As a store owner, you need to ensure that your website is ready to handle the influx of traffic and sales for the biggest sale of the year. To help you get ready, we’ve compiled the ultimate Black Friday checklist for WooCommerce store owners.
From optimizing your website for speed and performance to creating irresistible offers and promotions, this checklist covers all the essential steps you need to take to maximize your sales and profits.
So, whether you’re a seasoned store owner or just starting out, this checklist will help you stay on top of your game and make the most out of the Black Friday shopping frenzy. Are you ready to boost your sales and take your WooCommerce store to the next level? Let’s dive in and get started!
Introduction
Did you know that online commerce has grown substantially since COVID-19? It’s true… a recent survey by Engine found that although consumers are pessimistic, they’re spending up to 30% more online.
So, this means that now, more than at any point in history, there is a huge opportunity awaiting online store owners in November and December.
In fact, I would go as far as saying that Black Friday is undoubtedly the most important date in the coming quarter for any e-commerce store owner.
In this article, we’re going to take WooCommerce store owners through exactly what they need to know so they can prepare and make the most of this unprecedented opportunity:
1. Know your target dates (Black Friday is more than one day!)
When we talk about Black Friday sales, it’s not just about one single day, like November 24th, 2023.
In fact, it’s a term used to encompass many more days. Additionally, it’s often used to refer to the entire sale period at the end of November and early December.
But here’s the thing – you don’t have to host a sale on all those days. It really depends on your store, your audience, and how much time you have to get ready. For example, if you’re reading this on the Monday just before Black Friday, it might be a bit late to jump into action for every single day.
The good news, however, is that you can totally pick and choose which dates work best for you. There are no strict rules saying you have to tackle them all. It’s all about what suits your game plan.
2. Determine your advertising options
In today’s e-commerce landscape, advertising is a big player, and a lot of us rely on communities made accessible through platforms like Facebook Ads and Google Ads to connect with people actively searching for products.
But hey, don’t forget about the other platforms out there! You might want to consider diving into options like Twitter, LinkedIn (especially if you’re in the B2B game), YouTube, and many more!
3. Get your stats tracking in place
Keeping a close eye on everything that happens during Black Friday is crucial, not just for the event itself but for your long-term success as well. In fact, having a robust tracking system in place is beneficial year-round. So, if you haven’t set it up yet, it’s a smart move for the future too.
The first step is to determine what you should be tracking and what you can let slide. You can’t monitor everything at once, so focus on the aspects you deem most critical.
For tracking e-commerce statistics, Google Analytics is a solid choice. It’s free and provides comprehensive insights. Furthermore, to implement Google Analytics with full e-commerce tracking, consider using a tool like MonsterInsights, which streamlines the setup process.
Remember to test your tracking system a few weeks before your sale dates to ensure it’s functioning correctly and that you can access the data you need. This preparation will pay off in the long run.
4. Create bundles of products
Now, one common mistake many stores make on Black Friday is offering a one-size-fits-all site-wide deal and calling it a day.
But, that’s a short sighted approach that leaves a lot of potential revenue untapped.
To truly capitalize on Black Friday, I recommend taking a page from Amazon’s playbook, which employs bundling strategies every day of the year!
Bundling is an excellent strategy to boost your Average Order Value (AOV), a critical aspect of making Black Friday a success for your store.
Consider it as asking yourself, “What else can I offer this customer? What additional items might they need if they buy this?” Your most valuable source of insights will be your existing sales data. Look at what products people typically purchase together, and use that information to craft your sales bundles.
WooCommerce Product Bundles
I highly recommend using the WooCommerce Product Bundles plugin to craft your bundles. This tool allows you to group your products together in your product listings without the hassle of managing separate inventory.
Then, to add an extra touch, consider creating a dedicated landing page for your product bundle. This not only makes it feel more special but also provides greater flexibility.
Additionally, for fast and easy landing page creation, I suggest using a tool like Elementor Pro, which seamlessly integrates with WooCommerce.
With Elementor Pro, you can drop in the product “add to cart” feature using a block and take advantage of hundreds of pre-designed landing page templates that you can customize.
Finally, to further entice customers, think about incorporating a floating header bar with a countdown timer. This adds a sense of urgency to your offer and can be achieved using a tool like OptinMonster, which also offers various other popup opt-ins.
The benefit of using a tool like OptinMonster is that it can target just those specific pages you tell it to and you can also set a timer to increase the FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) factor.
Lastly, consider creating unique ads for your bundles. There’s nothing quite like a targeted ad featuring a specific offer to drive conversions!
5. Use better offers like BOGO (Buy One, Get One)
BOGO, short for “Buy One, Get One,” is a well-known style of offer.
These BOGO deals are hugely popular in the world of brick-and-mortar retail. You’ll encounter them as you stroll through your local shopping mall – fashion stores, in particular, are big fans! The reason?
Well, not only do customers find them highly appealing, but they’re also exceptionally profitable for the store. Take a look at the examples provided below.
As a store owner, which option would you prefer?
Option 1: A standard 30% off coupon deal
- A single $100 pair of jeans (discounted to $70 after a 30% discount)
- Minus the $30 cost price
- Leaves you with a $40 profit margin
A standard coupon for a “30% off deal” would take 30% off the revenue meaning its $70 profit margin would get reduced to a $40 profit margin.
Option 2: BOGO (Buy 2 get 1 free) deal
- 3x pairs of Jeans are $300
- Minus $90 cost price ($30 cost price each)
- Minus $100 as 1x product is free for the deal
- $110 profit margin
With the BOGO deal, every time a customer takes advantage of it, you’re raking in a solid $110 profit. That’s an offer any store owner would gladly embrace, any day of the week.
How To Implement BOGO Deals In WooCommerce
Advanced Coupons is the plugin you need to enable BOGO offers to work in WooCommerce. It lets you easily use coupons to give customers the option of a buy one, get one style deal. You can even do it on the free version!
Follow the same steps as you do with Bundle offers and you’ll find that BOGO deals can be incredibly successful for you:
- Decide what BOGO deals can you run for your products
- Create OptinMonster opt-in boxes to feed traffic to product pages with BOGO deals
- Post your BOGO deals on your homepage (temporarily until the sale finishes)
- Post about your BOGO deals on social media
- Create unique ads for your BOGO deals
6. Excite people (and collect emails) with a viral giveaway
Viral giveaways can be an excellent strategy to capture attention, and if you haven’t tried one before, Black Friday is an ideal moment to give it a go.
For setting up a giveaway, I suggest using the RafflePress plugin. It offers the functionality to allow participants to enter and earn additional entry points by completing specific actions.
You can, of course, run your giveaway as a simple Instagram post, but doing it this way will:
- Bring them onto your site so you can capture their email; and
- Allow you to better control the viral spreading
Then, once you have your giveaway set up and ready to go on your website I suggest promoting it by:
- Sending an announcement email
- Scheduling a reminder email to your list
- Create social posts and boost them
- Using social media stories
- and allow extra “daily” entries for a massive viral boost
7. Use your affiliate program
When it comes to Black Friday sales an active affiliate program can be worth its weight in gold.
Now, if you haven’t built your affiliate program yet, then a tool like AffiliateWP is a nice quick way to get one up and running before Black Friday.
Affiliate programs work by you giving your affiliates a percentage of each sale they refer. Make sure you set this level appropriately to ensure you cover your costs and still make a profit.
Your affiliates can come from various backgrounds, such as bloggers, other online stores, or even professional affiliate marketers.
To support your affiliates effectively, they’ll need access to some essential resources for promoting your products. At the very least, provide them with files like your logo and popular product images.
Additionally, for Black Friday, consider offering your affiliates more specialized resources like graphics, pre-written email templates, and holiday preparation checklists. These tools will streamline their efforts in promoting your brand to their audience.
Finally, to further motivate and engage your affiliates, you might consider hosting an affiliate competition. Offering a highly desirable prize can incentivize many affiliates to go the extra mile in driving sales for your Black Friday event.
8. New Black Friday Sale ideas and trends (extra things you can try this year)
Preparing for a major sales event like Black Friday involves a multitude of tasks, and I hope this checklist has helped you get a good handle on at least some of them.
But if you’re eager for additional creative ideas to maximize your Black Friday success, here are some suggestions that have crossed my mind for those who are keen to make the most out of it:
- “Going Live” on socials on the day of the sale
- Extended offers (offer extended for 24 hours!)
- Cross-promo with other stores
- Add urgency & scarcity to offers (limit time or quantity, use countdowns)
- Customize offers based on customer’s purchase history (especially people from the last 3 months)
Conclusion
If you’re focused on expanding your business, Black Friday is an opportunity you simply can’t afford to miss. As a store owner, it’s essential to ensure that your website is fully prepared to manage the surge in traffic and sales during the year’s biggest sale event.
So, to help you gear up, we’ve put together the ultimate Black Friday checklist for WooCommerce store owners in this article:
- Know your target dates (Black Friday is more than one day)
- Determine your advertising options
- Get your stats tracking in place
- Create bundles of products
- Use better offers like BOGO (Buy One, Get One)
- Excite people (and collect emails) with a viral giveaway
- Use your affiliate program
- New Black Friday sale ideas and trends (extra things you can try this year)
Do you have any questions about this article? Let us know in the comments!
