How to prepare for Cyber Monday (for e-commerce businesses)
It’s that time of year again! The Fall leaves are settling on the ground, and the winter cold is creeping in. This means that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are waiting just around the corner.
For most E-commerce businesses, these holidays are a big deal. After all, according to this report “in 2020, the online sales on Cyber Monday reached $10.8 billion, making it the biggest e-commerce selling day of all time.” It’s an ideal time for online businesses to make ginormous sales and either get ahead on their projections for the coming year or recover from any pitfalls they may have experienced in the past.
However, for some e-commerce businesses, holidays like Cyber Monday could bring nothing but dread or bundles of nerves. Past experiences may have made them feel overwhelmed and underprepared, OR they may not have positioned their business in ways to make the most of the opportunity.
If that sounds like you, then let’s make sure that never happens again. We’re a consulting company that loves to see our community thrives, and that includes you! We want you to look forward to the date and take it on with confidence. So if you’re ready, read on to find out how to prepare your e-commerce business for Cyber Monday so you can make the most of every opportunity.
Check your operations
Before the big holiday rolls in, it’s essential that you check your operations and ensure that everything is ready for your anticipated traffic.
This includes things like your websites, your inventory management, as well as your sales funnels. When it comes to your sales funnel, is everything running correctly or the way it’s supposed to? If there are any weak links, you’ll want to make sure that you have everything tied up and leading where it should be.
For your website, you’ll want to ensure that your website is loading easily and all links are also active and correct. Additionally, it’ll be smart to chat with a trusted IT tech to ensure that your bandwidth would be prepared to handle heavier traffic than it’s accustomed to in the event that you’re holding a special sale or planning for any additional marketing push.
For inventory management, do you have systems in place that will accurately give your customers and yourself updated inventory readings so that misunderstandings don’t happen? If not, what can you do to attain this or perfect what you may have in place now?
Update Your Site
As we’re on the topic of your site, let’s also cover updating it! Holidays are special for a reason. People feel different around this time, and they love the idea of merry words and images. So this is a great time to give your website a holiday uplift! If you’re running a cyber Monday sale, make sure the banners and announcements are clearly displayed to take action and be in the holiday spirit.
Additionally, another great way to ensure the ease of your Cyber Monday is by confirming the ease of a customer’s experience on your website. Is the checkout experience a simple one? Do they have to jump through added hoops that may make them abandon their cart? Are your shipping costs and policies clearly outlined? These are things holiday shoppers will be interested in seeing on Cyber Monday, and the lack of them may also be another reason they abandon carts.
Pro Tips: Make sure to use popular SEO words as you build out any Cyber Monday pages or announcements. Things like “Cyber Monday Deals” or anything particular to your niche is always a great idea.
Serve Your Customers
The last way and best way to prepare for Cyber Monday is by serving your customers before and after the big day.
This means running a campaign that highlights the upcoming deals for them in the days before so that they have time to financially plan for it as well as being available to them should they have any questions.
On the day of, you’ll also want to make sure you have the right amount of support that’s needed to answer emails, social media questions, or phone calls, should you have that option for them. You’ll want to prioritize giving them the best and easiest experience possible to get your conversion rates as high as possible.
Tis’ The Season!
Like Black Friday, Cyber Monday ushers in the holiday season, and it’s important you feel that spirit as you prepare your business for this massive opportunity. Just remember all this day can bring your business, and do your best to make the day easy on you, your staff, and your customers.
Follow our tips above, and we’re sure you’ll end the day feeling very merry.