activity, drawing attention to your store in an organic manner. Once customers have arrived at your store, they can then enjoy other deals such as having free shipping with a minimum order value. This will also incentivize them to add items to their cart, to meet this minimum value to enjoy the deal.

4. Include exclusive voucher codes to improve sales

An excellent tactic to urge customers to buy, while creating a feeling of exclusivity, is to distribute exclusive voucher codes to drive sales. You could include these voucher codes in email marketing campaigns, feature them for a limited time on your Instagram story, or even in a pop-up window on your storefront. Whichever tactic you choose, having an exclusive voucher code will also improve your social engagement as customers will need to go on whichever platform to obtain the code.

Voucher codes which you give out can also be exclusive to a particular product or bundle, and you can give voucher codes for higher-priced goods to improve the average order value. This will dramatically improve profit margins if you’re strategic with how you go about this approach. You can also distribute free shipping codes if you’re not keen to give out discounted deals.

After the Event

5. Keep Your Customers Engaged with a Loyalty Programme

Customer retention is so important in the e-commerce age. Once a customer has bought a product from you, you should immediately get them to sign up for your loyalty programme on the checkout page, so you can keep them engaged after their initial purchase. Making sign ups an easy and one-step process will improve your odds of getting them to be part of your loyalty programme.

Once they’ve joined the programme, be sure to send out regular communications via email to keep them engaged. Give out member-only discount codes, conduct member-only sales events and invite them to your next big launch ahead of other customers who are not signed up. These are some simple yet effective ways to accelerate activity for your e-commerce store, while ensuring sustainable, long-term growth.

Conclusion

As we’ve demonstrated, forward planning for e-commerce stores is the best way to succeed during BFCM. With tons of competition in the market, it’s easy to think that it’s a space that’s too saturated to compete in, but you won’t want to lose out by being disengaged. Employing a few simple and proven tactics can really help you achieve your sales and growth targets, while giving you momentum to continue selling to loyal customers even after the event.