Tips to increase black friday traffic for BigCommerce stores
Retailers and shoppers are gearing up as Black Friday approaches, and for BigCommerce store owners, the countdown to this massive shopping event is key to boosting traffic and sales. Black Friday is all about incredible deals, and much of the action has shifted online recently. In 2020, despite supply chain disruptions, 49% of orders were placed on desktops, with 43% coming from smartphones — highlighting the growing importance of mobile shopping. Whether customers are browsing on laptops or mobile devices, one thing is clear: Black Friday presents a golden opportunity to drive more traffic to your BigCommerce store. In this article, we’ll share practical tips to help you increase black friday traffic to your BigCommerce store this Black Friday. But first, let’s look at the history of this shopping phenomenon and how it evolved into the digital frenzy it is today. Origins of Black Friday The common myth about Black Friday’s history centers around the idea that retailers spent most of the year operating at a loss, shown as “in the red” on their balance sheets. Then, the day after Thanksgiving, the holiday shopping season kicked in, and stores finally made a profit, switching their balance sheets from red to black. But the real story behind Black Friday is different. As reported by Business Insider, the term “Black Friday” originated in Philadelphia in the 1950s, when the police used it to describe the hectic day following Thanksgiving. The chaos was driven by large crowds of tourists visiting for the holiday and the annual Army-Navy football game. Local businesses in Philadelphia attempted to rebrand the term to “Big Friday,” hoping to avoid the negative connotations of “Black Friday,” but the original name stuck. By 2003, Black Friday had officially become the busiest shopping day of the year in the U.S., a title it still holds due to the surge in black friday traffic. The trend has spread to other countries, including the UK and Australia. The UK term also came from local police, but it referred to the Friday before Christmas. Both police and hospitals noticed a spike in demand as people partied and enjoyed the last weekend before the holiday. Meanwhile, in Australia and New Zealand, Black Friday gained traction in 2015, with retailers like The Warehouse jumping on board to offer their own deals. Effective Strategies to Skyrocket Black Friday Traffic for Your BigCommerce Store The holiday season is always the busiest time of the year. While many businesses have had to adjust or reduce expenses recently, you can still gear up your store for the holidays and boost sales. With more brick-and-mortar stores moving online, planning early is the key to preparing for Black Friday and the holiday rush. Next, we will cover website and marketing strategies to help attract black friday traffic and grow online revenue during the holidays. Holiday Prep to Maximize Traffic and Sales When preparing for Black Friday, review what’s already working well on your eCommerce site. Identify the pages driving traffic and focus on optimizing those, while improving the weaker ones. Look at year-over-year metrics to highlight high-performing pages or campaigns that have generated significant black friday traffic. Also, review how other holiday campaigns, like Independence Day or Father’s Day, performed. Take note of successful strategies, areas for improvement, and future reuse tactics. Create a detailed plan for scheduling promotional content and updates. A well-organized calendar ensures your brand stays on track with consistent promotions and maintains a strong online presence. Here are some key elements to plan: Website Upgrades to Handle the Black Friday Rush With the holiday season fast approaching, it’s essential to ensure your online store is ready to meet the needs of shoppers. Focusing on key areas can enhance the customer experience and boost sales. Here are some strategies to help your store stand out and maximize conversions during the holidays: Marketing Tactics to Drive Engagement and Boost Sales If you’re not growing your contact list year-round, you need to catch up. Many businesses wait until just before major sales, but starting early is key. Use pop-ups and tools to capture emails, offering discounts or gifts in return. Social logins and viral campaigns can also help. An email list lets you remarket without extra cost, making it a valuable asset, especially before the holidays when black friday traffic is at its peak. Conversion Hacks to Turn Browsers into Buyers ECommerce retailers must be strategic when converting visitors into paying customers, especially during high black Friday traffic. Here are a few key methods to help turn browsers into buyers: Holiday Strategies to Create Loyal, Repeat Shoppers Delight your customers by exceeding their expectations and delivering a memorable shopping experience. After a purchase, add an extra touch that brings joy, especially when handling black Friday traffic. One idea is to offer gift wrapping with a festive twist. Provide various holiday-themed wrapping options to give customers a personalized experience. Additionally, offer customizable messaging. Many holiday orders are gifts, so let customers include personalized notes or engraved messages with their purchases. Keep it seasonal, but true to your brand, to ensure your business leaves a lasting impression. Maximize Your Black Friday Success with GritGlobal’s Atom8 Automation Black Friday is fast approaching and the perfect time to boost your sales and delight your customers. But managing the surge in black friday traffic and orders can be overwhelming. That’s where Atom8 from GritGlobal comes in. Let us help you streamline your operations so you can focus on making this holiday season your most successful yet. Conclusion Black Friday is fast approaching, and it’s a golden opportunity to elevate your BigCommerce store’s black friday traffic and sales. You can turn this shopping season into your most successful by implementing the strategies we’ve discussed—optimizing your website for the holiday rush, enhancing your marketing efforts, and leveraging automation tools. Don’t let the challenges of increased traffic and order management hold you back. Let GritGlobal’s Atom8 Automation handle the heavy lifting, so you can focus on delivering an
